How does volunteering affect our mental health?

We’re always banging on about how doing good feels good. We’ve seen it first hand, with volunteers reporting that they’re “the happiest [they’ve] been in a long time” thanks to OnHand.

But we thought it might be time to dig a little deeper, really put our money where our mouth is, and see if doing good deeds really does positively affect our wellbeing. We’re talkin’ science, people! 

Happiness and productivity

It’s common knowledge that poor mental health can do a lot of damage to you personally, but new research shows that if you’re a UK employer, poor mental health in the workplace can cost you up to £45 billion each year (Deloitte, 2019). The good news is that there are ways to combat this; by looking after your employees’ mental wellbeing.

In a study exploring environmental volunteering, volunteers expressed that they gained a sense of self-worth and felt good about themselves by volunteering for a ‘good cause’. 

Mental ill health is the single most common cause of long-term absence from the workplace (Health and Wellbeing 2020 report.) Even when people are at work, many perform unhealthy practices like ‘presenteeism’ (working when unwell), leading to lower productivity. 89% of respondents saw ‘presenteeism’ in their organisation over the last 12 months, and over a quarter of those people reported that it had actually increased from the year before. 

Interestingly, even people who suffer from mental illnesses can see “improvement in their outlook and mental health through volunteering. It gives them a sense of direction and meaning” (IVR, 2003). When you’re happier, you do better work and are more creative, which makes for a more productive employee! Pretty good, huh?

The effects of volunteering on loneliness

For older people, who have a higher risk of suffering from depression and loneliness due to loss of societal roles after retiring, studies highlight how social integration and gaining a sense of belonging is one of the main benefits of volunteering for them (Age Concern, 2010).

But it’s not just older people. Loneliness is a huge issue for younger generations as well.

As well as social integration itself being great for improving mental health, volunteering can also give people more support during times of hardship.

Volunteering gives people ‘social capital’ which increases people’s access to help from others, creating a network of support for people to draw on to help them cope with difficult times.

Building ‘social capital’ not only benefits the person doing the volunteering, but it also supports the entire community. It cultivates resilience as people work together and help each other through hardship. 

Employee wellbeing

If it wasn’t already obvious, mental wellbeing is incredibly important, particularly in the current climate. In the 2020 Health and Wellbeing Report, nearly two-fifths of respondents saw an increase in stress-related absence from work, while 60% reported an increase in common mental health conditions.

“The term ‘employee well-being’ has often been translated by employers into one-off initiatives that aren’t necessarily part of a cohesive well-being strategy or linked to the organisation’s wider corporate goals. But health and well-being should be a continuous thread that runs through every operational decision and a cultural lens that guides everything we do and how we do it.”

— The Health and Wellbeing Report, 2020

From the same report, in 2020 41% of people said their organisation is much more reactive than proactive in their approach to employee wellbeing. As well as this, a third of the workforce, who reported that stress-related absence has increased over the past year, say their organisation isn’t taking any steps to address it.

Time for a change

We asked our North East OnHanders to rate how much volunteering with OnHand has benefitted their mental health and wellbeing on a scale of 0-10 (0 being not at all and 10 being loads).

100% of respondents gave us a rating between 6 and 10.

There you have it, proof that doing good really does make you feel good.

The pandemic prompted a lot of people and companies to reevaluate what they’re doing and why they’re doing it. What are your values and are you truly living up to them? What are you doing to look after your employees’ mental wellbeing?

If you’re keen to help the wider community work together to get through difficult times, while increasing productivity by looking after your staff, consider starting a volunteering scheme.

OnHand can help build a better future for your organisation, your team and your local community. Chat to us today if you’re interested in finding out more.