Can "volunteering" help you get more energized and productive at work?

Is there a link between volunteering (any kind of volunteering that is oriented towards helping others or a cause of some sort) and being energized, engaged, and productive at work? 

I posed this question recently to a number of business professionals and discussed it with friends and colleagues. I heard many personal stories which seem to support this link between “volunteering” and “productivity.” Furthermore the stories go beyond personal productivity to talk about group productivity, team building, better organizational culture, all as a result of volunteering.

One of the answers that I would like to share (from Alex Dail) indicated that:

“There are three key criteria to engaging in volunteer work that will energize you:

1. It has to be something you genuinely care about. You need to feel somewhat like you are willing to bit the rear end of a bear to do it. 
2. You need to be able to commit the time without it being a burden to you, your family or close friends. 
3. It must be something you are getting something in exchange for doing; is it satisfying you intellectually, emotionally, etc.? “

Thanks you Alex for these insights!

As I continue to explore innovative ways to create breakthrough engagement and accomplishments in the workplace, I would like to hear from you! Please share your volunteering experiences and their impact on your productivity at work and beyond!

Founder and principal of People-OntheGo, has more than fifteen years of experience in the software industry. Pierre has founded several companies including a financial software company in 1987 (Computer Trends, Inc.), an e-CRM company in 1995 (Imparto Software Corporation), raised several multi-million dollar funding rounds, and completed two successful acquisitions. In the last few years, Pierre's interest centered around bridging the gap between technology and people. He founded People-OntheGo to help corporate users manage e-mail and digital communication tools more effectively, and Digital-OntheGo to help organizations take full advantage of the new advances in digital video and web distribution, both part of the OntheGo Technologies L.L.C. Pierre holds a Master's degree in Engineering from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Michigan), and has completed several Executive Education programs at the Stanford Graduate School of Management (Stanford, California).

Pierre Khawand

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