Volunteer Time Off

The Volunteer Time Off (VTO) policy was created by the DEI Committee’s Learning, Education, and Development (LED) Subcommittee in fall 2023 to encourage participation in community-building outside of the office as a part of the Employee Service Initiative (ESI) as a way to strengthen ties to our community through engagement and making personal connections with the community in which we reside.

The VTO policy provides all eligible, full-time External Affairs employees with two full days of paid time off annually to engage in volunteer/service activities at an organization of their choice.

Key Takeaways

  • Two full days of paid time off annually to engage in volunteer/service activities at an organization of their choice.
  • Eligible employees can seek approval for VTO from their manager.
  • VTO cannot benefit the employee or an employee’s family member.
  • VTO cannot be used to volunteer at political organizations or campaigns.
  • The Annual Group Service Day allows groups of employees to participate in scheduled group service days at organizations in the Boston area, in addition to the two day VTO allowance.
  • Join the #volunteer-time-off Slack channel to share experiences, seek inspiration, and ask questions!

VTO Guidelines

Who Is Eligible?

Employees must be in good standing with a Performance Evaluation score of 3 or higher to be eligible for VTO days. For new employees, VTO may be used after 90 days of employment.

Where Do I Volunteer?

LED has created an informational directory of local community organizations and activities to serve as a resource guide for employees. Employees are not limited to the opportunities within this directory and may volunteer with other organizations. Contact us to recommend additional opportunities that can be added to this directory.

When and How Do I Use VTO?

The two VTO days run from June 1 through May 31 every calendar year (this timeframe aligns with our WFH Flexbank), and unused VTO days cannot be rolled over.

Employees must seek approval for VTO from their managers at least two weeks in advance of the desired service day. Please note that VTO time cannot be submitted as a Time Off request through the Employee Self-Service portal.

All VTO requests are submitted to the employee’s manager, who then tracks VTO usage. Employees are not required to provide proof of service to their managers. We recommend using the honor system for VTO days taken, and we trust that our colleagues will use this policy as intended.

How Do I Record My Time?

For employees who record their time in ActiveCollab, there is now a category under Creative Services PTO where you can select Volunteer Day.

We also recommend that employees share their volunteer and service experiences with colleagues to create engagement around service and community-building through the #volunteer-time-off Slack channel and via other means as appropriate. Occasionally, the DEI Steering Committee and/or the Office of Government & Community Affairs may collect data about VTO usage for research and/or communication purposes.

Questions?

If you have questions about any of these policies, please contact Sharon Freeman or Meredith Mann.