Corporate volunteering: reasons for worker participation under analysis

Abstract

Corporate Volunteer Program (CVP) is a social responsibility tool that integrates organization and local community (MAGALHÃES; FERREIRA, 2014). The decision of the employee in becoming a volunteer is, in its essence, the motivation that drives the person to act to satisfy a need (BERGAMINI, 1997). Analyze and understand this phenomenon is relevant to the management of CVPs, because it allows a better understanding of the volunteers’ behavior and consequent challenges faced by programs’ managers. The goal of this study is to identify the employees’ reasons of entrance and permanence in corporate volunteer performed by a construction company located in Paraná State. The research is qualitative with a descriptive approach, based on the interview of seven volunteer employees. Data was composed by a documentary research and semi-structured interviews. Documents related to CVP were analyzed to understand the planning, program disclosure, recruitment and retention of volunteers. It was possible to identify that, initially, altruism, meaning the desire to develop the community, is what motivates volunteers to act to support social benefits. However, selfish reasons, personal and professional growth, are also critical for entry into CVP. Another aspect that considerably influences the permanence of the employee as a volunteer is the recognition of the organization of voluntary work.