Ground rules - prevention
What could possibly go wrong?
Managing difficult interviews
How to let a volunteer go

Ground rules - prevention

Providing regular support for volunteers is a way of ensuring that they are doing what you need them to do. You may be offering them opportunities to learn and develop their skills to enable them to be more effective, but sometimes a volunteer may not recognise the support that you offer and a challenging situation can arise.

Always try and resolve any problems by providing support, talking through the issues with the volunteer, in an honest and clear way.  Involve others, e.g. members of your Committee or Board, to help you. What could be done differently to meet both the needs of the volunteer and the group/organisation?  

Difficult situations are usually resolved with support, but, sometimes, on rare occasions, the situation may become unresolvable. This is when using your disciplinary process may be necessary – and it would be useful to involve members of your committee or Board of Trustees to help you in this.

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What could possibly go wrong?

A volunteer is unhappy with the organisation

Unfortunately it sometimes happens that the volunteer is unhappy with the organisation. Most of the problems can be recognised and resolved if the organisation has clear structures and processes in place especially support and supervision.

Common problems:

• Organisation does not contact potential volunteers in time.
  Solution: Prepare and implement a strategy to answer potential volunteers as quickly as possible at least within 24 hours. If you get too many enquiries, review your roles and recruitment strategy. Have templates of emails that you could adapt quickly to send to each individual enquiry.
   
• Volunteer is not happy with their role.
  Solution: Talk with a volunteer through their role, referring back to the role description, and why they volunteer. If necessary, try to find an alternative role or adapt an existing role. Remember - having clear recruitment practices and role descriptions will help you to choose the right volunteers from the start!  
   
• Volunteer feels that they are not treated the right way.
  Solution: Again this solution comes down to regular support and supervision sessions. It is helpful to have a clear problem solving policy, so if the problem can not be resolved by the immediate supervisor, you and your volunteer know who, how and when they can address they problem further.

Organisation is unhappy with the volunteer

We understand that it is a sensitive subject to deal with volunteers that seem problematic for the organisaion. This is because they are not paid and not bound by a formal contract. However one of the  principles of volunteering is 'mutual benefit for the organisation and the volunteer' so you need to be sure that your volunteers are right for the organisation and the tasks that they do. You also have (or if not yet, want to develop) a volunteer policy and volunteer agreement. This will help you to clearly show to volunteers the requirements, code of conduct, policies and procedures that the organisation is governed by. You can always refer to this document at the support session and review it with your volunteer.

Common problems:

• Volunteer does not come at the appointed times and does not let the organisation know about it.
  Solution: At the support session you can review the agreement that you have with volunteers about the times that they have agreed to volunteer. Explain why it is important that they come on time. Remind them that they have been requested to ring if they cannot attend the session. Perhaps there are other reasons that prevent them from coming such as feeling unskilled, unsupervised, inadequate, lacking in confidence? Can you find solution such as training or support? Perhaps there are other reasons that you cannot help with but it will help the volunteer depart with a mutual understanding.
   
• Volunteer does not perform the tasks that they agreed to do.
  Solution: Take similar approach as to the above point. The reasons might be different but the technique for resolving it is the same.
   
• Volunteer does not behave in the appropriate manner.
  Solution: Refer to your policies and procedures and the code of conduct. Don't just hand it to the volunteer. Spend some time going through them with the volunteer and explain why they are important.

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Managing difficult interviews

Sometimes a formal approach needs to be taken to resolve an issue.  It is worth considering that this does not necessarily lead to parting ways with the volunteer, and needs very careful handling. 

If all other possible approaches have been tried, a formal interview may be necessary.

Do your homework

• Make sure you are fully up to date with all relevant facts
• Collect any documentation together
• Consider possible outcomes and decide on the most beneficial (this may be done with colleagues, if appropriate)
• If a “plan B” would be acceptable, bear it in mind
• Rehearsing how you will make your points and answer any predictable questions can help you feel more confident
• Write a plan for the interview that you can stick to.

Make sure all the practical issues are sorted

• Make sure the person knows who they will be seeing and what their role is, when the appointment is made.
• If you have a receptionist let them know the person is expected and let them know their name.
• Have a suitable venue away from other staff.
• Set out the venue so you will be sitting facing the person, without a desk or table between you.
• Try to ensure that your chairs are the same height.
• Make sure that you will not be interrupted.
• Make sure that you have allowed enough time for the interview.
• Prepare mentally – switch off from any other work, do not appear harassed.
• Have all the necessary information to hand
• If safety might be an issue, schedule the meeting for when a colleague is around and easily accessible. Always sit between the person and the door.
• Dress appropriately – you must be comfortable, but remember you cannot complain about someone’s lack of professionalism, if you look scruffy.

During the interview

• Remain cool, calm and collected at all times
• Take a breather by referring to your notes
• Keep focussed on what is really most important – ensuring the best service to clients – not necessarily the volunteer’s needs
• Try to get agreement to your desired outcome if at all possible
• Do not allow yourself to be talked out of the outcome you want
• Make sure the volunteer is left in no doubt about the outcome, be absolutely clear and check they have understood
• Always thank the volunteer for their contribution to the organisation, no matter what the outcome.
• Make sure all relevant people know the new situation afterwards (they do not need to know the reasons why).

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How to let a volunteer go

Dismissing a volunteer is not the only option. It is an admission that the organisation’s systems have failed. One of the alternatives below may resolve the situation satisfactorily. Do not use them when dismissal is the only solution. The short term easy way out will only build more problems for the future.

• Re-supervise: the volunteer may not fully understand the rules or in the case of many young people automatically challenge boundaries. An alternative supervisor might make all the difference.
• Re-assign: a different role, location or group of people to work with may help
• Re-train: some people take longer to learn than others, we all learn in different ways, so try an alternative style of training
• Re-vitalise: burn out is not unusual in stressful volunteering situations. A break or change to a less demanding role should help.
• Refer: another organisation could have a more appropriate role, or the Volunteer Centre could find a new placement.
• Retire: Let them leave with dignity and major acknowledgement of their contribution. Awards and parties are good “send offs”.

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