Unilever is offering staff paid time off to volunteer as part of a scheme designed to build relations with local communities and increase staff engagement.
If staff decide to use their holiday entitlement to volunteer, Unilever will now match their time off with paid leave, as well as giving them an extra day’s pay free. This means that one week spent volunteering would only use two days’ holiday allowance. The policy is open to all 7,000 UK and Irish employees.
Unilever UK & Ireland’s vp for HR, Time Munden, said: “The new volunteering policy gives employees more time to make a difference in the world in the way that they want, to have a direct impact on their community through volunteering for a charity or school for which they’re passionate.”
This scheme fits into the organisation’s wider 10-year Unilever Sustainable Living Plan initiative, which aims to support growth while making a positive contribution to society with minimal environmental impact.
