Catena Media to give employees paid time off for volunteering

Malta-based Catena Media has announced it will now be giving all employees paid volunteering days to allow them the opportunity to devote their time to helping others.

The initiative is introduced as part of the Catena Cares programme, aimed at supporting Catena Media employees who wish to get involved and support their local communities.

"Following the definition of Catena Media's core values, it was important to the company to take concrete actions as well as meet employee expectations," the company said, introducing the new scheme.

"We were aware that many employees were already volunteering their spare time to local charities and organisations. With the launch of Volunteer Days, we want to support the passion that is already there as well as give the opportunity to those who would like to start volunteering."

It will see Catena Media employees able to volunteer for two days annually, which will be fully paid, in an effort to make it easy for everyone in the office to find ways to engage with causes they care about.

The company added that 'Volunteer Days' are a "win-win", both for staff and the business as a whole.

They do this by benefiting employees both personally and professionally while improving company culture at the same time.

It also pointed to a study by Deloitte, which highlighted that employees who feel involved in corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives are more likely to feel motivated by their work and stay with the company in the long term.

"For all these reasons Catena Media wants to make volunteering an everyday, normative part of the company's culture."