Talk:Staff Policies
Volunteer and Intern Agreement
I'm confused. Why should I have to sign an agreement to stop by the office? Why does this only apply to volunteers at the office and not those working remotely? What is the point of it if is binding "in honour only"? Why does it contradict the draft Expense policy? What does Travel to and from home by public transport during your work within zone 6 mean—that expenses will only be reimbursed if I've travelled from within the M25 and only by public transport? If so, why? Why is To perform your volunteering role to the best of your ability necessary? The (one) luxury of being a volunteer is that a volunteer can do as much or as little work as they please. What are you going to do if the volunteer doesn't keep to the agreement? You can't fire them, they're a volunteer! In what sort of situation would it be necessary To provide referees as agreed if requested who may be contacted, and to agree to a Criminal Records Bureau check being carried out where necessary? And why is this part of the Staff Policies, and why has it been hidden so far down an out-of-the-way page, not publicised, and only made public three days before the Board meeting at which it is to be approved?
The whole approach (and in my opinion idea) of this agreement is wrong. Volunteers are not staff, and should not be treated like staff. Volunteers for WMUK are not people who go out selling raffle tickets on a Sunday afternoon, volunteers are at the heart of the organisation, and in many cases will have a better understanding of the organisation and its mission than staff members. Volunteers volunteer because they deeply care about WMUK and/or the Wikimedia movement, and we have staff to assist volunteers in fulfilling our mission as an organisation. Professionalisation is good and necessary, but not at the expense of the volunteer ethos.
We need to be providing more support for volunteers, and not tie them down with this sort of bureaucracy, which is only going to put people off. Anything that makes it harder for a volunteer to (in principle) just turn up and make themselves useful is a Very Bad Thing™. Harry Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 05:53, 8 February 2012 (UTC)