adam blasberg November 2014 BCBusiness 35
term vision. Some companies are most
interested in the potential for demon-
strating social responsibility, often as
a defining brand quality. Others use
employee volunteer events as inten-
sive team-building exercises; a daylong
project can develop new skills, break
down hierarchies and serve as a work-
shop in effective collaboration. Yet oth-
ers see it as a career development tool,
or a chance to encourage employee
engagement by providing paid time off
for volunteering, or lending resources—
meeting rooms or printing—to support
employees' efforts.
Volunteer assignments give employ-
ees a chance to develop new skills
and experience other organizations,
according to Grant McTaggart, Best
Buy Canada's vice-president for admin-
istration and human resources and
campaign co-chair for the Lower Main-
land United Way. "It really stretches
them and pushes them out of their
comfort zone," he says, adding that
their absence also creates opportuni-
ties for other people in the business to
take on new responsibilities. "Every-
one gets a little more cross-trained and
stretched."
It's not just about skills, social respon-
sibility or branding, however. Managers
talk all the time about the importance
of attracting, keeping and motivating
employees, especially the so-called
Millennials—but employee volunteer
programs actually build loyalty and
engagement. "Some of the most positive
feedback we get back on employee sur-
veys is the work we allow our employees
to do in giving back to the community,"
says Best Buy's McTaggart.
The research backs him up. Deloitte,
the largest professional services firm
in the world, has built employee volun-
teerism into its culture, from an annual
Impact Day where all employees have
the opportunity to work on community
projects to longer-term international vol-
unteer commitments (see sidebar: Case
Study: Deloitte and Cuso). In 2011, the
firm produced a major report on Millen-
nials and volunteer programs, based on
surveys of 1,500 people between the ages
It's critical, however,
that employees feel their
volunteer efforts are pro-
ductive and making a real
difference to communi-
ties—and their careers.
Deloitte's research found
51 per cent of the young
workers surveyed said
they wanted to benefit
professionally from their
volunteer activities.
WHATEVER IT TOOK
Baqi ended up being responsible
for fundraising campaigns at nine
companies, his tasks ranging
from event organization to
meeting with company reps.
