Induction of Volunteers

Induction of volunteers

What is induction training?

The purpose of this type of training is: orientationof volunteers to the event and organisation, its mission, values, purpose and aims and objectives; and induction of volunteers into their volunteer situation, including legislative considerations, risk management, OHS training, work procedures, and being the ‘face of the event’ to the public. A good induction program should familiarise new volunteers with a range of topics including:

history, mission, vision and values of your organisation/event
occupational health and safety issues and procedures
work procedures and reimbursements
EEO policies
legal and statutory, as well as industry requirements
codes of acceptable behaviour
probationary periods and conditions, if applicable
training and promotional opportunities, if applicable
reward and recognition programs and initiatives
the level of support and supervision they can expect
how to report concerns and discomforts
the structure behind volunteer management and the reporting lines of authority, accountability and communication
introductions to other volunteers and staff (an important social component to the training)
a guided tour of the site/venue or workspace, as appropriate
any timetable of job-specific training or other forms of training
familiarisation with volunteer amenities, work conditions and entitlements
performance management programs, if appropriate.
a chance for debriefing and feedback, questions and answers.

The induction checklist

An induction training checklist is usually prepared to ensure that you cover all aspects to make new volunteers feel welcomed, supported, and valued. The checklist may be divided into must know, should know, could know information.

Must know information is absolutely critical for volunteers to undertake their roles, such as having particular skills to be able to do the job.

Should know information is essential for ensuring that roles are conducted effectively, for example legislative requirements such as safe lifting processes.

Could know information is when there is additional information that will enhance the position, but is not absolutely essential, for example placements of checklists or manuals on operation procedures.

The following example induction checklist and accompanying orientation schedule has been put together for Volunteer Stall-holders at an event to ensure that volunteers in this role are event-ready.

Example: Induction training checklist for Volunteer Stall-holder

Must know / Should know / Could know
General information

OHS information
Fire drill and evacuation procedures
Reporting lines
Code of conduct

Incident reporting process

Venue information: toilets, ATMs, other stalls

History of event and purpose

Resources to undertake role
Other volunteer roles and positions
Other event attractions

Job-specific information

Estimated set-up times
Logistics information (where to access stalls/merchandise)
Details of float and money issues

Customer service text (what to say to customers)
Daily schedule
Meal allocation

Volunteer breakout area
Checklists, operating procedures

The induction/orientation schedule

The process of scheduling induction training helps to focus on the training needs assessment for your event. What are the resources required, what topics to be covered, who is responsible to deliver each part of the training, how much time will be devoted to the induction training, and the most cost-effective way to conduct the training to achieve the best results.When undertaking the orientation schedule consider the following:

delivery may be on-site at the event venue using a slide show presentation, at local community halls or schools, or some information items may be uploaded, emailed or posted to the volunteers
job-specific training may be delivered at another time
timing for delivery of each of the information items will depend on how induction is scheduled; for example an hour’s training may be scheduled to include most of the items in the following list, however extra time will be needed for job-specific training and a venue site tour.

Example: Orientation schedule for 1.5 hours training

Orientation schedule
Information item / Delivery / Responsibility / Timing
OHS / Induction/orientation kit or Volunteer manual / Event Manager/ Volunteer Supervisor / 5 mins
Fire drill and evacuation procedures / Induction/orientation kit or Volunteer manual / Event Manager/ Volunteer Supervisor / 5 mins
Reporting lines / Induction/orientation kit or Volunteer manual / Event Manager/ Volunteer Supervisor / 5 mins
Code of conduct / Induction/orientation kit or Volunteer manual / Event Manager / 5 mins
Incident reporting process / Induction/orientation kit or Volunteer manual / Volunteer Supervisor / 5 mins
Venue information: toilets, ATMs, other stalls / Induction/orientation kit or Volunteer manual; entry/parking passes / Event Manager/ Volunteer Supervisor / 30 mins
History of event and purpose / Induction/orientation kit or Volunteer manual / Event Manager / 5 mins
Resources to undertake role / Induction/orientation kit or Volunteer manual;
Uniform/event tee shirt / Volunteer Supervisor / 20 mins
Other volunteer roles and positions / Induction/orientation kit or Volunteer manual / Event Manager / 5 mins
Other event attractions / Induction/orientation kit or Volunteer manual / Event Manager / 5 mins

The induction kit and volunteer manual

The main purpose of having an induction kit and/or volunteer manual is to help provide a practical point of reference to assist volunteers and all other staff to contribute to a healthy and positive event experience. You might name your resource a volunteer manual because you feel it gives a broad overview of the essential components required of volunteering and to be part of the event, whereas an induction kit may be quite prescriptive about what needs to happen in a particular situation.

Apart from information that would be covered in the orientation schedule, an induction kit or volunteer manual is the ideal place to include information about volunteer rights and responsibilities. An induction kit should be seen as a code of practice for volunteers. This practice does not just include ‘serious’ information, but a general call to volunteers to have fun, enjoy interacting with the public and each other, as well as taking care of other volunteers and the event itself. In this respect, safe practice is encouraged, as well as inclusive practice. Legislative requirements are included in induction kits and volunteer manuals. Topics under this requirement could relate to:

customer care; occupational, health and safety matters
first aid
good governance; reporting any issues of concern to the right person

Also in the kit should be a section on relevant policies and procedures that include the following considerations:

confidentiality
access and equity
anti-discrimination
grievance and complaints
accepting gifts and other forms of sponsorship.

Apart from OHS issues, a section on good governance could include information about:

clearly defined roles
reporting structures
clear limits to the authority of volunteers and staff
avenues for volunteers to report issues.

As part of the induction kit, and if no separate booklet is to be handed to volunteers, there could be an information section on job-specific training. Generic how to information could relate to procedures in how to do safe lifting, how to deliver customer service, or how to sign on and sign off a work shift.

Timing of the induction

Timing of the induction and orientation training will depend on how far in advance you take in planning to recruit and induct volunteers for the event. Induction for some events like those run by Surf Lifesaving NSW, is ongoing because recruitment of volunteers is ongoing. With an event like the Surry Hills Festival, almost as soon as one finishes, then planning for the next year’s event is underway and that includes how to improve on the induction training that just happened! Timing under that situation may be split in two or adapted depending on volunteers returning for another year, or completely-new-to-volunteering personnel.

Regardless, when planning induction and orientation, remember that all new volunteers should receive training covering the following areas:

occupational health and safety procedures, responsibilities and consultation procedures
key personnel
reporting hazards and incidents
maintenance procedures
volunteer amenities
housekeeping
general and task-specific hazards
safe work procedures
first aid and emergency procedures
location of emergency equipment.

There is no set formula for when to conduct this training. Your strategies to include training relating to all the above may see you break up that training over a period of a few weeks, and repeated at different times during the week, to cater for different volunteer groups and depending on how wide you have recruited for your event.

Timing could also depend on the availability of the venue to allow induction to happen on-site. However, aim to complete induction and orientation not too far out from the actual event — two weeks maximum is a good overall time to aim for, with additional time scheduled in the last fortnight for top-up job-specific training and venue site tours.

Types of volunteer induction programs

Often volunteer organisations do not have the time to conduct resource intensive volunteer induction programs. Therefore, it may be appropriate for you to adopt one of the following three approaches to the development of your volunteer induction program.

1. Formal approach

This involves a day of induction training, including the provision of notes, activities, discussions and guest speakers.

Advantages are:

covers a large amount of information in one day
works well when you have a large group of new volunteers
volunteers can meet each other and form friendships.

Disadvantages are:

skilled facilitator is required
extensive preparation and planning time is required for materials and presentation notes
one day can be difficult for people to attend.

2. Semi-formal (buddy or mentoring process)

A written or recorded version of an induction manual is provided with sections for signatures as evidence of reading. For a period volunteers are restricted to low risk activities and observational opportunities. During this period staff members also explain different aspects of the organisation and ask the volunteer questions to determine their understanding. When a staff member is satisfied that the volunteer has a sufficient understanding, they sign a form to that effect.

Advantages are:

relationships can develop and the abilities and limitations of volunteers can be noted and addressed
questions can be linked to actual situations
volunteers are exposed to a variety of learning experiences and mediums.

Disadvantages are:

induction process takes longer to complete
requires assistance and attendance from other workers and volunteers
may have people who decide to discontinue due to limited opportunities while on probation.

3. Casual approach

The volunteer is placed on probation during the induction process. In the casual approach the process includes a brief conversation to discuss confidentiality and probationary agreement conditions. The volunteer and supervisor sign a form indicating that this part of the process is complete. After this the volunteer is given limited tasks with a high level of direction (how, what, why, when) and monitoring.

An induction manual (written or audio) with graded self-paced learning questions that volunteers are required to respond to and record answers could be used. Typically questions can be divided into:

'must know' (end of first shift)
'should know' (end of first week /month)
'could know' (optional).

Once questions are adequately completed an authorised person signs-off on this part of the process and the probationary period ends.

Advantages are:

volunteers can develop an understanding of the organisation through the different tasks they will perform
questions can be linked to actual situations
less resources are required on the part of the organisation.

Disadvantages are:

ineffective for people with low literacy skills
induction process may take longer to complete and requires some assistance from other volunteers or staff
people may decide not to continue due to limited opportunities while on probation.

Tips for successful induction training (RETAIN):

Resist overloading with too much information.

Energise volunteers through recognising that their role contributes to the event mission and goals.

Trainthrough a variety of methods, including the use of a variety of presenters, breakout groups, and exercises.

Attendto key information regarding safety and security, emergency procedures, risk and hazard reduction.

Interactwith groups of volunteers, such as young people, in order to make the training experience more effective.

Noteconcerns from volunteers and allow for questioning and answering time to clarify any issues.

Retain volunteers – Solo Activity 3