Winchester university PhD student researching volunteering

Paula Glover, a University of Winchester PhD student, says the topic of employer-supported volunteering (ESV) is under-researched.

ESV, also known as corporate volunteering, is when companies support or enable their employees to volunteer.

Paula said: "Whilst there are a number of potential positive outcomes from ESV, it doesn’t always achieve what is intended.

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Paula is researching how volunteering opportunities arranged by employers benefit companies, employees and charities. (Image: University of Winchester) "There can be a disconnect between the various stakeholders in terms of what they need and expect from this sort of volunteering.

"This means that sometimes not all parties get what they want out of an arrangement, and it can even sometimes be a burden for the charity."

Paula, a chartered occupational psychologist based in Camberley, has found five categories of motivations for individuals, companies and charities getting involved in ESV: to do good, to feel good, to get good, to look good and to connect more.

She wants to better understand how members of the different ESV stakeholder groups perceive and experience this sort of volunteering, what drives their decision to get involved and what good ESV looks like to them.

Paula said: "There are stories of charities making up tasks for ESV because they want to forge a relationship with the company.

"The community centre may not need painting again but the charity who run it might be looking to the benefits of a long-term link with a commercial organisation.

"The charity might also gain one or two new regular volunteers from the ESV."

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Paula's research is all the more important as statistics show there has been a drop off in the number of people volunteering over recent years.

The decline has continued post-Covid, with many older people who were volunteers before the pandemic not returning to the sector.

Whilst there is a similar percentage of young adults (18-24) volunteering, rates are lower in ages 25-64, suggesting that more can be done to harness the volunteering potential of working age adults.

With ESV allowing employees to volunteer during work time, this can reduce some of the perceived barriers to volunteering in this age group.

Paula has already published a short summary of a scoping review of the existing literature.

She hopes her research will help improve the outcomes of ESV initiatives and enable the different ESV stakeholders to better understand the needs and expectations of others.