New research out last week revealed that employees want their workplace to enable them to contribute their time to supporting during national crises.

The Opinium survey found that three quarters (76%) of employees want the company they work for to play an active role during UK disasters such as major floods, terror attacks or another pandemic.

Almost a third want support from their employer so that they and their colleagues can volunteer their time (29%) while a quarter (26%) would like their employer to help them and colleagues to fundraise for those affected.

The research was released by disaster response charity the National Emergencies Trust and Business in the Community.

Mhairi Sharp, CEO of the National Emergencies Trust, said: “This research reinforces the incredible appetite to help, that we saw during the pandemic when our Coronavirus Appeal benefitted from the expertise of hundreds of volunteers, while company fundraising contributed more than 40 per cent of the £100 million raised.”

The findings are released as the National Emergencies Trust launches its Appeal Partners Programme, which has been developed in collaboration with Business in the Community. The Programme invites networked organisations and UK companies to raise vital awareness and funds during future emergencies to provide as much support as possible to survivors and their loved ones.

Mary Macleod, Chief Executive of Business in the Community, said: “The UK has nearly 33 million employees, meaning there is a clear societal benefit if employers encourage their teams to help others during a national disaster. National Emergencies Trust’s new programme will enable more employers to do this, and that’s why Business in the Community is proud to be a founding partner.”

The National Emergencies Trust is a charity set up to raise funds from the public in the event of UK disasters. Its most recent appeal, the Coronavirus Appeal, raised £100million for those affected by the pandemic.

Earlier this year the charity published findings which revealed that nearly a third of young survivors of the Manchester Arena attack in 2017 had not received any professional support.

To find out more about its Appeal Partners Programme visit: https://nationalemergenciestrust.org.uk/appeal-partners/