From Wellness Programs to Workforce Strategy: How Volunteerism Impacts Workforce Well-Being and Resilience

This blog was originally published by Word On Benefits.

Amidst constant change and transformation, organizations are grappling with rising levels of employee stress, burnout, disengagement and turnover. The proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI), mobile devices, social media and remote work has increasingly shifted human interaction toward digital channels—often at the expense of real social connection. Global studies indicate that this decline in social connection with friends, family, co-workers and communities is contributing to rising mental health challenges.

Traditional workplace wellness programs, which often focus primarily on individual health behaviors through siloed health and benefits initiatives, may struggle to address these broader workforce challenges.

Individual health behaviors are only one factor that shapes well-being. Increasingly, research shows that social connection, belonging and a sense of purpose not only impact well-being, but are also foundational drivers of workforce resilience, which is the capacity of individuals and organizations to adapt, recover and thrive amid ongoing change. Deloitte and other workplace experts emphasize the role that organizational culture and leadership play in strengthening these drivers.

As a result, organizations are exploring new ways to foster these drivers of well-being, and volunteerism is emerging as one of the most practical ways.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs have evolved from occasional charitable activities and public relations efforts into strategic business initiatives aligned with organizational purposes. Many organizations align community engagement, corporate giving and employee volunteering with broader environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals and stakeholder expectations. These initiatives are gaining prominence as organizations seek new ways to strengthen culture, attract talent and demonstrate measurable social impact.

Volunteerism as a Well-Being Intervention

A growing body of research confirms the connection between volunteering and improved well-being, and the impact of corporate volunteerism extends beyond well-being—It can also improve employee retention and satisfaction. Here’s a summary of some of the research findings.

• A 2023 umbrella review of 28 studies on the impact of volunteering on social, mental and physical health outcomes found consistent associations with improved mental health, stronger social connections, better functional health and even reduced mortality risk.

• A 2020 study in the United Kingdom found that volunteers reported higher life satisfaction, better overall health and better mental health than nonvolunteers.

• Research published by the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2022 found that volunteering was associated with improved health, lower risk of depression and stronger workplace engagement. The study concluded that volunteering strengthens interpersonal bonds and employees’ identification with their employers.

• A research study from the Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre in 2024 examined the outcomes of 90 workplace well-being interventions for 50,000 respondents across 233 organizations. The study found that most interventions had little measurable impact on employee well-being—except volunteering, which was the only intervention that consistently improved employee well-being at a collective level.

• A randomized field experiment published in Management Science in 2024 found that employees of a financial institution who engaged in a one-day volunteering activity—mentoring students as part of the company’s social impact program—demonstrated a 50% reduction in turnover after one year compared with those who did not participate. Participants also showed significantly lower stress levels in follow-up surveys several weeks after the event.

Why Volunteerism Matters More for Younger Workers

Additional research shows the crucial role that a sense of belonging and social impact can play for worker well-being—particularly for the younger generations.

Workforce resilience research from the 2024 meQuilibrium Workforce Well-Being Report showed a clear connection between belonging at work and employees’ ability to withstand workplace stress. Employees reporting the weakest sense of belonging face significantly higher risk of anxiety and depression and are nearly three times more likely to experience burnout than those who feel strongly connected to their workplace community.

Gen Z workers reported even lower workplace connection than older generations, reinforcing that social connection and belonging are critical drivers of employee well-being and engagement for younger workers.

A 2024 Deloitte study found the majority of workers (95%) believe it's important that their employer makes a positive impact in their community, with 87% saying workplace volunteer opportunities are crucial in deciding whether to stay with their current employer or pursue a new one.

The 2025 Deloitte Gen Z and Millennial Survey confirms that nearly all Gen Zers (89%) and Millennials (92%) say having purpose in their work is important to their job satisfaction, up from 86% and 89% in 2024.

Corporate volunteering programs are already widely adopted, and interest among employees is growing. Data from the 2025 Giving in Numbers report from Corporate Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP) shows that roughly one-quarter of employees participate in company-sponsored volunteer initiatives, and volunteer hours have grown by 49% since 2022. Yet participation varies widely across organizations, suggesting that program design and cultural integration play an important role in unlocking their full impact.

Designing Effective Employee Volunteer Programs

As more organizations recognize the business case for volunteering and seek to drive impact, many are rethinking the design and implementation of their employee volunteer programs. Rather than operating as standalone philanthropic initiatives, leading organizations are integrating volunteerism into broader strategies related to employee engagement, culture building and ESG commitments.

Drawing on best practices outlined by the Points of Light Corporate Institute and other CSR experts, the following four core principles consistently appear in effective employee volunteer programs.

1. Alignment With Values

Effective employee volunteer programs begin by aligning their programs with core business values and purpose as well as ESG goals. When community engagement reflects an organization’s mission and priorities, it reinforces a shared sense of meaning at work while creating opportunities for employees to contribute to causes that matter to them. As an example, Citizens Bank connects employee volunteerism directly to its broader ESG and workforce strategy. As part of its sustainability focus on community prosperity and workforce development, the company states that “colleague engagement is at the center of our community strategy.”      

2. Flexibility and Accessibility

Modern programs offer flexible and inclusive participation opportunities. In addition to traditional group service days, many companies now offer skills-based volunteering, virtual opportunities and longer term nonprofit partnerships that allow employees to apply their professional expertise to community challenges. These models help expand participation across hybrid and distributed workforces.

3. Team-Based and Skills-Based Volunteering

Data from the CECP Giving in Numbers report shows that organizations are expanding the types of volunteer opportunities they offer. They also are leveraging volunteer programs as leadership development and culture-building tools. Skills-based volunteering, nonprofit board service and team-based community projects provide opportunities for employees to develop leadership capabilities such as collaboration, empathy and problem solving. Examples of skills-based volunteering include finance teams providing budgeting support to nonprofits, or marketing teams helping develop outreach campaigns and website content and design. These experiences strengthen workplace relationships and reinforce a culture of service—fostering connection, purpose and the collective resilience that organizations need in today’s environment.

4. Impact Measurement

Organizations are also beginning to measure the well-being and cultural benefits of employee volunteering alongside community impact. In addition to tracking volunteer hours and charitable contributions, some companies incorporate metrics related to employee engagement, connection, well-being and purpose into their ESG reporting, reflecting that leading organizations understand the broader value that these programs create. For example, Salesforce, Citizens and Accenture describe volunteering in their ESG reports as a mechanism for employee engagement, leadership development, connection and culture-building. This connection is increasingly being measured: according to the Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals (ACCP), 60% of companies measuring corporate community involvement assess its relationship to employee engagement, and 91% report a positive association.

Conclusion

When designed with intention, employee volunteer programs reinforce many of the drivers of well-being and resilience identified in research—social connection, purpose and belonging—making them a practical way to build well-being into everyday workplace experiences.

When organizations integrate volunteerism into their well-being and culture strategies, they create a powerful opportunity to build stronger, more connected and resilient employees, workplaces and communities.

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  Kristie Howard, CEBS, CWWPC

  Senior Vice President of Customer Success

  meQuilibrium

  Kristie Howard, CEBS, CWWPC, is senior vice president of customer success at meQuilibrium and a former benefits and well-being consultant advising global organizations on workforce well-being strategies.