The generation of Britons who had to undergo National Service were taught the squaddies' golden rule: never volunteer. A later generation which lived through the years of the yuppie were taught: nice guys finish last.

Thankfully the lessons were not fully learned, especially in Scotland which has the highest rate of volunteering in the UK, according to a survey by the Institute of

Volunteering Research published this year.

From next Monday, the 12th annual Volunteers Week will be recognising and recruiting volunteers. Such unpaid work, of course, has nothing to do with Appointments, has it? Except that it can improve the morale in your workplace, the skills and performance of your staff, and your company's image. It can even lead to full-time employment.

All these effects have been documented within companies. But the irony is that if it is undertaken solely with those ends in view, you may not benefit to the full.

''Volunteering is all about getting connected,'' said Liz Burns, the director of Volunteer Development Scotland. ''It is the way in which people connect with their local communities, whether it is by giving support to those in greatest need, deciding policy

on boards and committees or

providing counselling to those in distress.''

Scotland is the only UK country where the number of people volunteering is on the increase. Of the Scots surveyed 50% said they had taken part in formal voluntary activity in the previous year.

That compares with 48% in England, 44% in Wales and 33% in Northern Ireland, producing a fall in the overall UK figure from 51% to 48%. In contrast Scotland showed a 6% rise since 1991. When informal volunteering is included, though, the overall UK figure rises to 74%.

''This emphasises the tremendous contribution made by volunteers in Scotland and the value of having a national strategy focuses on the voluntary, public and private sectors,'' said Burns.

One in five respondents volunteer every week and nearly one third once a month. Volunteers spend an average of more than four hours a week on formal volunteer work, a 150% increase since 1991.

VDS last November presented the first Scottish Employee Volunteering Initiative Awards, sponsored and hosted by Royal Mail, of 250 to the organisations providing volunteering opportunities and a trophy of Edinburgh Crystal to their business partners.

The winners were Edinburgh Cyrenians and Standard Life employees for their work with homeless people, Business in the Arts organisations and BP managers, Ravenscraig Primary School parents and National Semiconductor staff, and North Lanarkshire Development Agency

with their Inland Revenue ''Wizards'' partners.

Standard Life, whose community involvement department was founded six years ago, encourages staff to volunteer for paid secondment as long as the secondee is compatible with the project

and the voluntary organisation. Department head Sally Crighton has two staff and they organised a dozen secondees a year for projects of from three to six months. One of its IT staff wrote a quality audit programme for Edinburgh Cyrenians and other staff organised a marketing strategy which raised #45,000 and a high-profile opening for premises in West Lothian.

In addition its Pathfinders project recruits up to three homeless people for six months training, selected by the Cyrenians and the Rock Trust.

The level of the volunteer and the level of involvement can vary widely. It ranges from a general manager of Marks & Spencer to postmen on the beat.

Bill Neish, general manager of Marks & Spencer in Argyle Street, Glasgow, spent 18 months on the board of Greater Easterhouse Development Company before becoming its chairman. When its personnel department was represented at a careers fair in Easterhouse, up to 30 people were interviewed for temporary seasonal work in the store.

Three or four of the directors of Greater Easterhouse Development Company are from private business and it has also received assistance from Kwik-Fit Insurance Services, ScotRail and Royal Mail, and has had a secondee from Scottish Widows.

Secondees from private and public sector organisations work in less advantaged areas with business support groups (BSG) run by Scottish Business in the Community, using their practical experience to provide access to jobs and training opportunities.

The BSG concept aims to stimulate companies to practise

corporate social responsibility through economic, social and educational support in local communities. Among the secondees are managers from Royal Mail which also has a Community Action programme to enable posties to form Community Action Teams (CATs) and manage practical projects for local causes.

In the past six years, the number of CATs has grown to more than 60 and they have helped more than 250 organisations and around 3000 people.

Although this is outwith working hours, teams can use Royal Mail premises, receive help with writing their constitution and arranging insurance, and the use of Royal Mail vehicles allows teams to provide transport for disabled groups, for example. They also have access to Royal Mail trainers.

Many one-off task projects have led to long-term partnerships with the organisations they support and many volunteers have gone on to undertake specialist care-related training or to qualify as assessors. One husband and wife developed their sign language skills to work with deaf people.

Building projects have included a stable renovation for disabled riders in Dunfermline, environmental and community projects in Craigmillar, Edinburgh; landscaping for a special needs school in Glasgow, renovation of a holiday centre for the disabled near Livingston and a new community hall in Peterhead.

Area and senior managers often help their local CAT as ordinary team members. ''Working together has created a positive spirit which I have never experienced before,'' said one manager. ''It's good for the boss to take orders sometimes rather than always issuing them.''

Burns added: ''Every minute of every hour voluntarily given by adults throughout Scotland is invaluable to the people and the organisations they support, but more volunteers are constantly required.''

n A Volunteers Week Freephone number is 0800 727 070 is open from 10am to 7pm daily from June 1 to June 7.