The changing dynamics of the VCS workforce
The fourth in a series of seminars funded by the Economic and Social Research Council took place...
...on 11 November 2009, entitled: ‘What are the implications for the VCS workforce?’ at Nottingham Trent University. The arguments for a more formal approach to voluntary and community sector ‘human capital’ deployment in public services have generally been founded on the distinctiveness associated with this group of workers, whether paid or unpaid. Volunteering has become aligned with all sorts of government policy agenda: improving employability, promoting social cohesion and reversing disconnection from the public. Despite the vast amount of academic work done on the subject, especially, the socio-economic characteristics of volunteers and their motivations, the new challenges facing the sector have raised a number of issues such as:
- Is volunteering becoming professionalised in ways that exclude some individuals and groups?
- What is the capacity of the sector to accommodate people wanting to volunteer in the light of worsening conditions in thelabour market?
- Why employees are paid and volunteers not paid when the work they undertake appears to be the same – what are the differences between paid and unpaid work in the sector?
- The challenges facing the sector of expanded roles such as delivering public services using a mix of volunteers and paid workers.
- To what extent does being a manager in the VCS involve risk taking and seizing opportunities in an increasing competitive environment?
Research so far has indicated the VCS workforce is mainly female, highly qualified and often deployed on short-term, project specific contracts and workplaces are typically small. Paid workers do also volunteer and unpaid trustees help with day-to-day management duties. Volunteers are co-ordinated and managed by workers who are usually (but not always) paid.
Irene Hardill, professor of economic geography at Nottingham Trent University’s has been working with the ESRC to co-ordinate the series and told Caritas:
‘It was a very rounded debate, with key issues to emerge being the sheer complexity of the sector, and of people's motives for volunteering. We discussed how the sector has become far more regulated, and with the need for CRB checks etc, potential volunteers may have to complete application forms, and all this may be putting people off who want to spontaneously volunteer.
There is also a real challenge with so called 'professionalisation' of volunteering, with volunteering becoming more 'work-like'. The management of volunteers for example in some organisations can be done by a paid worker, while in other organisations it is undertaken by unpaid volunteers.
A tension and a lack of consistency is also evident in terms of expanded roles of organisations as they take on public service contracts. Some contracts may stipulate just paid staff for delivering public services, for instance, while some can involve volunteers.
The way in which people are volunteering – in terms of giving their time or their money – was also discussed, along with the idea that people in some communities, who are offered one-to-one help, which can be viewed as mutual aid, want to give something back (small amount of money, or giving their help). This is a sort of reciprocal exchange to avoid feeling they are taking 'charity' or feeling indebted.
There were representatives from a number of voluntary sector organisations present, and they commented that they had seen an increase in the number of people of working age wanting to volunteer following redundancy or short time working. The motive is to improve their employability, but the increased numbers is bringing with it an increased administrative burden on organisations, as they try and match volunteers with volunteering opportunities.’
Author: Clarissa Dann
Clarissa Dann was the editor of Caritas as well as an HR and management online service,he People Bulletin until July 2011.
She is now the editor of the specialist trade finance magazine, Trade and Forfaiting Review which can be viewed at www.tfreview.com but does write on charity finance and investment from time to time.
Clarissa has a background in legal and professional publishing, as well as business journalism and holds an MBA from
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