Your how-to: Identifying potential peer support volunteers
Identifying potential peer support volunteers within your company is the process of pinpointing suitable individuals within your organisation who can take on the role of providing mental health support to their colleagues. These volunteers usually have a strong understanding of the mental health challenges employees may face in the workplace, and are capable of offering empathy, understanding and practical support.
They act as a link between staff and upper management, often providing informal support while handling sensitive issues with confidentiality and care. In terms of legal considerations, all Australian workplaces are required to meet the Fair Work Act 2009 by taking necessary actions to protect mental health, making the identification of peer support volunteers an essential aspect of adhering to this legislation. Remember, the focus should be on identifying employees who are emotionally intelligent, empathetic, reliable, and willing to undertake special training to handle potential mental health issues among their peers.
Step by step instructions
Understand the Role of Peer Support Volunteers: Start by gaining a comprehensive understanding of the roles and responsibilities of peer support volunteers, including their purpose, value and how they can assist your company in promoting mental health in the workplace.
Communication with Employees: Communicate with your employees about the scheme of peer support volunteers. Explain the important role these volunteers play and that the identification process will soon commence.
Evaluate Potential Volunteers: Assess potential volunteers based on the criteria you have initially established. Aside from the personal attributes, you should also consider the level of respect they command among their peers and their overall willingness to commit to the role.
Provide Training: Upon successful identification, provide the volunteers with the necessary training. This equips them with crucial skills to help their colleagues mentally, while also satisfying the requirements of the Fair Work Act.
Establish Criteria for Identification: Determine the criteria for identifying potential volunteers. Typical characteristics to look for include emotional intelligence, empathy, reliability, and the willingness to undertake special training programmes.
Assess Interest: Create an interest check to identify those employees who may wish to volunteer. This could comprise of a simple survey or an internal announcement inviting expressions of interest.
Conduct Interviews: Once potential volunteers have been identified, interviews should be carried out to personally evaluate their suitability. During this interview, you can inquire about their motivation and readiness to support others.
Regular Reviews: After the volunteer’s deployment, ensure to carry out regular reviews. This helps to assess their performance, the effectiveness of the support they're offering and to identify any areas for improvement.
Use this template to implement
To ensure you can execute seamlessly, download the implementation template.
Pitfalls to avoid
A potential pitfall to avoid is mistaking someone's enthusiasm for actually being competent. Just because an employee is keen to help others, it doesn't mean they have the necessary skills or temperament to handle the complex and sensitive issues often involved in peer support roles.
If an environment of trust and confidentiality is not established, employees might feel reluctant to share their issues. This could adversely affect the effectiveness of the peer support system.
If the workload for peer support volunteers is too high, it may lead to burnout, affecting not only their normal roles but also their ability to provide support others.
Even the most naturally empathetic and supportive employees will need training to handle the specifics of the peer support role effectively and responsibly. Ignoring this critical factor could lead to the volunteer feeling overwhelmed or making errors in judgement.
In Australia, there are certain legislations that govern volunteer involvement, such as the Fair Work Act. Ignorance of these could lead to potential complications down the line.
It's important to ensure that your peer support team is diverse and representative of your entire workforce. Failure to recognise this can result in marginalised groups feeling unsupported or ignored, reducing the effectiveness of the program.