Responses
to October 2005 Hot Topic
Coping
for success
By
OzVPM Director Andy
Fryar
Response
posted on 20th October, 2005 by Jeni Monks, Co-ordinator
of Volunteers and Community Partnerships, SHINE for
Kids
Practice
what you preach and Be pro-active!
Before
going on holidays, I made sure my desk was clear,
everything was up to date. My agenda was set, time
frames were planned out "in my mind" and
I was looking forward to a dynamic quarter. I had
a hit list of new initiatives that I wanted to explore
upon my return.
Post
holiday- Day 1: I was told that my A dministration
A ssistant had resigned and her last day was in 3
days time. In addition, I was told that the new child
care centre would open at Windsor in 2 months - and
they needed 25 volunteers (with security clearances)
by then. No problem, I can cope, I will have to cope.
A fter all, how hard can it be, I already have 2 out
of the 25 volunteers needed! Nothing like crisis management
from above to get the adrenalin rushing. All that
is required is for me to totally rewrite my plan for
this quarter agenda. My frustration with this, was,
knowing that I would now have to spend 98% of this
quarter involved in volunteer program management,
as opposed to volunteer program leadership. And, it
is the leadership aspect which was being squashed
in the last minute agenda rewrite and be lost under
paper shuffling responsibilities. Isn't that always
the way?
Not
only was my admin worker leaving but "the powers
that be" have decided to reassess the position-
and maybe rework the admin job description. In the
meantime, I would have to do all my own admin, until
"the temp" came on board to fill the role.
The actual admin position was not likely to be advertised
until 3 months later. I could feel the stress rise
within me.
My
mind was filled with frustration, as I envisioned
how the next few months would pan out. First there
would be hand over from the departing worker of volunteer
program admin tasks back over to me, and then, hand
over from me to the temp, and finally, another hand
over when the permanent person came on board. I was
torn, all the wonderful initiatives I had on my agenda
disappeared before my eyes and were replaced with
paper shuffling, database management, and general
volunteer process management. Don't get me wrong I
don't hate paperwork , or mind taking care of routine
volunteer applications , and "red tape".Yes,
it is a bit boring, but it is more about wasting my
talents, and skills, on routine tasks that fill me
with frustration when I could be getting on with leadership
tasks which ultimately ensure the organisation thrives.
The
organisation that I work for works with children and
volunteers who go into NSW prisons so the "red
tape" is quite intensive, and always needs to
be urgently processed, before our volunteers can start
in their roles. Naturally, just at a time when the
"paperwork" was all my problem -it was also
a time period where I interviewed record number of
volunteers , and thus , the paperwork levels were
extremely high as well. You could say a catch 22.
On top of that, the temp did not materialise until
2 months later. Not Happy Jan!
And
by that time- I was drowning in frustration and over
work- my "hit list of new initiatives that I
wanted to explore" was just a distant memory
and lost at the bottom of my in-tray which then stood
at about 1 foot high. I was busy, oh so busy, but
the required volunteers materialised and the volunteer
program flourished, the organisation was delighted
with my recruitment success and so the new child care
centre opened on time, but I was ready to crack.
Along
the way I was thinking about how to avoid this happening
again. I recognise the circumstances were exceptional,
but nevertheless, I am determined to avoid the situation
occurring again. As I thought about which aspects
of my role I could delegate to volunteers I started
to make a list. Then I started to think about what
more attractive tasks I could add to the list to make
the role more fulfilling. What skills would the volunteers
need to have etc and slowly the profile of the appropriate
volunteer was emerging. How many hours would each
volunteer need to work, how often, etc- you know the
drill . I decided 2 volunteers, once a week, at least
5 hours a day.
As
the list took shape I started to think about which
tasks I had historically avoid ed delegating and why
? Was it because I have a control fetish, or the need
for accountability, or certainty that the essential
jobs were getting done with the urgency that they
required ? Naturally the reasons for my reluctance
to delegate were a mixture of all these aspects. I
decided it was worth taking the time to think through
all the complexities of various issues (which had
historically stopped me from utilising volunteers
for these tasks) and present them as simple checklists
which performed multiple functions with relevant information
for all the key players (eg me, admin officer and
both volunteers) to view at a glance.
I
set out to develop clear accountability checklist
which were fast for me to review at the end of each
day; covered mandatory elements; could act as a built
in ongoing status or progress report s for the other
volunteer to refer to a moments notice; allowed the
volunteers to manage their own day; breaking down
tasks into primary, secondary and tertiary priorities.
At
the end of this process I had created simple checklists
which both satisfied my need for ongoing continuity
and , in turn , saited my control fetish that key
tasks would indeed get done in a timely manner without
relying on verbal conversations. I'm not saying I'm
not going to talk to the volunteers, but I needed
to ensure we could communicate with each other at
times when I was off site on their volunteers day,
and also know, that the volunteers themselves knew
what tasks to get on with in my absence.
Yes
this required a lot of time, and planning on my part,
but the freed up time I now find myself with allows
me to once again reach for "my hit list of new
initiatives that I wanted to explore".
My
boss was worried, she could see how overworked I was,
and was worried that I might resign. She supported
my efforts to delegate volunteer program administration
to volunteers. When I saw the Volunteer Magnet Tour
advertised I was delighted at how timely it was "
Motivating and magnetising yourself first! ".
Great workshop and c ertainly the ideas discussed
supported my own experience and solution to the problem.
The next few months will of course unveil how well
my strategy has panned out. as with most volunteer
roles, the success , as we all know, often depends
on the appropriate volunteer being placed in the position
and realistic expectations of the role itself.
As
Andy said " It’s amazing how few managers
utilise volunteers in the direct support of their
position. Entrusting volunteer team members with roles
such as interviewing, orientating, supporting and
training new volunteers is a great way to find those
few extra hours each week to recharge the batteries
and think strategically. "
Response
posted on October 8th 2005 by Rosie Williams, Team
Leader, Port Family Services, Uniting Care Wesley,
Port Adelaide, Australia
Thank
you for this months hot topic, it seems to be an issue
that is not going away any time soon!
Although
what you have suggested may seem common sense to most
it is interesting how easy it is to let things slip.
Having a balance between home and work for example
is something that I did not achieved until rather
recently and I am paying for it now that I am approaching
the upper years of 40 and given that I started full
time work the day that I turned fifteen I now find
that I am real tired and if I had a chose I would
not work any more at all. The point being I think
(rather than giving the impression of poor me!), is
that if we are in for the long haul, which most of
us are, then we just have to develop strategies to
take care of ourselves and to find a balance between
work and home as you have suggested.
I
agree with you about the benefits of networking. It
is usually networking that falls off our busy lists
and seems to be the thing that we are willing to let
go and do without. I have found that if you find a
good group it does help to be involved with mind like
people who are trying to do the same kind of things
as you with the same kind of restraints. Over the
years I have been blessed with a range of really great
colleagues from a wide range of organisations in the
northern suburbs of Adelaide. Together we successfully
undertook a variety of collaborative and joint projects
for example training for volunteers, recruitment and
advertising campaigns, sharing of resources and documentation,
policies and so on. Often work that is shared is work
that is halved!
I
also agree that saying NO can be hard, especially
if you are tying to build the credibility of a volunteer
program in an area where volunteering is not the core
business. It is the old adage that the person who
is the busiest is the one that we will ask to do more
because we know that we can rely on them and that
they will do a good job. It can be really hard to
say NO to a manager or a person of authority. I find
that those who are asking often have very little understanding
about what we do in a day and all that is involved
in managing volunteers. One strategy may be to write
up on the white board all your current projects and
priorities and ask the boss or the person doing the
asking to pick which one that can go so that you can
take on their request. See what happens! (I think
I got that from Steve Coveys Seven Habits)
Finding
a Mentor for me has been quite a difficult task unless
I pay lots of money to a professional. "Just
asking" has not really worked all that well for
me. People are so busy that they find it hard to fit
in and although I have been looking for several years
now I have not found someone that has lasted more
that a few months. (maybe I burn them out?) So if
there is anyone out there who has some suggestions
about this I would welcome them.
Finally
what does not work for me is
*
trying to be superwoman
*
trying to do things perfectly
*
the belief that I need to do it all myself rather
than delegating (because really no one can do it as
well as I can!)
*
wasting time on things I can not impact or change
*
not taking holidays when they are due and in fact
getting paid out for holidays rather than taking them
*
coming in to work when I really should have stayed
home because I 'think I am sick'
*
accumulating so much overtime there is no way this
century (or my life time really) I will ever get an
opportunity to take it off
*
getting caught up with the office complainers and
gossipers
*
spending lots of time and engery on the 20 percent
of staff who are troublesome
*
being unrealistic about what I can achieve
*
clearing my 'to do' list before I go home
Thanks
for listening!
Response
posted on October 8th 2005 by Susan Pronk, Volunteer
Coordinator, St Marys Hospital / Mayo Clinic, Minnesotta,
USA
Thank
you for a Hot Topic that recognizes the correlation
of stress level and the increased levels of paperwork
and other human resource related practices now required
of volunteer managers. While we realize the inherent
value of personally relating to our volunteers it
seems like more and more time is being taken up with
this elevated level of required reporting.
I
agree that it is a good idea to utilize the expertise
of volunteers who are able to handle delegated assignments
like interviewing , orienting and training new volunteers.
Many of our volunteers find that this is a welcome
challenge and rise to the task with ease and do a
marvelous job. This is also a good way to build leadership
skills in the volunteer organization while freeing
up some of your time for other tasks.
I
have also found that belonging to professional organizations
for volunteer management has been a benefit not only
for the educational offerings, but as mentioned to
be able to collaborate on topics of frustation. Colleagues
in the profession are generally ready, willing and
able to share ideas and a sympathetic ear when the
stress level rises and a fresh view of the situation
is needed.
Taking
a short break and going to a quiet place to get away
from phones and conversation for a few minutes has
been beneficial for me. Sometimes that is all we need
to get back on track and diffuse the stress.
Chocolate
helps too.................
Response
posted on October 3rd 2005 by Marisa Nowak, Community
Visitors Scheme Coordinator, MS Society of Victoria,
Melbourne, Australia
Q.
Do you agree managers are working under more pressure
than ever before?
A.
Yes
Q.
What coping mechanisms have you tried that worked?
A.
Yoga & Meditation, Assistance from Volunteers
when needed, Planning work schedule to ensure deadlines
are met.
Q.
What have you tried that didn’t work?
A
Panic and overworking i.e taking home work and working
on these on weekends and week evenings leading to
accumulation of stress and fatigue.
Its
not too late...
Let's
hear what you think!
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