Volunteering: An impossible job?
Bineau, Jacques
Volunteering: An impossible job? - 2021.
92
Even though voluntary work is ignored or little understood in our society, it is nonetheless a real phenomenon. As a psychosociologist, I have been active in the field of social action and have assisted participants and organizations in times of crisis for lengthy periods. Volunteers are subjected to different kinds of psychological tension: they are caught up between their salary-free commitment and their own interests; their relationships with employees are tricky, especially for the employer; and democratic considerations might be put aside while managing the organization, which may lead to technocratic management in which the institutional aims of the initial project might be forgotten. These difficulties may discourage the volunteer worker and restrict them to a secondary, instrumentalized, role. However, these obstacles can be overcome and psychosociological intervention can help the volunteer worker to realize that they are allowed to make up their own mind, to take independent action, and to accept authority in their role as a democratic leader.
Volunteering: An impossible job? - 2021.
92
Even though voluntary work is ignored or little understood in our society, it is nonetheless a real phenomenon. As a psychosociologist, I have been active in the field of social action and have assisted participants and organizations in times of crisis for lengthy periods. Volunteers are subjected to different kinds of psychological tension: they are caught up between their salary-free commitment and their own interests; their relationships with employees are tricky, especially for the employer; and democratic considerations might be put aside while managing the organization, which may lead to technocratic management in which the institutional aims of the initial project might be forgotten. These difficulties may discourage the volunteer worker and restrict them to a secondary, instrumentalized, role. However, these obstacles can be overcome and psychosociological intervention can help the volunteer worker to realize that they are allowed to make up their own mind, to take independent action, and to accept authority in their role as a democratic leader.
Réseaux sociaux