A new wave of workplace volunteering is quietly reshaping how UK businesses approach productivity and employee wellbeing – and the financial opportunity is substantial.

According to analysis by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr), commissioned by national charity Royal Voluntary Service, the UK economy could stand to benefit from productivity gains worth at least £32.5 billion each year, or £5,239 per employee working in professional and managerial occupations – if workplace volunteering days were fully utilised.

The study stresses that these productivity gains could be higher still if the voluntary efforts of those in other job roles were also considered and if paid volunteering time was offered to more employees.

And businesses are taking note. A survey of 1000 UK companies found that for many volunteering has become more than an ESG initiative – it’s a strategic lever for performance.

The research found 62% of firms surveyed now offer paid volunteering time to staff, with over a quarter of businesses introducing it in the last 12 months alone. This surge is being driven by a desire to tackle employee burnout (34%), re-engage staff (30%) and boost performance (25%), as well as to deliver social impact – 87% of businesses agree volunteering is important to their company purpose and ESG goals.

Yet despite the momentum, most companies are not realising the full potential of their volunteering programmes. Employers offer an average of 2.3 days annually, but the study showed more than 140 million hours of gifted time went unused last year. Additionally, not all employees are being given equal access to volunteering opportunities – less than one in five (19%) firms with programmes offer it to all their employees. On average, just half of employees receive the benefit.

Reasons businesses cited for not realising the potential of programmes included a lack of flexible one-off volunteering opportunities (28%) and team activities (17%), difficulty finding the right roles (21%), and not knowing where to start (12%).

Further data shows that businesses with a higher uptake of volunteer days – coined Volunteer Leaders – also report stronger cultural outcomes than their peers – a compelling incentive at a time when performance and purpose are more intertwined than ever. For example, volunteer leaders see improved employee motivation (53% vs 42%) and stronger wellbeing and engagement (52% vs 37%).

Unlocking the millions of unused hours could breathe new life into civil society at a time when volunteering is in decline and demand on charities hits new highs. In response, Royal Voluntary Service has today unveiled a new Volunteering Marketplace – a suite of services designed to help businesses build, embed and optimise their volunteering and social impact activities. The offer will include bespoke programme design, measurement and reporting, expert consultancy and digital badges to recognise success.

At the heart of the charity’s Volunteering Marketplace, is a new digital volunteering platform, currently in development thanks to a £5 million investment from players of People’s Postcode Lottery. Set to launch later this year, the platform is designed to remove barriers to volunteering for all – offering thousands of flexible, inclusive roles to suit modern working patterns.

For businesses, it will offer an end-to-end solution: matching staff to relevant opportunities, making volunteering easier to manage, and enabling organisations to track participation and impact. Subscription-based, the platform aims to become the UK’s largest digital volunteering community – one that works for businesses, causes and volunteers alike. It will be free for charities and the public to use.

The new platform and Volunteering Marketplace build on Royal Voluntary Service’s proven ability to mobilise volunteers at scale as seen during the pandemic.

Catherine Johnstone CBE, Chief Executive, Royal Voluntary Service, said: “Employee volunteering programmes are fast becoming one of the smartest investments a business can make. As our research shows, those who do it well are seeing the greatest results – from improved staff wellbeing and motivation to increased productivity.

“If just some of those 140 million lost volunteering hours were used it could be transformational in its effect. With our new Volunteering Marketplace we will help unlock that potential – making volunteering work for more businesses and their employees and enabling them to click and connect to the causes they care about.”

Chris Breen, Head of Economic Insight at Cebr, added: “Business leaders and employees alike may wonder what’s in it for them when it comes to volunteering. Our research shows the answer is quite a lot. If every employee in a professional or managerial role offered volunteer days actually used them, it would have resulted in a £32.5 billion boost to UK productivity in 2024 alone.”

Clara Govier, Managing Director at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “Volunteers are the lifeblood of Britain and are fundamental to so many of the nation’s charities and good causes. Royal Voluntary Service’s new digital platform will simplify the matching of volunteers with opportunities. RVS’ Volunteering Marketplace will make it easier for companies to find the right opportunities for their teams. I’d like to thank everyone who plays People’s Postcode Lottery for their support in making this possible.”

www.royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk.