Employees receive paid or unpaid time to support a charity or community organisation.
Employers arrange group volunteering days focused on practical tasks or community projects.
Employees use professional skills, offering specialist help to strengthen voluntary organisations.
Volunteering is integrated into staff development, helping employees build valuable transferable skills.
Employers work with partners to match employees with meaningful local volunteering opportunities.
Employers encourage volunteering by sharing local opportunities and raising awareness internally.
Short, task-based activities allow employees to contribute quickly to community needs.
Employers form ongoing relationships with charities, providing regular or recurring volunteer support.
Organisations dedicate an annual day for all staff to volunteer together.
Borders Community Action can help you explore the best ways to support staff volunteering, connect with local organisations and create opportunities that benefit your workplace and community. Get in touch to discuss what a tailored approach could look like for your organisation.
Demonstrates responsible business practice while strengthening trust with local communities and partners.
Volunteering increases employee engagement, morale, and sense of belonging within the organisation.
Employees develop valuable professional and interpersonal skills transferable to workplace performance.
Shared volunteering activities help strengthen working relationships and improve team collaboration.
Builds long-term relationships with voluntary organisations, supporting consistent and impactful ESV delivery.
Purpose-led workplaces attract motivated employees and help retain staff through meaningful opportunities.
Volunteering provides a meaningful way to contribute, boosting personal wellbeing and fulfilment.
Employees meet diverse people, helping reduce isolation and build community connections.
Volunteers build communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills valuable in all workplaces.
Taking on new roles helps employees build confidence and recognise their strengths.
Volunteering enhances CVs, supporting progression and employability across different career stages.
Accessible volunteering opportunities help employees from all backgrounds participate and thrive equally.
ESV programmes provide much-needed support to local organisations facing capacity pressures.
Communities benefit from employees bringing professional skills into voluntary roles and projects.
Volunteer involvement boosts community organisations’ ability to respond to local needs effectively.
Volunteering brings people together, reducing social barriers and strengthening inclusive communities.
ESV fosters ongoing collaboration between employers and community groups, creating long-term impact.
Support from employers raises the profile of charities and community organisations more widely.
ESV refers to policies and practices that enable employees to volunteer during work time, including paid/unpaid time off, organised opportunities, or skills-based volunteering. Scotland recognises ESV as a key part of its national Volunteering Action Plan, with work underway to create a consistent national framework for all sectors.
Volunteering levels in Scotland have declined, and many organisations face capacity challenges. ESV is seen as a strategic tool to strengthen volunteering participation, build skills, improve community resilience, and create a shared national approach to quality and consistency.
Employers may offer individual time off, organise team volunteering days, or match employees’ professional skills with community organisations. National guidance emphasises flexibility and ensuring volunteering activities are mutually beneficial for both volunteers and community groups.
Scotland’s emerging framework highlights the importance of clear expectations, shared language, and strong partnership working between employers, volunteer‑involving organisations (VIOs), and TSIs. High‑quality opportunities must be inclusive, well‑planned, and focused on meaningful community impact.
As the Third Sector Interface for the Scottish Borders, Borders Community Action helps employers understand local needs, identifies appropriate volunteering opportunities, and supports best‑practice partnerships aligned with national ESV guidance.
The new framework will provide consistent standards, clearer processes, and better guidance for building ESV partnerships. Its goal is to improve quality, accessibility, and cross‑sector collaboration, making ESV easier to implement and more impactful for communities.
Employers should begin by clarifying their aims, speaking to their local TSI, and developing a simple ESV policy. Early conversations with VIOs are recommended to ensure opportunities are designed around both organisational capacity and community need.
