1. Volunteer Attrition: Reducing Incivility among Coworkers
Sheridan B. Trent & Joseph A. Allen
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Introduction
Results
Results, cont’d
Although volunteers are vital to the success of many organizations, the rate of volunteerism in the US has been decreasing since 2002 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016).
One reason volunteers leave organizations is due to feeling burnt out from volunteer work (Chen & Yu, 2014; Winefield, Xanthopolou, & Metzer, 2012).
Although multiple factors have been found to induce burnout in volunteers, studies examining relationships among volunteer coworkers as a potential stressor are sorely lacking.
The Conservation of Resources (COR) theory postulates that environmental stressors lead to burnout or other negative outcomes by depleting an individual’s resources (Hobfoll, 1989, 2011). Resources are defined as personal characteristics or conditions valued by the individual that serve as a means for the attainment of objectives, and can be personal (e.g., traits), instrumental (e.g., proper tools for completing work), or physical (e.g., energy).
Coworker incivility may lead to burnout through resource depletion, in which a volunteer experiences emotional strain from incivility over a period of time. Repeated stress is expected to eventually outweigh volunteers’ resources and lead to burnout, which may then lead to volunteer turnover in organizations.
One potential coping mechanism and resource for volunteers is resilience, defined as the tendency to cope with stress in a highly adaptive manner (Sinclair & Wallston, 2004). This tendency can be broken down further to describe a pattern of ‘resilient coping’ wherein an individual will show a commitment to using cognitive appraisal skills to facilitate flexible problem-solving.
The enhanced resources acquitted to individuals who utilize resilient coping strategies may help to protect against negative outcomes. Thus, I predict the following:
Hypothesis 1: Volunteers experiencing higher levels of incivility from coworkers will also experience higher levels of burnout.
Hypothesis 2: Burnout will mediate the relationship between incivility and volunteers’ intentions to quit.
Hypothesis 3: Resilient coping will moderate the indirect relationship of incivility on intentions to quit through burnout at the second stage.
Descriptive statistics are included in Table 1. Frequency of volunteering was included in the analyses as a covariate due to it’s association with several key study variables. Hypotheses were tested using the guidelines for bootstrapping outlined by Hayes (2013).
Direct Effect
Hypothesis 1 was supported, coworker incivility was significantly positively related to volunteers’ burnout, b = .32, SE = 0.11, t(153) = 2.92, p = .004, 95% CI [0.10, 0.53].
Indirect Effect
Hypothesis 2 was supported, coworker incivility influenced volunteer turnover intentions through burnout, b = 0.21, SE = 0.16, 95% CI [0.02, 0.60].
Conditional Indirect Effect
The index of moderated mediation indicated that Hypothesis 3 was not supported, resilient-coping did not moderate the indirect effect of incivility on turnover intentions through burnout, Index = -0.02, SE = 0.05, 95% CI [-0.13, 0.08].
Discussion
Summary of Results
Volunteers can and do experience incivility when working with fellow volunteers or paid staff.
Coworker incivility among volunteers is associated with higher burnout and turnover intentions among volunteers. The relationship between incivility and turnover intentions in this sample operated fully through burnout.
Unfortunately, resilient-coping does not look like an effective strategy for managing the effects of incivility.
Implications
Volunteer coordinators should work to foster positive relationships between paid staff and volunteers, as well as among volunteer colleagues.
Researchers should continue to explore strategies and methods to help volunteers cope with incivility. +
Method
Participants
Participants included 171 volunteers serving animal welfare organizations. The majority of the sample was female (76.6%), volunteered weekly (50.9%), and had been volunteering with their organization for a year or less (53.2%). The average age of participants was 48 years old. Thirty-nine percent of volunteers reported experiencing incivility from coworkers at least once during their volunteer work.
Measures
All measures were rated by participants utilizing likert-type response scales.
Resilient-Coping. Adapted from Wallston and Sinclair, 2004.
Coworker Incivility. Adapted from Cortina, Magley, Williams, and Langhout, 2001.
Burnout. Adapted from Pines & Aronson, 1988.
Intentions to Quit. Adapted from Hom and Griffeth, 1991 and Jaros, 1997. +