Long Term Unemployment
Communicating effectively
Communicate without preconceptions.
Pay attention to individual differences.
Respect their personality and individuality.
Highlight and articulate the benefits of volunteering
Offer examples of other unemployed people who have volunteered and the benefits experienced.
Offer certificates or awards that validate their volunteering activity.
Give feedback frequently to boost self-confidence. Low self-confidence is often the main problem for long-term unemployed volunteers.
Frequently ask if they are satisfied with the volunteer tasks and check if they need any extra support.
Do not ask about the reason for unemployment unless it is relevant or unless a volunteer decides to share it with you
Recruitment
If you plan a volunteer project or program aiming to involve unemployed volunteers, consider advertising in places such as job centres, municipal offices, hospitals, GP clinics, libraries, universities and other public areas. You can also use the internet, social networks, and other media, but be aware that these might not be as effective with all types of unemployed people (they may work well with graduates but not for long-term unemployed people).
Working conditions for effective volunteering
Unemployed volunteers may need some level of flexibility around time and location in order to attend job interviews. VIOs could consider the reimbursement of expenses for unemployed volunteers to help with the cost of bus fares etc.
Scenario
Topic: Long Term Unemployment
Background: The prospective volunteer had not been in work for a number of years and struggled a lot with confidence, especially around cash handling. The volunteer also had a chronic pain disorder which meant they often had fatigue and sometimes struggled with their memory.
Volunteer Role: Front Desk
Volunteer Recruitment: As part of the recruitment process, volunteers are invited for a discussion with the Volunteer Manager/ Volunteer Support Officer. This is an opportunity to discuss roles in more depth and to find out what the potential recruit would like to get out of their volunteering experience. This is also an opportunity to explore any concerns that the volunteer may have (i.e. low confidence) and begin to put together a support plan.
Support Provided to the Volunteer:
The Volunteer Support Officer worked closely with the volunteer throughout their induction, helping them to take notes and repeating the stages of the process so that they could take in information at their own pace.
Members of staff working as a Duty Manager were briefed on the needs of the volunteer so that they could provide support as needed. This meant an element of upskilling for some staff members so that they could support with specific tasks where the volunteer’s confidence was particularly low, i.e. cashing up.
The Volunteer Support Officer regularly checked in with the volunteer to discuss how the role was going. If any specific issues were raised by the volunteer, then they would work together to resolve it in the next session.
Impact:
The person-centred approach used meant that the volunteer was able to build their confidence in the role and work completely independently. They have thrived in the role and have attested to it improving their mental health.
The volunteer has gone from doing one half-a day shift a week to two and half days a week across different sites. They have become one of our best and most reliable volunteers.
The volunteer has become involved in lots of other parts of life in the charity, supporting special events, taking part in additional training and helping to train new recruits.