Our Board of Directors recently underwent a few Board Development
Workshops, and volunteer management was one of the topics addressed.
The workshop facilitator (who directed volunteers co-ordination during
the 1988 Calgary Olympic Games, and has remained involved in community
development) definitely recommended firing "bad" volunteers. We were
also encouraged to recruit volunteers based on how well their skills
and experience met our needs, rather than just recruiting "warm
bodies." Personally, as a volunteer and as a manager of volunteers, I
prefer to think of volunteers as "unpaid staff," with the same
responsibilities and rules for acceptable conduct as any other
employee. I know it's difficult to "let people go" when there's so
much work to be done, but as Robert says, it can sometimes be more
work dealing with a difficult person than that person contributes to
the institution. And as for bad will, if management has a problem
with a particular person, chances are other volunteers have problems
with that person too.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tim McShane
Curatorial Assistant, Parks Canada
(also, Co-Chair of the Museum Division, Arrow 2000 Project)
Views and opinions expressed are entirely my own, and do not
necessarily reflect those of Parks Canada or the Arrow 2000 Project
Association
______________________________ Reply Separator ____________________________
_____
Subject: Re: volunteer horror stories
Author: Museum discussion list <[log in to unmask]> ("Robert T.
Handy" <[log in to unmask]>) at PCH
Date: 2/1/99 2:36 PM
Has anyone ever heard of the idea that you can and sometimes should, fire
bad volunteers? How much staff time was wasted on, how much bad will was
generated by this particular volunteer? Doesn't sound to me like it was
worth it. Yes, she would be upset. Yes, it is difficult to do. But
would
you tolerate that from a paid employee? No. Would a paid employee be
upset
if he/she was fired? Yes. So where is the difference?
------
Robert Handy
Brazoria County Historical Museum
100 East Cedar
Angleton, Texas 77515
(409) 864-1208
museum_bob
[log in to unmask]
http://www.bchm.org
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From: Heleanor Feltham[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, February 01, 1999 6:39 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: FW: volunteer horror stories
We had one little old lady volunteer who took over the desk at our branch
museum one morning a week. She advised visitors that it would take them
four hours to see the place (which you could actually do in under an hour
without missing too much), told them off if she didn't like their
behaviour or dress, argued with the visitor services staff & other
volunteers - in public - and had fights with museum security. She was
particularly awful with children. Teachers with unbooked groups (who were
quite entitled to visit) might as well have tried to get past a dragon.
She would also trap innocent visitors asking simple questions and drag
them around the place for hours, given half a chance. Everybody was
frankly terrified of her. We tried all the usual counselling techniques,
quiet meetings over coffee, assessments, peer pressure - if she didn't
think you were asking her advice about some other volunteer, she dismissed
any criticism as rubbish. Myself (senior person on-site), the Volunteer
Co-ordinator, our Department Head - we didn't actually involve the
Director, but we thought about it - we all tried to talk to her. We
suggested that since she had increasing difficulty negotiating stairs (she
had taken possession of our branch sever years before, and now walked with
a cane) she might prefer a nice behind the scenes job with our main
library. She loved that - but still turned up at our branch on her
regular morning - and used the 'walking problem' to avoid morning briefing
sessions! She stayed, triumphant to the end, until our branch was
actually closed.
I can't recommend shutting down your museum as a means of getting rid of
an unwanted volunteer (and she still haunts the library), but it
certainly is effective!
Heleanor Feltham
[log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-museum-l [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Sunday, 31 January 1999 13:26
To: MUSEUM-L
Subject: volunteer horror stories
I am presenting a session at our state museum conference on dealing with
difficult volunteers. I'm looking for real examples of real problems
you have encountered with a difficult volunteer, plus how you solved the
problem!
Regards,
Susan Young
Shiloh Museum of Ozark History
Springdale, Arkansas
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