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Network Rail Project
Understanding the barriers and motivators to employer supported volunteering
10 May 2021
by Gemma Howe
Project Leader - Million Hour Challenge, Network Rail
We approached the Institute of Volunteering Research to help us understand the motivators and barriers to volunteering. Utilising their extensive knowledge around employer supported volunteering we wanted to combine desk-based research with new evidence from our priority demographic of track and frontline workers.
The Million Hour Challenge is a rail industry volunteering initiative with Samaritans which is looking to improve the mental health and wellbeing of rail staff. Both the Million Hour Challenge and Network Rail were looking to understand in greater detail the reasons people don’t currently volunteer and the motivators of those who do.
The Process
The team at the Institute of Volunteering Research were extremely helpful, insightful, professional supportive and knowledgeable from start to finish. They provided regular updates via email and video meetings and were clear on the project requirements and timeline from the start.
We had broad requirements of the research piece and worked together to define what we wanted to achieve from the collaboration. How to engage our priority audience of track and frontline workers within the rail industry was our priority. The survey was aimed at and reflected this audience with a broader catchment for those rail staff operating in a variety of locations including office staff.
The survey had the right mix of multiple choice and drop-down options alongside a scenario-based section with variables. We were included in development of the survey and agreed the right balance between rich data collection and survey length. With the audience in mind we considered accessibility of the survey and time spent completing it. By agreeing and sticking to a survey date it allowed us to confidently approach rail industry stakeholders in readiness for the go live.
The Results
Following the closing date of the survey and completion of interviews we had a review meeting with the team to discuss the initial findings. The team’s knowledge of similar research including national averages and patterns of volunteering through someone’s lifetime added context to some of the data. We were pleased to hear nearly five hundred people had taken part in the survey as we were aware the short three-week window may have restricted our potential audience.
The survey results highlighted there are a number of staff who provide unpaid help without necessarily referring to it as volunteering, this is something we weren’t aware of. The range of groups and activities have been informative as well as the reasons individuals volunteer. The research results will help inform our future communications and strategy.
The Partnership
The research team were professional and easy to work with and we had every confidence in the project. It was a collaborative partnership, working with each other’s strengths. The research team all brought a different viewpoint to the discussions that we found really valuable. We would not hesitate to work with them again.
The report, Enhancing the impact of Employer Supported Volunteering (ESV) on Employees’ Wellbeing: A case study - Network Rail, is now available to view.
Let us know what you think by emailing info.ivr@uea.ac.uk