Hot
Topic Archive
August
2006
Fight
or flee - the choice is yours
 By
OzVPM Director Andy
Fryar
A
colleague and I were recently faced with the following
scenario that involved volunteers working in a hospital
environment.
Volunteers
had been undertaking a particular task for a number
of years. This role involved assisting the nursing
and medical staff to restock medical trolleys in the
hospital's Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit
and general ward areas. It was a long established
role undertaken either in the store room of the ward,
or in a few cases, the drug room of that unit. Strict
volunteer screening was in place, training provided
and job descriptions were being adhered to.
Suddenly
one particular pharmacy staff member objected to the
volunteers having access to the drug rooms. In spite
of the long term and problem free nature of this activity,
it was reported to the (relatively new) Pharmacy Manager,
who naturally followed up the concern of her team
member.
Her
response however was interesting.
Firstly,
she did not make contact directly with the volunteer
management team to ascertain the history and facts
of the volunteer role in question. Rather she made
the choice to send a broadcast email to senior staff
of the hospital, insisting that the practice stop
immediately. Her email made a whole range of assumptions
about the involvement of volunteers and was worded
quite definitively.
She
claimed in her email that only 'authorised' people
were allowed to have access to the drug rooms - and
by that she meant doctors, nurses and pharmacy staff!
She made the further categorical statement that because
volunteers were not 'authorised' they were not covered
by insurance should they be injured while working
in those areas.
As
far as she was concerned - that was that! .volunteer
involvement would cease forthwith and the problem
would be solved!!! No questions asked, no discussion
to be entered into!
Sadly
this kind of approach by agency staff to 'solving'
issues involving volunteers is not an uncommon one.
Sadder still is the common observation that many volunteer
managers simply don't feel equipped to 'fight' back
when faced with situations of this kind.
So
how might you have responded given that same situation?
Would
you have fought or fled?
I
can imagine a whole range of responses being considered
right now which will include everything from 'I'd
have stopped the volunteer working in that role right
away' to 'I'd have given her what for!'
For
us, the solution was a no-brainer and 'fighting' was
our first instinct. We started at the top by calling
the Insurance Manager at the Department of Health
to clarify our understanding that volunteers were
in fact covered by insurance and that they could be
considered 'approved' persons. Taking the time to
clarify and consolidate your thinking and facts before
reacting is always a sound tactic.
We
then sent a reply email to the pharmacist (being careful
to also cc the other senior staff involved in the
first message) respectfully refuting the assumptions
she had made and providing clearly documented answers
to the objections that were raised.
The
result for us was twofold; firstly volunteers are
now continuing happily with their role, but secondly,
and more importantly, we were able to harness a great
opportunity to educate a number of staff about the
role and professionalism of the volunteer department.
So
why then is it that my experience suggests many volunteer
resource managers are seldom any good at standing
up for themselves when faced with adverse situations
such as these?
Well
I believe that there are a number of reasons - so
let me list just a few:
Lack
of time & resources - Many VPM's are just
far too busy to have the time or inclination to fight
back. Sadly however, not fighting back is often the
reason they are under resourced in the first place
Undervalued
- VPM's are often placed disproportionably within
their organisations, with the result being that when
issues get raised with (or by) senior management,
they often do not have sufficient relationships developed
with those people or departments that count to sufficiently
feel it is their place to launch a counter argument.
Working
in isolation - Because so many VPM's work as the
sole paid staff member for their program, they often
feel isolated. A common symptom of this is that they
do not have a good network of peers to rely upon and
ask the advice of, when difficult situations arise.
Not
valuing their own role well enough - As the key
person employed by their agency to oversee volunteer
involvement, volunteer managers should see and understand
their role as being the volunteer specialist within
their agency. After all isn't that what they are being
employed for? A change in mindset from simply considering
themselves as a 'supporter of volunteers' to a 'volunteer
management specialist' can make a huge difference
to work attitudes and to the way they may handle situations
that arise
Now
I know I am generalising a little, and I do acknowledge
that there are many great VPM's who can hold their
own when their volunteer programs come under fire,
but I'd argue that in the scheme of things this group
would be the minority.
So
why is this?
Let
me ask you the following questions:
- How do you see
and understand your role?
- Do you feel 'equipped'
to take on opposition to your program if it should
arise?
- How well do you
network and how well do you understand the place
of your program in your agency?
- How much understanding
do you have about the rationale for volunteer involvement
in your agency?
- Who would you turn
to for guidance and advice?
Let's
hear from you?
It's
not too late to...
Respond
to this month's Hot Topic
(Be
sure to add your name, title and organisation to your
message)
Should
this link not open your regular email browser, simply
send your reply to response@ozvpm.com
Read
other people's responses
Print
version
The
contents of this Hot Topic are copyright © 2003
- 06 OzVPM.
You may reproduce this Hot Topic in part or in full
on the condition that the author, source and website
address (www.ozvpm.com)
are quoted. OzVPM copyright
policy
Visit
this month’s ‘Hot
Topic’ on the Energize web site.
|
