Thought I'd share my experience in returning volunteers - or inviting them to return. Below is an email I sent to some NW District colleagues.
My Admin and HICS team cleared the way for several department vols to return (I attached my documents I sent). However, I am finding that about 60% of those included will not be returning at least until July and most not until the fall. The back office and other ‘behind the scenes’ volunteers are the most willing to return and many did this week. I have a few that are coming back to the Infusion Center and Digestive Health (plus one new college student).
About 50% of my Information Desk (escort, interoffice mail, flowers) will wait until the fall. I think with our area, in particular, (Cedar Point, Kalahari, movie theaters, and all the tourists to the islands, etc.), they are pretty spooked. I am not able to have any teens under 18 years – probably for the summer, but that wasn’t clarified. Only a handful of Gift Shop vols started this week and many did say they would wait until July, but if we get any spike in Erie County, I am sure we won’t see them for a very long time. Reasons the vols are giving: 1) Family members are discouraging them 2) Uncertainty in general 3) Masking in public areas. 4) Have underlying health issues
I even had a few that started or said they would return, then backpedaled with second thoughts.
We still are slow on the inpatient side, so some departments where vols do help such as inpatient Pharmacy and Medical Records are still too slow to bring back volunteers (and those are the ones that would be the first to walk through the door).
I don’t see bringing back ER volunteers for a VERY long time – maybe if ever, so the idea of trying to reassign them is even daunting. They loved that area and I would imagine I will lose a lot of them along with a good amount of others such as patient-facing volunteers (Rounding, spiritual care, etc). Trying not to sound like a Debby Downer, but with our aged population, this could decimate our programs. I am even concerned that their being invited to return this soon is being perceived as selfish or even ignorant on our part, but in my conversations with the vols, most were going crazy and were begging to return so we lifted the restriction and now I feel like it’s backfiring.
Time will tell, and maybe those of you not in touristy areas, may have better luck. So, if you ask me, unless it’s a safe back office, you may want to wait a little while longer even if you get approval from your Admin. Good luck.
