|
Social Change Training Manual
QUALITY MANAGEMENT OF VOLUNTEER WORKERS
Presenter: Roger Horton, July 1996
- from C. Regan et al, 1996, 'Embracing The Challenge: Quality Management Of Volunteer Workers'
Quality management of volunteer workers means:
"creating a cooperative environment and ensuring that people are free to act intelligently, imaginatively and sensitively. Flexibility and spontaneity are features of volunteering which need to be preserved. However, appropriate structures and procedures are necessary for the smooth running of any operation."
Noble (1991, p.71)
BASICS OF QUALITY PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
Effective Personnel Management has five main functions and activities:
- Planning for human resource needs;
Recruiting people for the organisation
Appraising and compensating employee behaviour
Improving employees' and the work environment
Establishing and maintaining effective working relationships
The major components of these functions and activities are:
- Planning For human resource needs
- Planning and forecasting the organisations short-term and long-term human resource requirements;
- Analysing the jobs in the organisation to determine the skills, knowledge and abilities that are needed, and designing jobs to accommodate the needs of both the individual and the organisation.
- Recruiting People For the Organisation
- Recruiting job applicants;
Selecting from the job applicants those most appropriate for the available jobs.
- Appraising and Rewarding Worker Behaviour
- Appraising and evaluating worker behaviour;
- Rewarding and motivating worker behaviour.
- Improving The Worker's and The Work Environment
- Determining, designing and maintaining equipment to increase worker ability and worker performance.
- Improving the physical work environment to maximise worker safety and health.
- Improving the work environment, especially in regard to the quality of work life and productivity improvement programs.
- Establishing and Maintaining Effective Working Relationships
- Recognising and respecting worker rights. - Understanding the reasons and methods used by
workers in organising [ie. work practices].
- Bargaining and settling grievances with workers (and any organisations representing them).
Top
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO MANAGE VOLUNTEER WORKERS WELL
- Helps to ensure that the aims of the organisation are fulfilled.
- Increases the effectiveness of the organisation and the efficiency of the worker.
- Improves the work atmosphere of the organisation.
- Provides an example of good leadership and follows through on the philosophy of the organisation.
- Allows for the maximum use of the skills, knowledge, experience and resources of the organisation.
- Reduces possibility of discrimination and poor work practices.
- Finally it is good public relations
MAJOR DIFFERENCES IN THE WORK SITUATIONS OF VOLUNTEER WORKERS AND PAID WORKERS
Most paid workers receive monetary rewards without having control over their work hours and the type of work undertaken.
Volunteer workers can dictate their preferred hours and tasks, but receive no monetary rewards or leave entitlements (all basic to undertaking volunteer work). Consequently, commitments other than their chosen volunteer work have greater impact on volunteer workers than is so for paid workers, for whom the influence of monetary rewards creates set boundaries within which they must function.
Organisations must plan for the rights of volunteer workers to not work or to change their tasks.
FUNDAMENTALS OF VOLUNTEER WORKER MANAGEMENT
The following Minimum Standards should be used as a basis for agreed contracts and conditions for volunteer workers.
A. VOLUNTEER WORKER AND ORGANISATION RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES.
Overall the volunteer worker should have a good knowledge of the organisation, what it is trying to do, and be prepared to meet minimum standards as set by the organisation. Neither Volunteer Worker Rights and Responsibilities, nor Organisational Rights and Responsibilities should be viewed in isolation from each other. Both sets of Rights and Responsibilities should be read and acted upon as a whole.
B. VOLUNTEER WORKER RIGHTS
- The right to be treated as a co-worker (not just free help, nor as a prima donna).
- The right to know as much as possible about the organisation - its policies, its people, and its work.
- The right to a suitable assignment - with consideration for personal preference, temperament, skills, abilities, education and employment background.
- The right to a written Job Description and written Contract of Employment Conditions.
- The right to refuse to do a task requested of them.
- The right to determine the number of hours that they will volunteer and when these hours will be worked.
- The right to not have to or be expected to contribute anything (eg money, resources, etc...), other than their time, experience and skills in undertaking a job.
- The right to relevant training for the job, which is thoughtfully planned and effectively presented.
- The right to continuing education on the job, as a follow-up to initial training, which provides information about new developments and other relevant matters.
- The right to sound guidance and direction by someone who is experienced and well informed and who has the time to invest in giving guidance.
- The right to a safe place to work which is an orderly designated place, conducive to work, and worthy of the job to be done; and a right to safe conditions and practices of work.
- The right to promotion and a variety of experiences through advancement to a greater responsibility, or by transfer from one activity to another.
- The right to be heard and listened to - have a part in planning, to feel free to make suggestions, to be shown respect for an honest opinion, to have these acted upon when agreed to as valid statements, and to receive information back as to the outcomes of these suggestions.
- The right to a fair and equitable Disputes Procedure if there is a problem with the standard of the work that the volunteer worker is doing.
- The right to be free of discrimination or harassment because of racial background, religious belief, sex, sexual preference, marital, age or disability status and political background.
- The right to knowledge of existing or impending industrial disputes, presented in a balanced manner, to enable the volunteer workers to make informed choices of action.
- The right to a fair and equitable Termination Procedure (which includes reasons for dismissal and an appeals process).
C. ORGANISATIONS' RIGHTS
- The right to employ or not employ any volunteer worker based on the needs of the organisation.
- The right to expect the volunteer worker to meet minimum standards as defined by that organisation.
- The right to expect the highest level of dedication, commitment and effort that the volunteer worker can give, even on a short-term basis or casual basis.
- The right to expect conscientious acceptance of responsibilities as to promptness, reliability and good performance from the volunteer worker.
- The right to expect enthusiasm and belief from the volunteer worker in the work that the organisation is doing.
- The right to make a decision as to where the volunteer worker would best fit within the organisation, after negotiations with the volunteer worker.
- The right to express constructive criticism to the volunteer worker in a diplomatic way, and suggest changes.
- The right to expect loyalty to the agency and only constructive criticism from the volunteer worker.
- The right to expect from the volunteer worker, clear and open communication at all times.
- The right to expect appropriate behaviour from the volunteer worker at all times.
- The right to expect an effective and appropriate work productivity from volunteer workers in leadership positions.
- The right to expect that volunteer workers will not discuss any client's circumstances and details outside of the organisation.
- The right to expect the volunteer worker to bring any concerns about clients and their circumstances to the organisation for discussion.
- The right to tell a volunteer worker that their services are no longer required, and the reasons for this decision.
D. VOLUNTEER WORKER RESPONSIBILITY
- Be sure - examine your feelings and be sure that you really want to help other people.
- Be convinced - don't offer your services unless you believe in the value of what you are doing
- Be clear - about what you are prepared to do and what you will not do. Make sure the organisation knows this before you start work or, if you have a change of mind, as soon as possible - it will reduce misunderstandings in the future
- Accept the rules - don't criticise what you don't understand, there may be a good reason. However, feel free to ask, "Why?"
- Be loyal - offer suggestions, but don't "knock".
- Be willing to learn - training is essential to any job well done.
- Keep on learning - know all you can about your organisation and your job.
- Welcome supervision - you will do a better job and enjoy it more if you are doing what is expected.
- Speak up - ask about things you don't understand. Doubts can turn you into a worker with problems.
- Be dependable - do what you have agreed to do. Don't make promises you can't keep as it causes problems for everyone.
- Be a team player - respect the function and roles of the paid staff and of the organisation.
- Acknowledge the Organisation Rights - the organisation has a responsibility to its aims first and foremost, and has the right to make decisions based on this responsibility.
E. ORGANISATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
- Have a policy and philosophy on the status of volunteer workers within the organisation and how they will relate to paid staff and other people.
- Have an employment policy with regards to volunteer workers covering such matters as:
- Job Descriptions;
- Job Contracts;
- Contracts of Employment Conditions;
- Boundaries of levels of legal, professional liability and expertise of each job;
- Quality and choice of jobs; and
- Use of organisational resources.
- Properly meet and fulfil the Volunteer Worker Rights, and ensure that no volunteer worker is exploited. (Note: The Volunteer Centre of NSW advises people against regularly doing more than 16 hours of volunteer work a week in the same position. They state that "after 16 hours, we start to look into the question of exploitation, because after two days' work, the job should probably be a paid one",)
- Provide ongoing training to all volunteer workers employed on a long-term basis (ie. those who work more than 3 months).
- Ensure that the organisation and its paid staff address any concerns raised by volunteer workers, make decisions regarding those concerns, and report this back to the volunteer workers.
- Ensure that no volunteer worker is discriminated against or harassed.
- Ensure that volunteer workers work in conditions which comply with Occupational Health and Safety standards for the job they are performing; and that volunteer workers receive ongoing Occupational, Health and Safety training so as to ensure their ongoing personal safety.
- Ensure that volunteer workers are not employed in situations where an industrial dispute is in progress. Nor should volunteer workers be co-opted to be involved in such disputes.
- As well, there will be additional specific rights and responsibilities as determined by individual organisations.
F. TRAINING
Initial training program
All volunteer workers should be required to attend an initial training course which is appropriate to their future job status and the position they are to undertake, prior to working for the organisation.
Topics That Should Be Covered Are:
Organisational Aims and Directions;
Personal Attitudes and Values;
Volunteer Worker and Organisation Rights and Responsibilities;
Communication; and
Different Types of Work Options for Volunteer Workers.
Orientation to a Specific Task
All volunteer workers should be given an orientation to the task involved, equipment used and safety requirements.
Ongoing Training
All long-term volunteer workers should be given the opportunity to attend training that is appropriate to the work currently undertaken or to be undertaken in the future. Note: Funding of costs of ongoing training for volunteer workers should at least be based on the levels of training costs required under the Training Guarantee Levy Scheme for a paid worker in a similar position.
G. EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS
These are important so as to ensure that there is an agreed basis for employment between the volunteer worker and the organisation so as to reduce any misunderstandings or difficulties in the future. Job Descriptions and Contracts of Employment Conditions must be developed and agreed upon before recruiting or employing volunteer workers.
Job Description This should cover:
- Clear description of actual tasks (perhaps in priority order Skills, knowledge and experience needed.
- The volunteer worker's responsibilities to management.
- Methods of communication with supervisors and/or management.
- Hours of work.
- Safety and/or emergency procedures.
- Perhaps all jobs to be done by volunteer workers could be broken down into a series of tasks rather than a prepared job description which is a compilation of those tasks. Volunteer workers could compile their own job description by choosing the preferred amount and type of tasks and possibly therefore enhancing their ability to carry out the work. The tasks could be set out on cards and volunteer workers could be encouraged to share the less popular activities.
Contract of Employment Conditions This should cover:
- Job Title
- Terms of Engagement and Hours of Work,
- Job Description (to be included).
- Designated work space/area.
- Meal breaks.
- Time-in-lieu arrangements.
- Public holidays.
- Annual Leave - notice of intention, and arrangements.
- Other leave (absences) entitlements and arrangements.
- Reimbursements/allowances and expenses:
- travel car (as per tax rate rebates) and other; ·
- phone calls (as per current Telstra rates); .
- meal allowances?; ·
- child care costs? (as per current Family Day Care rates);
- respite care costs? (as per current Home Care costs); and
- out-of-pocket expenses.
- Leave entitlements;
- Training and on-going support:
- Initial training program;
- Orientation to specific service; and
- On-going training.
- Support, appraisal and supervision arrangements (see elsewhere in minimum standard for details).
- Staff conflict procedure.
- Disputes procedure - as per paid employees?
- Disciplinary procedure - as per paid employees?
- Termination procedure - as per paid employees?
- Appeals procedure - as per paid employees?
- Resignation procedure - as per paid employees?
- Occupational health and safety procedures.
- Insurances, insurance arrangements and procedures:
- Public liability;
- Volunteer worker, personal;
- Volunteer worker, vehicle (including loss of excess and loss of third party);
- Civil liabilities (as per professional liability for paid workers); and
- Access to rehabilitation programs.
- Anti-discrimination and anti-harassment principles.
H. RECOGNITION/REWARDS (INSTEAD OF MONEY)
Recognition needs to be tangible and consistent to ensure that volunteer workers are not ignored or forgotten by the organisation.
Examples of appropriate recognition and/or rewards are:
- Annual Certificates of Service;
- Regular morning teas, lunches, afternoon teas, (dependant on service and volunteer worker arrangements).
Other appropriate measures.
- Yearly 'Thank You' parties.
- Certificate for any training undertaken listing topics included.
- Reference for any work undertaken, etc...
- Also there needs to be regular consultations of one (1) hour with volunteer workers, on issues that affect them and the organisation, at least every three (3) months. (This could be linked with regular Supervision sessions. See below for details).
I. EVALUATION AND SUPERVISION
Evaluation and supervision must be done to ensure quality of the work undertaken.
Evaluation
Volunteer workers should be able to participate in and have access to the annual organisation review. As for paid staff, each volunteer worker's position should be evaluated each year. (The evaluation need only be documented by date and by subsequent changes in job role).
Upon leaving, each volunteer worker will have an 'Exit Interview' which shall, at least, encompass the topics of:
- Good points of the job and the organisation;
- Areas of improvement that could occur; and
- Issues of their jobs, the organisation, the service or the group, as seen from the perspective of the volunteer worker.
Supervision
Volunteer workers should expect regular supervision and support every three (3) months. The organisation will provide a designated supervisor who is readily accessible. The terms of the supervision should be agreed upon between the organisation and the volunteer worker when the volunteer worker commences work.
J. RECRUITMENT
See your state's Volunteer Centre material for details of ideas.
The organisation should apply the same standards for the recruitment of volunteer workers as it does to paid workers. However, the unique situation of volunteer workers will need to be taken into account when recruiting.
General Principles To Be Followed When Recruiting Volunteer Workers
- Organisations need to target their recruitment strategies to the types of volunteer workers that are required.
- Organisations need to have set Job Descriptions for volunteer workers finalised prior to advertising.
- Advertising should be undertaken in a way that is appropriate to the volunteer workers.
- Adequate resources should be allotted to the advertising, recruitment and training of volunteer workers - how else can the organisation really ensure that is getting a suitable worker?
- At the time of recruitment, volunteer workers have the right to choose the type of work they would prefer.
- Special Needs Groups:
- People of Non-English speaking backgrounds;
- People with disabilities; and:
- People with dependants and primary care givers, (eg parents, carers) should all have their specific needs taken into account when they offer to volunteer. Disregarding their specific needs limits their opportunities to volunteer.
- Organisations need to be innovative and strategic about the way they attract volunteer workers.
K. CONCLUSION
This framework will provide a minimum base which environmental organisations can utilise to embrace the challenge of effectively managing their volunteer workers, It will assist organisations to create a culture of quality Personnel Management based upon respect, concern and awareness of the rights and preferences of individual workers, while allowing them to act intelligently, imaginatively and sensitively. Ultimately, and most importantly, it will help increase the quality of service provision to clients.
Effective Personnel Management is
"the recognition of the importance of an organisation's work force as vital human resources contributing to the goals of the organisation and the utilisation of several functions and activities to ensure that they are used effectively and fairly for the benefit of the individual, the organisation and society ......Effective personnel management is based upon respect, concern and awareness for the rights and preferences of individuals. "
Schuller, Dowling and Smart (1988, p.9)
L. USEFUL READING
C. Regan, et al 1996: Embracing The Challenge available from Western Sydney Community Forum Tel.: (02) 687.1456.
Provides working policies and documents for managing volunteer workers
M. Curtis & J. Noble 1991: Volunteer Management - A Resource Manual available from the Volunteer Centre Of South Australia.
Various Publications provided by the state Volunteer Centres.
NOTE: VOLUNTEER CENTRES ARE GREAT RESOURCES ON A VARIETY OF TOPICS REGARDING VOLUNTEER WORKERS.
Top
|
