Does my company have to pay employees for taking time off to volunteer?

Generally, employers are not required to pay employees to take time off to volunteer. Among those companies that do provide paid volunteering time, various approaches are used. Release time provides employees paid time off to volunteer. Flex time allows employees to adjust their schedules, with supervisor consent, to accommodate volunteering. Some companies also offer social service leave, through which a company grants paid leave to employees to do full-time work on specific projects with community-based organizations.

Release time policies vary from company to company and can range from 10 hours a month to one paid day off a year. Social service leave can range from two weeks to a year. Companies should consider what works best for their workplace and program goals.