The term “work-life-balance” is thrown around a lot, so much so that the saying has lost a lot of its meaning. Many of all us are still constantly fighting that battle, with work more often that not being the victor.

So, as a manager or team lead, what are you meant to do in keeping up the morale of your team?

May we recommend volunteering together?

Hear us out: volunteering is a great way to engage your employees. And at Good Sports, we’ve perfected in making it an easy lift. The only requirements are a donation and ensuring your team has the ability to make it to our office. And that you enjoy creating opportunity for young people in sports.

FedEx employees take an afternoon to pack up equipment for youth sports programs across the country.

“Opportunities at Good Sports’ HQ give volunteers an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at our operations,” says Rebecca Lynch, Good Sports’ Business Development Associate. “It gives a hands-on role getting sports equipment ready to be donated to those in need. The sports connection is so fun and brings out the competitive edge in many groups.”

OK, so why volunteer? We’ll admit it – volunteerism across the country is down. In 2015 to barely 24% of the country was volunteering. And according to CNN[1], that number hasn’t really risen much in recent years.

The number one reason people don’t volunteer is time – we all just don’t seem to have it, according to a Stanford study.[2] Between work, commuting, hitting the gym, transporting kids, and possibly sleeping – there seems to be little time to volunteer. As managers, bosses, and team leaders: there’s a lot of pressure to keep a group of employees happy, especially when our team is trying to balance so much.

“We look at volunteer opportunities as a team bonding experience,” states Kristen Riordan of FoxRock Properties. “We have staff based in different locations, so bringing the team together for a volunteer opportunity is a great way for employees to interact …”

FoxRock came to Good Sports with a group of 14 employees, packing up over $39,000 worth of sports equipment for kids in a little under two hours.

What we hope is an inside joke in the making.

“We see many volunteers leave Good Sports feeling proud of their company’s commitment to giving back,” continues Lynch. “They’re a lot closer to their teammates than when they arrived.”

So, creating a volunteer day where your office is on-site with a local nonprofit is almost a no brainer. Besides, a study from University of Zurich (Switzerland) found that people who volunteer seem to be more engaged with their job.[3] And what do engaged people do at work? They immerse themselves in their job; they reignite the passion that drew them to work there in the first place! Volunteering makes us feel a sense of pride and that feeling can be a positive reflection of one’s relationship with their job. With higher morale, folks tend to be more prideful in their place of work. And people tend to stick with an office that makes them feel that way, so here’s to a low turnover![4]

If you’re local to the Greater Boston area and want to know more about group volunteering at Good Sports, please reach out to Rebecca Lynch at rlynch@goodsports.org.

[1] CNN
[2] Stanford Longevity
[3] United Way/University of Zurich
[4] Business News Daily, 2020