Council trials paid time off for staff to volunteer

A NEW trial policy could offer community-minded county council staff more opportunities to carry out good deeds.

The authority is looking at the potential for a scheme whereby employees can take two days paid leave to volunteer.

The issue was discussed at the last employment committee meeting of Leicestershire County Council.

The scheme would be open to all staff, wherever they were based, apart from casual workers and those employed at schools and colleges.

A report said: “We recognise the positive contribution that volunteers can make to communities and is keen to encourage its employees to engage in voluntary service. Supporting its employees to volunteer helps the council to build stronger links between the authority, its employees and the local community and contributes to achieving the aims of the communities strategy.”

The report acknowledges the measure could reduce the impact on front-line services as well as improve engagement, encourage individual and team development and improve morale.

Examples of how staff can get involved include one-off ventures, such as giving a presentation, a team building exercise organised by managers or opportunities to support a ‘community builder’ project helping with conservation, health improvements and social advancement among other schemes.

Here available placements will be regularly updated via internal communications for staff and managers may grant up to 14.8 hours paid time off a year, with the employee encouraged to offer as much unpaid, personal time.

The committee will discuss a further report outlining more specifically the cost impact before the policy is adopted.