Toward a Deep Insight into Employee Participation in Employer-Supported Volunteering in Iranian Organizations: A Grounded Theory

Abstract

Antecedents and consequences of employer-supported volunteering (ESV) have been widely studied. Yet, in the literature, few studies have attempted to succinctly assess this phenomenon in non-Western countries. In this regard, the primary purpose of this study is to understand the antecedents and consequences of employee participation in ESV in Iranian organizations. To achieve this, we employed a qualitative method. Fifteen managers from four companies that had experienced participating in ESV programs were chosen as the sample. Having interviewed the managers, we used grounded theory method to interpret our findings. The results revealed that 25 concepts exist. These concepts were divided into five categories: personal conditions; types of employee participation in ESV (core phenomenon); intra-organizational conditions; environmental conditions; and consequences. Finally, these categories formed a conceptual framework. It seems that this framework can be a practical tool for companies intended to run ESVs, in Iran.