Policies that Enable Employee-Powered Change

Imagine a workplace where every employee feels empowered to drive positive change in their community. Many companies achieve this by establishing policies that create opportunities for impact. These policies align a company’s culture and core values with daily operations, setting clear expectations and creating an environment where employees feel supported.

Discover how codifying practices such as Volunteer Time Off (VTO) can foster a culture of service, enhance employee engagement, and secure buy-in from all levels.

Top Takeaways:

• Having a volunteer time off policy demonstrates a company’s commitment to creating positive social impact while also providing value to the business and to employees.
• When designing a policy, clearly define what is in scope including who can take advantage of the policy and what activities are eligible.
• Think about the end user when making VTO decisions. You want the benefit to be as accessible and frictionless as possible.
• Understand the audience who will need to weigh in on the policy and any updates; bring them along with you as you design or revise.
• Position the policy in different ways when driving awareness so employees can fully realize the benefit being offered.

Additional Resources:

• Volunteer Time Off
  • Points of Light’s corporate social impact solutions
  • Points of Light learning briefs and resources
  • 2024 The Civic 50 Key Insights & Benchmarking Report
  • “Volunteer Time Off: Implementing and Optimizing Workplace Programs and Policies”
• Civic Time Off
  • US Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Civic Time Off Toolkit
  • Make Time to Vote
  • Vote Early Day Toolkit
  • Civic Alliance’s Corporate Civic Playbook
• General CSR/Volunteering Questions: Ask a CSR Friend