Volunteering

Every year, we choose a charity to support. This year, we’re raising money for the good work that Alzheimer’s Society do. From pub quizzes to sponsored marathons, we have a series of fundraising events lined up throughout the year.

You may have a particular charity or organisation that’s close to your heart and you'd like to support. You’re entitled to take four days every year to volunteer with them. We also run Nest volunteer sessions with various charities, either individually or in groups.

See how Debjani used her volunteer days

"I volunteered for the Metropolitan Police, getting involved in a number of crime prevention activities carried out during lockdown in 2021. This included everything from distributing leaflets on cybercrime, engaging with the public on lockdown rules, and searching for weapons and drugs in certain areas based on police intelligence. The opportunity to do something I thoroughly enjoyed and benefit from a unique learning experience was the icing on the cake."

Debjani from the Member Experience team

How did you volunteer?

I volunteered for the Metropolitan Police, getting involved in a number of crime prevention activities carried out during lockdown.

This included everything from distributing leaflets on cybercrime, engaging with the public on lockdown rules, and searching for weapons and drugs in certain areas based on police intelligence.

Why did you take part?

In March 2021 the Met Police Commissioner asked the general public for help during lockdown. Although regular crime rates had declined, the Met Police cybercrime department reported a 200% increase in cyber and phone scams.

Since this was an area I was already interested in, I answered the call. I learnt so much and also started getting involved in weapons sweeping activity. In fact, I even discovered a knife on an assignment.

The reason I got involved was simple – I wanted to help out during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thousands of people were struck down by the virus. Millions more were affected as the situation cost them their livelihoods and businesses.

Compared to that I was very lucky, so I felt compelled to give back to society. The opportunity to do something I thoroughly enjoyed and benefit from a unique learning experience was the icing on the cake.

How did Nest support you?

Nest's volunteering days allowed me to offer my time to the Met Police on weekdays which was a very busy period for them during lockdown.

This was really beneficial during peak lockdown when I had to travel to different parts of London, some of which were very far away from my home. I was able to cycle there and didn’t have to worry about taking public transport and exposing myself to the risk of infection.

I’m hoping to use more volunteering days as I’m keen to join the Met Police’s Special Volunteer team. If I’m selected, I’ll have to commit to 12 hours of volunteering work every month.

Our colleagues have volunteered their time, talent and money for a range of good causes. Here’s a small selection of what we’ve done:

Serving breakfast at a homeless shelter

Nest staff volunteered at a homeless shelter by helping to prepare, cook and serve breakfast for around 300 people, many of whom had slept on the streets that night.

Helping children learn to read

Some Nest staff take part in a virtual reading programme to help children aged 9 to 11 to learn to read. Nest staff help them develop their reading and language skills by reading with them over video calls.

Using our expertise to resolve pension disputes

The Pensions Ombudsman assigns us cases, where we use our experience and expertise to help savers, employers or trustees who have an enquiry, complaint or dispute about their pension. We never handle any cases relating to Nest.

Helping young adults prepare for interviews

A group of Nest colleagues spent the day with local students and graduates to help them with job readiness, developing their soft skills and improving their understanding of interview etiquette.

Charitable work

Nest employees don’t just volunteer — we also donate and fundraise for charitable causes. Here are a selection of some of the charitable endeavours from Nest staff this year:

Macmillan coffee morning
Nest staff donned their aprons, took out their mixing bowls and pre-heated their ovens to bake cookies, cakes, biscuits and bread to raise money for Macmillan.

Nest Quiz night
Almost 100 colleagues took part in the annual quiz night, to battle it out to win the title of Nest’s best brain. All proceeds went to our charity of the year.

The big bike ride
All staff can use their volunteer days to undertake charitable activities, including fundraising. Richard Lockwood, Nest’s Chief Financial Officer, took part in a 300km bike ride over three days in Norway in aid of World at Play — a charity which uses sport and play programmes to enrich the lives of young people facing adversity. This mammoth ride included going up and over 1500m to reach the mountain Tindevegen.