Written submission from Scouts (ERB0013)

Business and Trade Committee

Employment Rights Bill                                                                                                   29 November 2024

Written Evidence Submitted by The Scout Association

Executive Summary

What solutions or actions are required by Government, businesses and workers to effectively support the labour market while boosting productivity and protecting workers’ rights? 

1.      Many businesses are already ahead of the curve and showing that family-friendly conditions can be good for productivity, retention and their bottom line. Expanding rights for flexible working and eligibility of family leave to volunteering leave of up to 35 hours will by extension have a positive impact on the business and the communities they serve, and their current and future workforce.

2.      A right to volunteer leave supports business and government priorities for productivity and growth, a healthier workforce, and a strengthened civil society.

3.      Introducing a policy for 35 hours of volunteer annual leave will benefit employees, businesses, and the country:

a)      For employees, it offers opportunities for personal growth, skill development, and community engagement.

b)      Businesses gain a more motivated and skilled workforce, enhanced employee satisfaction and wellbeing, and improved corporate social responsibility.

c)      Economically, increased volunteering supports a healthy workforce, strengthens communities, fosters a more resilient economy, and connected society.

Introduction

4.      The Scouts is the largest youth charity in the UK. Organisations like Scouts rely heavily on their volunteer workforce. Our shared aim is to shape volunteering for all into a flexible, fulfilling and rewarding experience, acknowledged by employers for its impact on workforce development – recruitment, retention and motivation - and its powerful impact on the wider community, supporting its current and future workforce.

5.      We currently have a waiting list of over 100,000 young people eager to develop skills for life and work. This demand underscores the critical need for more volunteers, with over 40,000 required to support these young people. Since our programs run for 35 weeks a year, just 1 hour of volunteering per week can make a significant difference: each new volunteer can support 12 young people develop skills for life and work.

6.      The challenge of recruiting volunteers extends beyond the Scouts, for all-ages, and with the government looking to introduce a Civil Society Covenant connecting communities and for inclusive growth. We propose 35 hours of paid volunteer leave annually for employees who wish to volunteer, which is what the civil service offers.

Volunteer annual leave

7.      As an economy, one of the best ways in which we could find more time for volunteering is underused – employee volunteering.

8.      Recent polling by Opinium[i] for Scouts reveals work allowing people more time to volunteer has positive impacts on productivity. A third (32%) of UK adults think they would feel more productive at work if they could better balance the time then spend at work with time spent volunteering.

9.      Flexible volunteer hours are key for employees: 39% of respondents expressed interest in volunteering for 1-2 hours monthly rather than committing to multiple days. This can be seen as supportive of SMEs’ involvement also, with leave seen in terms of hours more closely associated with flexible working than annual holiday entitlement.

10.  Jobs offering more opportunities to volunteer can be beneficial for attracting employees. A third (33%) of the UK public says that they would be more likely to apply for a job that offered paid time off to volunteer.

11.  Workplaces providing paid time off for employees to volunteer in their community could also boost morale and job retention. Just under half (45%) say they would feel happier at work if their work offered paid time off so they could volunteer in their community increasing to over half of young people (51% of 18-34 year olds). As a nation we are increasingly reliant on the resilience of a young workforce supporting an ageing population.

12.  A new study found employers are benefitting from staff being more productive (thus increasing profitability) and engaged, driven by improved skills, confidence and effectiveness, and also report improvements in wellbeing and retention[ii].

13.  It identified that better retention leads to a more experienced, capable workforce; lower recruitment and on-boarding costs; and better continuity and quality of service for customers. In low-turnover businesses, the most-engaged companies in support of volunteering saw 24% better staff retention than average; in typically high-turnover sectors, that figure was 59%

14.  Further, 2024 research[iii] from a coalition of some of the UK’s leading charities, in a survey of 28,494 volunteers, found 80% reported improved wellbeing. 69% said they benefited from gaining new skills and knowledge through the training they received.

15.  Overall, accredited volunteering can play a significant role in continued professional development, enabling volunteers to log hours, in order to track their lifelong volunteering commitment which they can be accredited for.

Recommendations

16.  A national shortage of volunteers means fewer mentors, coaches and experienced professionals that support the wellbeing and skills in the labour market and our public services. Just 3 in 10 adults volunteer[iv]; for those motivated, the most common barriers involve a lack of capacity including not having time.

17.  Many organisations now offer their employees volunteering days and some Civil Service departments already offer 5 days. Positively, we’re beginning to see more flexible volunteering approaches coming into play[v]. Annual volunteer leave of 35 hours would provide flexible hours and increase volunteering, equivalent to volunteering for 1-2 hours monthly.

For further information, please contact Katie Jackson, Head of Policy and Public Affairs.

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