Dubai Chamber launches guidebook on managing employee volunteering

The workshop, which was followed by the ENGAGE Dubai Fair, saw the launch of the Employee Volunteering Management Guidebook developed by the Centre for Responsible Business in collaboration with the members of the Sustainability Network.

The publication arms businesses with the tools to continue the ever-increasing movement of good corporate citizenship through the integration of workplace volunteering into their efforts.

Its goal is to engage more businesses in effective volunteer management to further demonstrate the significant impact a company can make in its communities.

The workshop introduced the audience to ENGAGE Dubai Programme and Employee Volunteering and had company and community presentations on trends, best practices and case studies derived from the Guidebook.

Participating companies and organisations including TNT and Manzil, Mashreq Bank and Injaz-UAE gave joint presentations while there were individual presentations by RIM, The Angel Appeal and Dubai Autism Centre on the progress of employee volunteering in their organisations which highlighted the positive impact that community engagement can have for businesses and the wider community.

With its objective of raising awareness about volunteering and to recognise the efforts of the volunteers and volunteering orgainsations, the workshop and the ENGAGE Dubai Fair, which had participation by Injaz-UAE, Manzil, Al Noor Centre, Dubai Autism Centre, Operation Smile and The Angel Appeal, was attended by ENGAGE Dubai and Sustainability Network volunteers and companies seeking to develop, innovate and generate added value in the CSR journey of their organisations and become active in the employee volunteering programme.

"The Dubai Chamber Centre for Responsible Business believes that cultivating a culture of service among employees allows for the development of truly outstanding business leaders as the role of corporate social responsibility, especially employee volunteering, will continue to remain critical for businesses to achieve success and a competitive advantage," said Dr Belaid Rettab, Senior Director, Economic Research and Sustainable Business Development Sector, Dubai Chamber.

He added, "The Employee Volunteering Management Guidebook launched today is concerned with measuring and harnessing the positive impact of employee volunteering businesses. It offers tips on developing the employees' soft skills in a way that also supports the long-term Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy of their organisations."

"The workshop provided an excellent opportunity for companies to interact with other like-minded organisations and to swap tips and best practice on engaging in community initiatives and volunteering schemes. They also got to learn from some leading examples of corporate volunteering programmes that are making a difference in the emirate," said Dr Belaid Rettab.

Launched in 2008 by the Centre for Responsible Business, ENGAGE Dubai is part of an international network of businesses and community organisations that collaborate to support the development of healthy and sustainable communities through increasing the quality and quantity of employee involvement and volunteering in their local communities.

The international ENGAGE Programme, managed by Business in the Community (BITC) in the UK, operates in major cities including Paris, Frankfurt, Istanbul, and Hong Kong.