Employee Volunteering

Abstract

Employee volunteering is a topic of growing importance in workplaces around the globe. Likewise, research on employee volunteering has seen a marked increase over the past decade, particularly in leading management and psychology outlets. Despite this increasing visibility, there is little consensus on the state of the literature or directions for the future. In particular, research is currently based on a variety of different definitions and operationalizations and is spread across several disciplines. In order to advance management research on employee volunteering, this review focuses on three contributions: (1) clarifying the definition and various forms of employee volunteering, (2) reviewing the current body of knowledge on employee volunteering, and (3) providing a future research agenda for the role of employee volunteering in the workplace. Keywords: employee volunteering; work life management; corporate social responsibility; reviewEmployee volunteering is a topic of growing importance in workplaces around the globe. Each year, reports suggest that employees continue to devote time and effort-either on their personal time or as part of a company initiative-to volunteering (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2013 worldwide support employee engagement in charitable activities as part of their strategy for corporate social responsibility (Basil, Runte, Easwaramoorthy, & Barr, 2009). Indeed, estimates suggest that close to 90% of companies now support employee volunteering in some fashion (Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, CECP, 2011; Points of Light Foundation, 2006). Reports also indicate that the newest generation of employees places significant value on volunteering opportunities when evaluating employers (Deloitte Development, 2014).In reaction to this growing attention to volunteering in practice, research on employee volunteering has markedly increased-particularly in leading management and psychology outlets (e.g., Caligiuri, Mencin, & Jiang, 2013;Grant, 2012;Jones, Willness, & Madey, 2014;Rodell, 2013). This work has largely demonstrated that employee volunteering is beneficial for both employees and companies. It provides an opportunity for employees to develop skills, improving morale and ultimately performance (Caligiuri et al.;Jones, 2010;Rodell), and serves as a resource to attract and retain employees (Jones; Jones et al.).Beyond the increasing popularity of this topic in both research and practice, there are several additional reasons for presenting an integrative analysis and discussion of this literature. First, there is little definitional and operational consensus about the construct of employee volunteering (e.g., Grant, 2012;Penner, 2002;Rodell, 2013; see also Clary & Snyder, 1999;Musick & Wilson, 2008). Scholars have adopted different definitional approaches, for example, examining the intensity versus longevity of volunteering efforts (e.g., Booth, Won Park, & Glomb, 2009;Caligiuri et al., 2013). In addition, they have conceptualized volunteering as having different boundar...

The nonprofit case for corporate volunteering: a multi-level perspective

“…Such "bottom-line tests" (Allen, 2003, p.58) have proven highly complex, however, much more so than the usual general outcome assessments. The nonprofit case for corporate volunteering thus warrants further scrutiny.In this study, we demonstrate that understanding the nonprofit case for corporate volunteering requires systematically disentangling outcomes at multiple levels (see also Rodell et al, 2015), paying additional attention to relationships between individual-level and organizational-level outcomes, and identifying particular characteristics that act as antecedents for these outcomes (see also the framework for the business case developed by Rodell et al, 2015, p. 9). A multi-level perspective on the antecedents to and outcomes of corporate volunteering could help NPOs to develop strategies for engaging corporate volunteers in ways that would maximize their own benefits (see Allen, 2003;Samuel et al, 2013).…”

“…In other words, they address the outcomes of corporate volunteering for corporations and their employees (Rodell et al, 2015). In recent years, however, some scholars have begun to develop the nonprofit case for corporate volunteering (Allen, 2003;Samuel, Wolf & Schilling, 2013;Schiller & Almog-Bar, 2013) by exploring the reasons that NPOs have for being involved in corporate volunteering and the outcomes that they realize from such relationships.…”

“…As mentioned in the introduction, researchers have developed a strong business case for corporate volunteering, and it has been widely implemented by businesses (Pajo & Lee, 2011). The Corporate volunteering and NPOs 5 positive business outcomes of employee participation in corporate volunteering and the favorable perceptions of corporate volunteer programs (including with regard to employee attitudes, external perceptions, company performance, work behaviors, and employee wellbeing) have been well documented (for recent reviews, see Liket & Simaens, 2015;Rodell et al, 2015).…”

The management of volunteers – what can human resources do? A review and research agenda

“…First, volunteering relates to planned activities (Rodell, Breitsohl, Schröder, & Keating, 2016;Wilson, 2000), as opposed to spontaneous helping (e.g., helping a survivor of a car accident). Second, volunteering suggests that individuals regularly invest some time and effort by engaging in prosocial behaviors (Wilson, 2000).…”

“…Third, volunteering takes place within an organizational context in that individuals carry out their volunteering activities within a formal context (Rodell et al, 2016). This differentiates volunteering from informal helping (e.g., helping an elderly neighbor with shopping) or private helping (e.g., caring for an elderly family member).…”