Social Impact Days

Social Impact Days (SIDs) are the new name for what formerly was known as our Community Involvement Days

All Amey employees are entitled to take two paid Social Impact Days per year to work on a project in their local community, run by a not-for-profit organisation or charity which supports an environmental, educational, local economy or employment aim.

Your Social Impact Days can be taken as two full days of eight hours each or split between several days throughout the year. For instance, an employee could volunteer for two hours a week spread over eight different days or four hours over four separate days.

What do I need to do?

Before proceeding with your SID, you will need to:

1. Speak to your people manager in the first instance, to coordinate with other work-related responsibilities. Wherever possible, requests for SIDs should not conflict with any peak work schedule or cause conflicts with other employees’ schedules.
2. Complete a Social Impact Checklist and then provide this to an appropriate manager for approval.
3. Register your SID via HR Self Service - in the same way as an annual leave request (there is a ‘Volunteering Day’ option).
4. Once you have completed your SID it is important that you let us know what positive impact your volunteering has had, so please reach out to your local Social Value lead so we can capture your efforts! If you're unsure who your Social Value lead is, seek guidance from your People Partner for details. 

Volunteer ideas

Your SID should benefit a not-for-profit, community organisation, or a UK registered charity. Ideally, these organisations must support one or more of the following: the environment, the local economy, education, or employment.

Here are a few examples of Social Impact Days:

Inspiring Young People

• Taking part in a school’s career event.
• Virtual Amey “Chat and Learn” event.
• Delivering a STEM event in a local school.

Protecting or enhancing our natural environment

• Tree planting
• Litter picking
• Improving green spaces
• Cleaning/improving local rivers/canals

Supporting Cancer Research UK, our Employee Chosen Charity

• Volunteering in CRUK shops
• Acting as a Marshall or similar at a CRUK event (such as Race for Life)
• Take on a fundraising challenge

For more information about Volunteering for CRUK contact Sue Racster.

Supporting local businesses to thrive

• Mentor or coach people who are setting up new businesses or social enterprises.
• Use your skills and/or experience to provide advice to SMEs or VCSEs.
• Support projects that are promoting business innovation.

Improving our local community

• Improving community or charity buildings such as village halls for example painting or decorating.
• Take part in community safety campaigns.
• Projects that improve community wellbeing – reducing crime, homelessness etc.
• Faith groups of all denominations play a vital role in supporting their local communities and people in need both locally, nationally, and internationally. Why not support a charity activity organised by a place of worship near you.
• Taking part in community awareness raising events such as PRIDE.

There are lots of useful organisations who can help with ideas for you SID in your local community.

Some ideas are below

• https://www.gov.uk/government/get-involved/take-part/volunteer
• https://doit.life/
• https://www.ncvo.org.uk/ncvo-volunteering/find-a-volunteer-centre
• https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/closer-to-nature/volunteer
• https://reachvolunteering.org.uk/