Giving employees time to volunteer in the community could improve wellbeing
We spoke to local firm, boxxe, to find out more
York-based technology business boxxe is committed to giving back to the community, demonstrated through its impressive employee volunteering scheme. Every employee is able to spend at least 5% of their time (approximately 11.5 days a year) on pro bono or volunteer projects of their choice.
Move the Masses spoke to boxxe’s Community Partner, Laura Pulleyn, to find out more.
Laura explained that as a business, boxxe measures its social and environmental impact, as well as financial performance. It is committed to making a significant difference to the wider community.
“Our commitment to giving back to the wider community differentiates boxxe and is truly a part of who we are”
Laura Pulleyn, boxxe’s Comunity Partner
Laura emphasised that the boxxe Community initiatives are not just about Corporate Social Responsibility. boxxe hopes that they are also beneficial to employee wellbeing. Giving staff the freedom to support initiatives they are passionate about could increase personal and professional fulfilment.
Laura added that, post-pandemic, staff have found their volunteer days helpful as they transition out of lockdown life. They have been a good way to safely bring teams together and help get them back into the community.
boxxe employees Amanda and Sophie both jumped at the opportunity to take advantage of the scheme, and get away from their screens. They signed up as volunteers with Move Mates in early 2021. They both shared that the experience had positively impacted on their own wellbeing, as well as their beneficiaries’.
“It’s really rewarding making a difference to somebody’s wellbeing as well as seeing an improvement to my own”
Sophie, boxxe employee and Move Mate
Looking ahead to the ‘new normal’, with many colleagues still working from home, Laura thinks volunteering as a Move Mate is a fantastic way to encourage staff to take a break from their desk and feel a sense of purpose without having to commit to a huge amount of time. She championed the idea of “micro-volunteering” and “bitesize” hours, where volunteers can have a high impact with the time they can give through getting involved in projects like Move Mates.
Amanda agrees and enjoys feeling like she is contributing something with the time she spends volunteering, as well as having a sense of purpose.
“In lockdown it made me realise how lucky we are and it made me really want to give something back”
Laura, boxxe employee and Move Mate