Business

Workplace volunteering could boost productivity and unlock billions

Published

1 week ago

April 25, 2024

EXPANDING workplace volunteering opportunities to cover all employees in the UK could generate billions in economic gains (£1.2 billion – £3.6 billion per year in wellbeing benefits to individuals, £1.6 billion – £2.8 billion per year in improved net productivity)
Ensuring all employees have access to volunteering opportunities could save between 1.4 million and 2.5 million working days of sickness absence.

Workplace volunteering has the potential to boost productivity, improve employees’ wellbeing, and generate billions for the UK economy, according to a new report by Pro Bono Economics (PBE).1

The report – ‘Triple dividend: How workplace volunteering can make us happier, healthier and more productive’ – which has been produced for business volunteering charity Pilotlight, found that net productivity gains of between £1.6 billion – £2.8 billion could be unlocked for the UK economy by expanding workplace volunteering opportunities.2

PBE’s analysis revealed that 17 – 23 million employees currently do not have access to workplace volunteering, and so are missing out on the health benefits of volunteering and the opportunities to learn new skills. By expanding workplace volunteering opportunities to cover all employees in the UK, the current untapped potential could generate £1.2 billion – £3.6 billion in wellbeing benefits per year to the individuals themselves.

It could also reduce levels of absenteeism, with research showing that participation in a workplace volunteering scheme provides an average reduction in absence of around 0.9 days per year for each member of staff volunteering.3 The number of days that employees have taken off work due to illness has risen sharply since the pandemic, with 186 million lost alone in 2022, an increase of more than a third over the 2019 level. The total cost of sickness absence to UK employers was around £24 billion – roughly equivalent to the GDP generated by Newcastle – or £6.4 billion higher than if absence rates stayed at the 2019 level.4

Turning to the productivity benefit overall, the PBE report points to studies which have suggested the productivity impact of workplace volunteering is sizeable, with high-skilled individuals who volunteer experiencing an estimated £2,300 boost to earnings. If the estimated productivity increase was applied to all the 1.4 – 2.5 million additional volunteers who participated from workplace volunteering to all employees, it could provide a gross productivity increase of between £2.2 billion and £3.9 billion.

Even after deducting the costs of lost time and administration fees for volunteering schemes, the productivity benefits could amount to net productivity gains of between £1.5 billion and £2.8 billion to the UK economy.5

There is a clear appetite from employees from the expansion of workplace volunteering. Analysis by NCVO suggests that between one quarter and a third of employees will take advantage of workplace volunteering when it’s available. This means that between 1.5 million and 2.8 million additional people might volunteer if workplace volunteering schemes were expanded across all employers.

While boost workplace volunteering would have some costs to the employer, the benefits more than outweigh those costs. For the employer, workplace volunteering schemes such as those run by Pilotlight which bring businesses and charities together could deliver between £1.50 and £3.60 of benefits for every £1 spent.

To make the most of the opportunity, research by the charity has suggested that employers should take steps to help employees around the options for volunteering. More than a third of employees surveyed (38%) said that an obstacle to volunteering is a lack of guidance from their employer. Of those currently involved in workplace volunteering, 79% believe that businesses themselves benefit from the practice.6

The benefits also have the potential to positively impact on communities, at a time when they are in need of extra support. Three in ten (30%) charities reporting increased rates of staff burnout as they struggle with the triple challenge of rising demand, difficulties recruiting volunteers and challenges with recruitment. This is particularly true of small charities, with almost six in ten (59%) reporting that recruiting volunteers is a major concern for them following a long-term decline in volunteer participation rates.8

Dr Jansev Jemal, Director of Research and Policy at Pro Bono Economics, said: “Increasing access to workplace volunteering opportunities has a triple dividend, as it could boost productivity and unlock billions in the UK economy, while providing much needed support for charities. In addition to wellbeing for employees, there’s a compelling, hard-nosed business case for considering workplace volunteering, including boosts to health and skills.

“As businesses take up this opportunity, there is a need to be realistic about the challenges for the charities themselves. Using volunteers effectively takes resources to manage, oversee and support those that are giving up their time. Businesses and other funders will need to consider how they can benefit by supporting the underlying costs of volunteering programmes, rather than assuming that an offer of time alone will suffice.”

Ed Mayo, Chief Executive of Pilotlight, said: “When it comes to business and charity, these results change everything – volunteering is not a cost, it is an investment. It is good for charity, good for the volunteer and good for the bottom line.

At the heart of this, in the partnerships we have designed with a range of leading businesses, is how employees develop their skills as they deploy them in a radically different setting. In future, it will not be the PR or corporate affairs department that leads on employee volunteering, but HR leaders who see it as an integral part of their toolkit for developing talent and skills.”

Jack Kidder, Responsible Business Manager at Henry Boot PLC, said: “At Henry Boot, we know that volunteering empowers our people to dedicate their time, skills, and passion for the benefit of our communities. This is not only impactful for charities, but also hugely beneficial for our business. Volunteering their time allows our people to connect with issues they care about in the communities in which we work and live. It creates a genuine sense of purpose and cohesion as our people come together to make a real difference for others – whether through inspiring learners, supporting communities, restoring habitats, or sharing knowledge. Volunteering enables our people to develop their skills and experience the positive wellbeing effects associated with helping others. This use of our time is helping shape our evolving culture as we celebrate being a long-term sustainable business that genuinely cares for the communities we work with, while we create exciting new places across the UK.”

Alexandra Berry, Head of Sustainability at the Strand Palace Hotel said: “Our team love to get involved in team-building hikes, red nose days, wellbeing walks, ‘Wear it Pink’ days, charity runs, bingo nights, themed quizzes, clothing donation drives, as well as offering our team a paid volunteering day each year. Feedback from our team has expressed these community events provide socialisation and relaxation outside of the hotel alongside contribution to a charitable cause, of which they are passionate about supporting.

“In 2023, the team raised over £3,000 through 8 local fundraising activities. What’s more, we have a regular commitment with The Connection at St Martins for our team members to volunteer to spend time with The Connection’s guests in their art room. With arts, crafts and chatting, the visits from the Strand Palace team help to build the guests’ confidence and social skills, providing a creative outlet away from the stress of being homeless.”

Business

Port of Milford Haven now official ‘a great place to work’

Published

16 hours ago

May 3, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE PORT of Milford Haven has been officially accredited as a Great Place to Work-Certified™ organisation. As the first Port Authority in Britain to secure this Certification™, it is a significant achievement.

“We are very proud to be Great Place to Work-Certified™,” said Vidette Swales, HR Director at the Port of Milford Haven. “It means so much that our employees have reported a consistently positive experience with their colleagues, their leaders and their jobs. Offering a positive employee experience is not only beneficial for the people who work with us but is also key for our continued business success.”

Tom Sawyer, CEO at the Port of Milford Haven added: “Our team is operating the UK’s leading energy port, and it is of the utmost importance that we do that safely, responsibly and effectively. We’re striving for excellence and aim to provide a world class service to our customers as well as supporting sustainable coastal communities for the prosperity of future generations. Our employees are clearly at the centre of this which is why I’m delighted that they feel supported in their role. I’m especially proud that this Certification™ demonstrates our core values of Safety, Excellence, Collaboration and Sustainability so perfectly.”

“We congratulate the Port of Milford Haven on achieving their Certification™,” said Benedict Gautrey, Managing Director of Great Place to Work® UK. “Organisations which put the employee experience at the heart of their business gain their employees’ trust and, in turn, are truly able to build a great workplace culture that delivers outstanding business results.”

Find out more about careers at the Port of Milford Haven here: www.mhpa.co.uk/about/careers-at-the-port/.

Business

One in five now accessing Ogi’s Wales-based full fibre network

Published

20 hours ago

May 3, 2024

Design Team

Welsh full fibre telco – Ogi – has reached two thirds of its planned first phase rollout with one in every five premises now signed up to one of its home or business services.

Kick starting its ambitious FTTP [Fibre to the Premises] rollout in 2021, Ogi propelled onto the UK telcomms scene with a £200million plan to bring full fibre to south Wales much sooner than planned by the incumbent operators.

The business shifted its approach at the beginning of 2024 to focus on customer take-up – attracting thousands to the full fibre switch thanks to a new competitive pricing and shorter-term contracts strategy.

Gaining first mover advantage in places like Pembrokeshire and the post-industrial towns and villages of the south Wales valleys, the fresh approach has served the provider well, with a sector-leading high customer satisfaction score to match. This comes following a targeted period of investment in back office operations and customer service, with new 7-day opening hours and refreshed online resources among the changes introduced earlier this year.

Amid rising competition from the UK’s largest telcos, increasing build costs and other market pressures, the Gigabit-capable provider continues to see customer adoption increase, with one in five joining the network in 2023, with places like Pembrokeshire seeing double that rate of growth.

Chief Executive Officer, Ben Allwright, said: “With one in five of the premises we can serve already signed up to Ogi, it’s clear to see we’re investing in the right places. Passing the 100,000 premises milestone – two thirds of our initial plan, completed – and seeing the massive benefits from this technology as adoption increases is encouraging.

“Putting our ISP operations first since the start of the year, and harnessing the build machine as a tool for growth has allowed us to take a breath, and make sure we’re doing the right things for our customers and long-term sustainability. While we might not be as visible installing new network as we had been – we’ve been busy in the background, supporting our existing customer base and welcoming thousands more every month.

“We’re building something really exciting here at Ogi; and the people of Wales are invested in our journey to create a real challenger brand – one that Wales can be proud of, and others are already envious of.”

The network is currently being rolled out in around 60 towns and villages across south Wales, with thousands of customers joining the full fibre ISP every month. The Wales-based telco offers broadband and phone services for home and a suite of IT, connectivity and security options for business, with a new wholesale opportunity recently added to the portfolio for high capacity users.

Business

Carmarthenshire cheese factory owner speaks out in bad odour row

Published

2 days ago

May 2, 2024

Richard Youle - Local Democracy Reporter

THE DIRECTOR of a mozzarella factory which supports 140 dairy farmers has insisted he wants to be a good neighbour following complaints from a small number of people about noise and odour.

Steve Welch, of Dairy Partners Ltd, said acoustic barriers were installed in February to dampen the noise of liquid natural gas (LNG) deliveries at the site in Aberarad, near Newcastle Emlyn, Carmarthenshire. He said the company employed 75 people and served a growing market. “We’re expanding – that’s an indicator of our success,” he said.

Environment regulator Natural Resources Wales (NRW) had visited three months earlier, in December 2023, and found that the noise of pressurised LNG deliveries did not comply with Dairy Partners’ site permit. The NRW officer’s report said there was “an offensive and continual tonal noise originating from the direction of LNG tanker and LNG tank”, but no odour problem was detected.

NRW issued what’s known as a compliance assessment report in February this year requiring the company to take action. The regulator said this wasn’t the same as a formal enforcement notice, and that it was continuing to monitor noise and undertaking “detailed dialogue” with Dairy Partners.

Mr Welch said the LNG supplier it had been using exited the market last autumn. This supplier, he said, had a “silent” gravity-fed tanker which took six to eight hours to complete its delivery. He said all the available alternative LNG suppliers used a pressurised delivery system which was quicker, reduced the risk of spillage and was more economically viable. The company switched to the pressurised delivery system, which led to complaints about the accompanying noise.

Mr Welch said Dairy Partners tried using different tankers and built a wooden pallet stack to try to mitigate noise before investing in the sound-dampening panels, which he said made a big difference. He added that Dairy Partners was working with NRW to modify its site permit to reflect the use of the pressurised LNG deliveries.

Site manager Daryl White said liquid natural gas powered the factory and that there was one delivery per week during daytime hours between Monday and Friday, lasting one hour.

Dairy Partners measures the decibel level of LNG deliveries and Mr Welsh said the noise rated as “moderate to soft” when heard at the nearby roadside. A resident living just across the road, Megan Ceiriog-Jones, said she had recorded a higher decibel level, and that the sound of other operations such as night-time “venting” which she had recorded on video were disruptive. “The noise videos are just a sample of noise complaints that are sent to NRW on a regular basis,” she said.

Dairy Partners said further noise-dampening measures would be added as a condition of planning approvals for wastewater and cleaning tanks which were decided by Carmarthenshire Council’s planning committee last month. A handful of objectors opposed the retrospective applications, including Ms Ceiriog-Jones and Stephen Rees, who both addressed the committee. Ms Ceiriog-Jones said the effects of “noise and sleeplessness are hard to quantify”, while Mr Rees said the reality for residents living by the cheese factory was “considerable disruption”. Ward councillor Hazel Evans addressed the committee to say that Dairy Partners was a large contributor to the local economy and that she was reassured by the many planning conditions proposed by the planning department. She said she understood that some nearby residents weren’t happy, although they didn’t wish to see the factory close.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mr Welch said the company logged all complaints, had attempted to talk to Ms Ceiriog-Jones, and wanted to have a positive relationship. He said: “We want to be good neighbours.”

Mr Welch said cheese had been made at the site since 1938, with previous owners including Canadian firms Saputo and McCain Foods, and an Egyptian family business.

Site manager Mr White said the factory was “on its knees” when Dairy Partners took over in 2013 and began investing in it and increasing production.

Every year around 200 million litres of milk arrives at the site from 140 nearby dairy farms. Nine hours after arriving the milk is turned into 2.5kg blocks of mozzarrella cheese, with the separated whey sent to another company where it is dried and sold in powdered sports nutrition products. Cream is also produced at the Aberarad site.

“Making cheese is really technical,” said Mr Welch, who is one of three Dairy Partners directors. “You’te taking milk and turning it into a stretchable cooking product which has a lot of different characteristics. You’re manipulating proteins, sugars and minerals in a reproducible product.”

Varying levels of salt can be added to the cheese blocks, which move slowly along a tray system in a brine solution before being packaged ready for onward delivery. Around a third of it ends up overseas in countries including Lebanon and China.

Mr Welch said the site produced around 22,000 tonnes of mozzarella and pizza cheese per year, and that it hoped to expand this to as much as 35,000 tonnes. He said the 75 jobs were highly skilled and that many more indirect jobs relied on the site. Mr White said haulage business Mansel Davies & Son had around 40 drivers who delivered to and collected from the Aberarad site.

Dairy Partners, which also has a base in Gloucestershire where its cheese is shredded, has an annual turnover of around £140 million. “The market is expanding – we can’t keep up,” said Mr Welch. “We’ve got to keep producing, and we are never going to be silent.”