Committed to Whom? Unraveling How Relational Job Design Influences Volunteers’ Turnover Intentions and Time Spent Volunteering

Abstract

This study presents a framework for understanding the processes through which volunteers' perception of relational job design influences their turnover intentions and time spent volunteering. Data sourced from an international aid and development agency in the United Kingdom (n = 534 volunteers) show that volunteers who perceive that their roles are relationally designed (1) report lower intentions to leave their voluntary organization due to their commitment to the voluntary organization; and (2) dedicate more time to volunteering because they are more committed to the beneficiaries of their work. These findings make a theoretical contribution by uncovering two mechanisms that explain how the positive consequences of relational job design unfold. RELATIONAL JOB DESIGN; FOCI OF COMMITMENT 2Keywords: relational job design, foci of commitment, turnover intentions, volunteer time

Exploring the police support volunteer experience: findings from a national survey

“…These include feelings that they had supported their local police force, were being treated fairly as a volunteer, were appreciated for the time they give and impact they made, were creating a difference in their community, and that their efforts as a volunteer were recognised. These findings resonate with those of Zhao et al (2012, p. 43 Vecina et al 2013, Alfres et al 2015. Stirling et al (2011) found that relational aspects of psychological contract relating to the volunteering ethos of trust, network and belonging were key features in shaping the success of volunteer management practices and influencing volunteer sustainability.…”

“Don't you want to stay?” The impact of training and recognition as human resource practices on volunteer turnover

“…Aside from individual volunteer motives and dispositions, effective management within the organization also contributes to volunteer retention (Gazley, ; Hager & Brudney, ). Scholars have also examined volunteers' perceptions of the organizational context impacting retention success such as organizational climate (Nencini et al, ), the design of volunteer roles (Alfes, Shantz, & Saksida, ), organizational support (Alfes, Shantz, & Bailey, ), and job resources (Presti, ). Rather than relying on individual perceptions of volunteer management practices, this study builds on these findings and adopts a management perspective by drawing on objective measures of human resource (HR) practices that impact volunteer retention.…”

“…Even though efforts have been made to develop a theoretical understanding of the potential for HR practices to impact volunteer retention, this research area remains underdeveloped (Alfes, Antunes, & Shantz, 2016) leading Bartram, Cavanagh, and Hoye (2017) to note that there is an "absence of research on the impact of HRM within volunteer and grassroots community organizations" (p. 1907-1908). As such, this study responds to calls for research on the impact of HR practices on volunteer outcomes (Alfes et al, 2015;Studer & von Schnurbein, 2013) by focusing on two prominent HR practices-training and recognition-and their impact on volunteer turnover. Particularly, we test the HR bundling perspective (Delery & Doty, 1996;MacDuffie, 1995) in the context of volunteers, indicating that HR practices work best if utilized in well-aligned bundles.…”

The management of volunteers – what can human resources do? A review and research agenda

“…Galindo-Kuhn and Guzley (2002) identified participation efficacy (volunteers' feelings that their participation will benefit someone) as a strong predictor of intent to remain volunteering. Alfes, Shantz and Saksida (2015) showed that the relational architecture of volunteer roles in an international development organization in the UK increased volunteers' intention to remain volunteering in the organization and was positively associated with the time dedicated to volunteering work.…”