UK employees warn of rising disengagement
Charity-backed employee volunteering platform GoVo for Business launches to help employers boost engagement and purpose through volunteering
- Tech-for-good solution comes as research reveals productivity and job satisfaction has decreased for majority of UK workers.
- GoVo for Business simplifies employee volunteering with thousands of flexible roles to choose from, supporting charities, large and small, across Britain.
Disengagement in UK workplaces is mounting and it’s impacting employee’s performance, a new study finds.
The research* commissioned by national volunteering organisation, Royal Voluntary Service suggests a growing sense of detachment among UK workers with nearly 1 in 3 (29%) now feeling disengaged. 31% go on to report feeling unsatisfied in their job and one fifth have considered quitting in the last year.
The findings come as Royal Voluntary Service launches GoVo for Business, the UK’s only charity-backed employee volunteering platform.
Developed thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery, the new tech-for-good platform supports organisations to tackle key workforce challenges - including employee engagement, wellbeing and productivity - by enabling greater participation in volunteering, a proven, yet often overlooked intervention.
Designed in partnership with hundreds of charities, GoVo for Business aims to significantly grow uptake of workplace programmes (currently around one third of the given time is used** – to deliver measurable value for employees, businesses and communities - by making volunteering frictionless, flexible and more suited to modern life.
GoVo for Business opens to corporate users after launching to the public (GoVo.org) last year and at a time when UK employees say they are feeling under increasing stress, with key findings from the research suggesting:
- In the past year, 28% of UK employees have become less productive, 34% less engaged and 35% less satisfied
- 34% of workers are feeling stressed in their jobs and burnt out
- Only 29% of workers say work feels meaningful, citing a lack of recognition for effort or impact beyond performance (22%) and high workloads making work feel purely task-orientated (22%)
- More than six in 10 workers agree having an opportunity to use their skills and expertise for community benefit would increase job satisfaction (62%) and engagement (63%).
"Employee engagement and wellbeing are two of the major cornerstones of a well-functioning business yet can be the hardest to get right. There’s an easy win many employers are missing though: volunteering. It’s a proven to improve wellbeing, build connection and skills, and deliver good things for society.
"However simply offering volunteering days isn’t enough - organisations must actively support and make it easy for teams to take them. With so many vital causes needing our help, employee volunteering is an unparalleled opportunity for businesses to make a real difference both inside and outside the organisation."
Deborah Meaden, sustainable business advocate, investor and Dragon’s Den star
Businesses have significant potential to support civil society and deliver organisational benefits through volunteering, yet historically employers have often struggled to implement effective programmes, with 140 million hours going unused last year***. GoVo for Business aims to change that.
"Disconnected and disengaged employees can be costly for employers. These feelings not only reduce productivity but can impact brand reputation and retention. Volunteering through workplace programmes is a proven way to improve wellbeing, connection and productivity, whilst contributing to society. It’s a win, win.
"However, despite good intentions, millions of employee volunteering hours are going unused each year, because employers struggle to find suitable opportunities or don’t have the resource to manage the process. GoVo for Business breaks down these barriers and unlocks workplace volunteering at scale - delivering greater value for businesses, their people and society."
Carole Urey, Chief Revenue Officer
GoVo for Business launches against a backdrop of a projected three million volunteer shortfall**** in the charity sector and heightened expectations for businesses to evidence social value. Available on a tiered pricing model – with all commercial income reinvested into the platform's development and RVS’s community services - GoVo for Business users benefit from:
- Access to thousands of volunteering opportunities – 400 in every postcode - with causes of all sizes, both local and national
- Simplified management with built-in tools for tracking participation and reporting impact.
- Seamless employee access with Single Sign On (SSO)
- Diverse and flexible volunteering roles – remote, in-person, skills-based, adhoc tasks and micro-volunteering – to work around work commitments
- Easy-set-up team days and group volunteering activities.
GoVo for Business forms the digital heart of Royal Voluntary Service’s proprietary volunteering system, the Impact Stack, which supports organisations to embed a culture of volunteering. Other modules include expert consultancy and curated activities to help organisations maximise the impact of GoVo across their business.
* The research was conducted by 3Gem with a sample of 2,000 nationally representative respondents age 18+. The survey fieldwork took place between 30 January 2026-4 February 2026.
** Research among UK businesses was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 1,000 HR Decision Makers (aged 21+), with a minimum of 50 who work for a FTSE 350 company. The data was collected between 27 February 2025-4 March 2025.
*** According to a Censuswide survey of 2,000 UK Adults aged 16+. 30.06% of UK workers are offered paid volunteering days. This equates to 10,176,504 people being offered volunteering days in the UK. The average number of days offered to all UK workers is 2.34. This equates to an average of 23,794,124 days a year being gifted, or 190,352,994 hours (based on eight hour day). The mean percentage of volunteering days taken in the last 12 months is 26.22% = 49,907,338 hours taken in the last 12 months with 140,445,656 going unused.
**** Research was conducted by RVS with a sample of 922 registered charities across England, Scotland and Wales between 30 September 2025 to 6 October 2025.
