Wellness Through Volunteering

Beginning in 2004, long before the CSR Act 1 ushered a new spirit in corporate contribution in social development, iVolunteer has worked with over 100 leading Indian and multinational companies across a range of volunteering types from one-time episodic volunteering to more recently virtual volunteering. Our programmes have the potential to engage a range of employee motivations to volunteer. In this article, we examine the perceived notions about volunteering impact on well-being and if it can make a difference to work life? We share our experience over the years and will examine the impact of volunteering on wellbeing and positive mental health of the volunteers. There are almost no known Indian studies that explore this in detail. Individual companies do report higher satisfaction among employees who volunteer, regarding their work life. The article will draw upon insights from the HR community as well as from those executing volunteering in corporates in addition to some conclusions that we will draw based on some research studies. We hope to provide some possible ways forward for corporates to play a part in greater citizen engagement while creating pathways for mindful volunteering benefitting their employees both from a work and a societal perspective. The aim is to create a strong action plan to increase volunteering to both serve a social purpose and sustain the same by drawing out the positive impact that it can have on the individual.