Some things to consider:

1. Start small. If charitable activity is a new idea for your company, suggest employees pick one project they can work on together. If multiple ideas emerge, remind them that this is something that will be ongoing and a different project can be selected the next time.

2. Set boundaries. Make sure employees understand how much of their time can be spent on the charitable project and watch for someone who is being drawn in too far on company time. Once an organization finds out your employees are willing and able to help, you may be overwhelmed with requests for support. Encourage employees to practice saying no.

3. Allow them to use company email and phone systems for their charitable work. Making it easy for people to communicate will reduce the need for people to leave work, whether it is to take care of the kids or take care of a problem at their volunteer “job”.

4. Decide up front if you want to censor which activities your employees are involved in on company time. If you have no preference or don’t give it any advance thought, be prepared to deal with an employee who wants to volunteer at an organization that you despise.

5. Make sure the work gets done. While philanthropy can be good for business, spending too much time away from the work at hand can hurt the bottom line.

Creating an environment where employees feel valued, trusted, and empowered should be at the top of every business owner’s to do list. Allowing employees to “give at the office” is a key strategy toward making that happen.

Editor´s Note: The full title of the article is Giving at the Office: How Encouraging Employee’s Charitable Activities is Good for Business

---