Everyone is busy and workforce pressures are rife. So, why would you encourage your employees to
become an Aged Care Volunteer Visitor?
You may not necessarily work with volunteers yourself, unless you count the numerous unpaid hours
you put into your small business, but did you know encouraging and enabling your employees to
volunteer could benefit your business?
Workforce recruitment and retention is competitive. Employees are now looking for work life balance,
purpose and meaning in how they spend the majority of their hours each day and, let’s face it, work is
usually the most time-consuming activity we will ever take on (other than parenting but that’s an article
for another day). By incorporating volunteer hours into your corporate social responsibility (CSR)
programs, you may just be giving your employees the purpose and meaning they crave.
I love my job and I get a lot of enjoyment and fulfilment out of it, but I also volunteer. Volunteering provides a different type of fulfilment for me, it expands my networks and allows me to learn new skills that are what I choose to learn not what is role related, and I have fun. I have worked many a BBQ in my time, it’s a very long day and in all types of weather but every time I’ve had a blast.
The Aged Care Volunteer Visitor Scheme (ACVVS) is a Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care funded program that seeks to address the growing issue of social isolation among older Australians. By encouraging employees to dedicate just one hour every fortnight to volunteer, you can enhance your CSR efforts and play a crucial role in improving the wellbeing of older individuals. This initiative supports
older adults and fosters a more engaged, empathetic, and connected workforce, offering significant
benefits to both the community and, ultimately, to your company.
Small businesses that encourage their staff to volunteer through the ACVVS can expect to see several benefits:
- Enhanced employee morale: volunteering boosts employee morale and job satisfaction, leading to a happier and more productive workforce.
- Skill development: employees develop and refine soft skills, which are invaluable in the workplace.
- Corporate altruism: companies that support volunteer programs enhance their community contributions and demonstrate a commitment to community wellbeing.
Volunteering is beneficial at any age. While ACVVS Volunteers need to be over 18 it is open to everyone.
At Balwyn Evergreen Centre we have a very diverse range of volunteers that work alongside us to deliver
our programs to older Victorians. The beauty of a program like ACVVS, however, is that volunteers only
commit to one hour a fortnight and that hour can be at any time that suits both the volunteer and the
recipient. Many of our volunteer visitors visit after hours or over the weekend. One has a very
supportive workplace that gives him an extended lunch break once a fortnight when he can pop out and
enjoy lunch and a chat with his older person. He enjoys visiting, he also enjoys his work and feels
grateful to work for an employer that supports his volunteering, it’s a win for everyone.
Give it a try in your workplace, you won’t regret it.
