A Buddhist economic approach to employee volunteer programmes

This study was undertaken to observe factors affecting the process and impact of employee volunteer activities in three business enterprises in Thailand, using a Buddhist economic framework. Buddhist economics differs significantly from mainstream (neoclassical) economics in its ontological underpinning. This means that assumptions about human nature are different: the core values of mainstream economics are self-interest and competition in the pursuit of maximum welfare or utility, while in Buddhist economics, ‘self’ includes oneself, society and nature, which are all simultaneously interconnected. The core values are compassion and cooperation through which well-being is achieved leading to higher wisdom (pañña). Employee volunteer programmes (EVPs) are regarded as one example of corporate citizenship activities. This paper explores the consequences of introducing EVPs using a Buddhist economic framework in three different companies in Thailand. When a Buddhist economic approach is adopted by EVPs, the programme can be embedded into business practices including human resource development and the organisational development process, which may lead to the cultivation of pañña. This may be of value to organisations in the West.