25 Apr What is Paid Volunteer Time Off?
Question: My employees have been asking about volunteer time off. What is that and how should we set it up?
Answer: Volunteer time off (VTO) is a form of paid leave that gives employees their regular compensation for hours spent in service to an approved charitable or community organization. These programs allow employers and employees to positively impact their communities. In fact, offering VTO incentivizes participation in these programs and can make a business more appealing to potential candidates—as well as customers and clients.
If you decide you want to offer this as an option for your employees, you should consider these questions:
- How many hours will you designate as VTO? We wouldn’t recommend taking anything away from current paid leave banks.
- How will employees request VTO? Is it part of your usual time off request process or do you want a separate process?
- Can employees roll over unused VTO or is it a use-it-or-lose-it benefit?
- Do you want to pre-select the organizations and activities, or can employees select their own? If employees select their own, will you approve the organization first? If so, who will be responsible for vetting the organizations, and what criteria will you use? You will not want to be discriminatory, but you will likely want the organizations to reflect your mission and values.
- Will you track, and if so, what will you track? Tracking information beyond just the number of hours used can help you understand the causes your employees want to support, which can give you ideas for organizations you may want to support in the future.
Original content by the HR Support Center. This information is provided with the understanding that Payroll Partners is not rendering legal, human resources, or other professional advice or service. Professional advice on specific issues should be sought from a lawyer, HR consultant or other professional.