More and more, companies are encouraging their employees to give back to the community and are putting up the money and resources needed to make it happen.

In 2004, Statistics Canada commissioned a study on giving and volunteerism in Canada. Its results were recently released in the Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating. Among its findings was the emergence of a rising incidence of employer-supported volunteerism or ESV in Canada's corporate world.

What is employer-supported volunteerism? Also called corporate volunteering, employee community involvement, employee volunteering and workplace volunteering, it is the term given to the volunteer activities that employees undertake, sometimes during office hours, with the encouragement and support of the company for which they work. ESV can be incorporated into corporate social responsibility initiatives, which are becoming more prevalent in today's corporate culture.

More than half (57 per cent) of employed volunteers received some form of non-monetary support for their volunteering from their employer, according to the survey. About one-third said their employer had allowed them to change or reduce their work schedule in order to volunteer (33 per cent) or use work facilities or equipment for their volunteer activities (32 per cent). Almost one quarter (23 per cent) said they had received some form of recognition for their volunteering and 21 per cent said they had received paid time off to volunteer.

Why would employers be encouraging their employees to take time away from work to support charitable causes in the community? Wouldn't this negatively affect productivity?

The reality is quite the opposite. There are many benefits to companies enabling their employees to volunteer – to the community, to the individual and even to the business itself.

The benefits to the community are perhaps the most readily apparent. When employers enable their employees to volunteer, there are more active participants in charitable ventures, bringing unique skill sets and real-world experience to these causes, potentially increasing philanthropic donations. If employees are volunteering with an organization that has a direct beneficiary, it is easy to draw a line from the volunteer to the beneficiary.

Individuals who participate in volunteer programs gain immense personal satisfaction from making a contribution to the community in which they live and work. They learn new skills and gain experience that may help them in their careers, while networking with potential customers and business partners who are also involved. By giving, employees boost their self-confidence and sense of achievement, which, in turn, increases the morale of the workforce. Happy employees are more productive employees.

Perhaps most interesting from a business perspective is the fact that companies themselves benefit immeasurably from allowing employees to participate in volunteer activities. The company's brand is associated with philanthropy and charity, which, in today's crowded business world, can be seen as a competitive advantage. Increased presence in the community can assist human resource and business-development programs by expanding brand awareness and giving employees the chance to interact with other members of the community. An expanded business network can result in an increase in lead generation, especially if the company has a positive image in its marketplace, which charitable contributions can only help foster. Most importantly, when employees feel good about their volunteer activities, and recognize that they have the support of their employer behind them, they feel better about their employer and can spread the message that your company is a great place to work.

Junior Achievement and other programs such as United Way and Canadian Cancer Society are excellent examples of organizations that benefit from the support of ESV. With JAEO, the vast majority of our volunteers come from the business community, especially from large corporations that provide incentives for their employees to participate. Through the support of the companies engaged in ESV, along with donors and investors, JA is able to offer its programs without charge to schools, parents or students.

Last year Nortel employees volunteered more 13,000 hours delivering programs such as Junior Achievement and Nortel LearniT, expanding the experience and job satisfaction of employees and Nortel's presence in the community.

Large corporations have a wealth of human resources to get involved in volunteering. That doesn't mean smaller companies can't participate and make a meaningful contribution. Many of the benefits of ESV will have even greater impact in small- and medium-sized businesses, as leads can more easily be attributed to a particular activity when the organization is smaller, partnerships are more easily established, and so on.

When a company finds a charitable cause that is a good fit for its organization, corporate vision and employees, it often develops an ongoing relationship with that charity, continuing to donate time and resources over the course of many years. This sort of ongoing support builds brand awareness for your company and contributes to a healthier business environment in your city.

If your company isn't already engaged in ESV, consider it. You'll not only be benefiting the community, but your company and your employees.

Brian Stratton is the regional CEO for Junior Achievement of Eastern Ontario (JAEO). To contact Brian, or to find out more about Junior Achievement, visit www.jaeo.org