Move over, paid vacation, sick days and personal time off. There is a new perk now being offered by some small businesses: v.t.o, which stands for volunteer time off.  And unlike others benefits, this one is a win-win for the employee, the business and the community too.

The idea behind v.t.o. is that your company pays your employee for a set number of hours of volunteer work done to help a local (or global) non-profit. You can select the charity, or allow your employees to come up with one that follows their own interests.

The Entrepreneurs’ Foundation offers sample document as a starting point for companies that want to create an agreement to add this relatively recent HR benefit.  It suggests an option in which employees are compensated for 2 half days of group volunteer activities sponsored by the company — a great team-building opportunity — as well as 16 hours of paid time for personal volunteering throughout the year.

The donated time is paid at the employee’s current salary, and usually does not accrue from year to year.  If you are a retail shop that is busy during the holiday season, you could specify that v.t.o. hours not be taken after November 1.   You might also want to limit this benefit to full-time employees, or offer a comparable contract with a lower amount of v.t.o. hours for half-time employees.

It is important that staff members get pre-approval of their volunteer project — and of course that volunteer hours be scheduled around essential work times.  Your business can set whatever parameters it wants for what qualifies as an approved agencies or organization for volunteerism, and involving your staff in setting up these guidelines would undoubtedly lead to a rich and meaningful discussion.

You might give your employees some suggestions of the type of volunteer work that would qualify, such as participating in a Habitat for Humanity project or a United Way community volunteer day.  Many food pantries and free meal programs also need short-term volunteers, and your local United Way may have a service that helps match volunteers with the community’s needs.

If you are involved as a volunteer yourself, be sure to mention what you do so that others might follow your example.  Employees feel good about working for a business that they know gives back to their community.

Happy Retailing,

Carol “Orange” Schroeder