Written submission from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) (ERV0104)
Submission to committee – paid time off for volunteering
This is a submission to the Committee for the Employment Rights Bill from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO).
We welcome this legislation, and its proposed improvements to employment rights and experiences. We propose the inclusion of two measures, to improve access to volunteering. The voluntary sector employs over 1m people, around 3% of the workforce. Nearly half of the population volunteers informally at least once every year. This workforce plays a wide range of vital roles, delivering services, supporting communities, driving philanthropy and advocating for positive social change.
Volunteering should be an enjoyable and rewarding experience for every volunteer. Volunteering can provide skills, confidence, connection, purpose and wellbeing.
We want barriers to volunteering to be removed, particularly for people who don’t have equal access to good volunteering experiences. We want it to be easier for people in paid work to give their time.
This Bill should:
Paid employment and time commitments are the primary barriers for people volunteering. 23% of people who have not volunteered in the past three years (or ever) say that work or study commitments stop them.
This Bill should introduce the right for employees to request paid time off for volunteering. Many organisations, including the civil service, already offer their staff paid time off. For paid leave to be effective, it must be flexible and accessible. We would recommend that employees should be able to request 35 hours of leave a year, with flexibility for this to be taken hourly. Employees who request volunteering leave are likely to be motivated to give their time to good causes.
Charities are run by volunteers, acting as trustees. There are around 1m trustees in England, all playing a vital role supporting and overseeing charities. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to recruit to these roles, and there are around 100,000 trustee vacancies. Making it easier for working aged people to take on a trustee role could help address recruitment challenges and allow for more diversity on boards. In addition, there are significant benefits for those who would be able to take on trustee roles, employers, and wider society.
We would like to see government amend existing legislation, to enable and support more people to take up these roles. This Bill introduces amendments to the Employment Rights Act 1996. We would like to see an amendment to Section 50 to support more people to become trustees. This law provides for ‘reasonable’ time off to be given to carry out certain public duties, for example for magistrates, local councillors, and school governors. An amendment could be made to add trustees to that definition, as they provide a similar public service.
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations, NCVO, is the largest representative body for charities, voluntary organisations, and volunteering in England. We have over 17,000 members, ranging from small volunteer-run groups to large ‘household name’ charities.
Charities and volunteers exist to make communities stronger. For everyone, everywhere. Volunteering and voluntary infrastructure are vital for a strong, vibrant society. 14.2 million people volunteered through a group, club or organisation in 2021/22. Around 46% of the population have volunteered more informally. Volunteers play a vital role in supporting communities, delivering public services and building social cohesion. Citizens want to get involved, to make a difference. Volunteering also benefits employers, as it can increase wellbeing, and volunteers given time off during work report higher levels of job satisfaction and engagement in the workplace.
62% of people who have not volunteered in the last three years say they could be encouraged to volunteer. This shows there is huge untapped potential, and provides a key opportunity for government to support the sector in unlocking this good will.
Volunteering is not equally accessible or enjoyable for all. There are barriers to giving our time to the causes and organisations we care about. We want government to understand these challenges, and work in partnership with the sector to ensure that volunteering can flourish.
The rate of formal volunteering across the country has been in decline for some years. The Community Life Survey shows the rate has dropped from 23% of the UK population volunteering formally at least once a month in 2019/20, to 16% in 2021/22.
While 92% of recent formal volunteers report they are very or fairly satisfied, this rate has fallen over time, and the overall rate masks gaps between different types of volunteers. Disabled people, people from the global majority, those living in deprived areas and people from lower socio economic backgrounds all experience barriers to volunteering.