Enhancing Medical Education- Volunteer Coordination at Let’s Rise Above

Enhancing Medical Education- Volunteer Coordination at Let’s Rise Above

Employee morale plays a significant role in improving the performance of an organization and guaranteeing business continuity. Volunteers at Let’s Rise Above are losing morale because of the reduced support from the community, which is leading to decreased donations. Volunteers are also scared that their relevance in the organization may be diminished by the loss of building and operating space. One of the things that Jasmine should do is establish a communication plan that allows all volunteers to communicate effectively with one another and the organization’s management. Constant communication is vital because it ensures that all volunteers understand business decisions, including decisions that may affect them negatively. They can also brainstorm on what they should do to mitigate the negative impact of the decisions. Having a clear communication plan will also increase honesty, particularly when dealing with issues that could create negative feelings among employees. The communication plan should also include regular communication updates, allowing for dialogue between the organization’s management and the volunteers. According to Dewhurst et al. (2009), engagement between employees and managers is vital in sustaining employee morale. Open communication between managers and volunteers also creates recognition, hence increasing morale. Recognition is one of the most vital factors contributing to the satisfaction of employees, increased engagement, productivity, pride, and morale, and encourages employees to set their own goals (Mone & London,2014). It additionally builds employee resilience, identifies new opportunities, and overcomes setbacks.

The second thing that Jasmine should do is set aside a consultation and counseling department to help volunteers process the hardships they encounter in the workplace. Currently, the Let’s Rise Above organization is exposing volunteers to unpleasant events because of the decreased donations and uncertainty about the availability of operating space. The volunteers, therefore, need someone they can talk to about the stress they may be dealing with due to these issues. The department should also be in charge of planning fun activities outside the work environment to allow the volunteers to clear their minds hence increasing their morale in the workplace. The activities should focus on testing and developing problem-solving skills. Patel & Desai (2012) argue that fun activities outside the work environment also increase morale by allowing employees to have fun together and rebuild or build relationships needed for effective cooperation and teamwork. The counseling and consultation department should also be in charge of workforce management, including handling grievances, welfare activities, and maintaining discipline. Georgiades (2015) argues that workforce management increases morale by making employees feel that the organization cares about them. Workforce management could also include assigning a supervisor. The supervisor should create an environment empowering volunteers to perform the tasks assigned to them. According to Burgess (2005), empowered volunteers willingly take responsibility for what they are doing, view themselves as important members of the staff in the organization, and contribute more than is expected of them. Jasmine should also ensure that the volunteers are empowered through adequate orientation to the organization, appropriate and clear expectations, proper equipment and training, performance evaluation, and regular recognition and reinforcement.

The third thing that Jasmine should do is hold regular meetings with the volunteers. The meetings should be coordinated with all volunteers to ensure that they participate voluntarily. During the meetings, volunteers should be encouraged to share their experiences and how the experiences are affecting their morale. This is essential in giving the organization an idea of what should be done to eliminate the experience affecting morale. Jasmine should also ensure that she develops a positive relationship with volunteers and ensure that they understand that the organization values and needs their contribution. It is also important to ask the volunteers about what is needed by community members and clients, how people view the organization, and what needs to be improved. According to Burgess (2005), regularly seeking input from volunteers enables the organization to get information that can be manipulated to better serve the needs of the community, thus creating a good reputation. This, in turn, makes the volunteers develop a sense of pride in working for an organization with a good reputation hence increasing morale. Regular meetings will also help the organization monitor the morale of the volunteers and determine whether the strategies that have been implemented are effectively addressing the issue of reduced morale. The meetings should also include the results of a regular evaluation of volunteers for effective monitoring of performance. Jasmine should create a policy on performance review and appraisal, introduce a trial period before allowing individuals to volunteer to be part of the organization and a method for reviewing commitments to any alterations made to increase performance. Volunteers need to understand the evaluation system used by the organization. Burgess (2005) argues that the evaluation of volunteers is important because it gives managers or supervisors an opportunity to talk about the performance of the volunteers. It also gives the volunteer an opportunity to discuss opportunities for the volunteer and suggest changes. It is also important to ensure that the evaluation includes a review of past performance and a discussion of the current performance and future plans.

References

Burgess, S. (2005). Successful strategies for recruiting, training, and utilizing volunteers are outlined in the new SAMHSA publication. PsycEXTRA Dataset. https://doi.org/10.1037/e442852005-001

Dewhurst, M., Guthridge, M., & Mohr, E. (2010). Motivating people: getting beyond Money, Business Source Complete.

Georgiades, S. (2015). Employee engagement implementation leads to employee creativity. Employee Engagement in Media Management, 83-100. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16217-1_5

Mone, E. M., & London, M. (2014). Employee engagement through effective performance management: A practical guide for managers. Routledge.

Patel, B., & Desai, T. (2012). Effect of workplace fun on employee morale and performance. International Journal of Scientific Research, 2(5), 323-326. https://doi.org/10.15373/22778179/may2013/109

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Consider the following scenario: Jasmine is the Volunteer Coordinator for “Let’s Rise Above.” It is a non-profit organization that provides simulation experiences to inner-city youth who want to go into the medical field after they complete high school. Jasmine is managing 5 volunteers, all of who have been teaching anatomy and physiology, phlebotomy techniques on fruit, and CPR courses for at least 2 years. All of the volunteers love the organization, but donations have decreased by 50% over the last fiscal year. Everyone is nervous that they will lose the building and operating space to teach these classes and stimulate interest in the medical field. Morale is low, along with supplies. Volunteers have had to turn away students and hold fewer courses. What steps do you believe that Jasmine should take to improve employee morale?

To complete this assignment, please complete the following:

Propose a clear plan for how Jasmine can increase morale.
Support your plan with references to specific leadership literature, theory, and techniques.
Writing Requirements (APA format)