How do we re-engage people and make it more attractive to be part of the sector?
Earlier this year ACOSVO had the pleasure of working alongside Beccy Mack, a masters student from the University of Edinburgh as she completed her research placement with us. Her dissertation, which focused on Scottish Third Sector leadership: Wellbeing, Diversity and Succession, built on previous ACOSVO research. Read on to find out what Beccy thinks is key to making the sector attractive to future talent.
I want to begin by thanking all those who were happy to be interviewed for my research. It was a great experience, and I thoroughly enjoyed our conversations. I learnt something new from every person and I am grateful for their candidness.
There were many different themes that came out during my research, but this blog will focus on one issue relevant to the sector’s leadership and a question raised by many people I interviewed: How do we make the sector more attractive again? This is both for people already in the sector and the next generation of third sector workforce.
My research set out to explore further the issues highlighted in ACOSVO’s Wellbeing, Succession and Diversity Survey last year. These findings revealed leaders were experiencing high levels of stress at work, that there was a lack of diversity in the sector’s leadership and over half surveyed were looking to leave their roles in the next 5 years.
This time focusing on the future of leadership, I interviewed 20 people who work at different levels within voluntary organisations. Findings mirrored the problems with workplace wellbeing, lack of diversity, and succession within the third sector.
It is important to highlight positive aspects of working in the sector before we look at what needs to be improved. The third sector continues to play a significant role in tackling social problems and supporting vulnerable people throughout the ongoing cost of living crisis. It stands out for its value-driven purposes and attracts people who are driven to make a positive impact in their career.
The sector offers more flexibility for its workers compared to the private and public sectors. This attracts people who have caring responsibilities or who are returning to work for various reasons.
Working in the third sector offers a different way of thinking that attracts diverse talent. Furthermore, people who have had experiences of social issues are attracted to work in the sector in order to drive and lead social change. This is referred to as ‘lived experience’.
These positives demonstrate the sector is not without hope, so how can we maximise the positives and address the challenges together? Let’s look at how low workplace wellbeing and lack of diversity are impacting the attractiveness of the sector.
The impact of low workplace wellbeing
Low workplace wellbeing is driving some leaders and staff to leave their roles sooner.
Seeing those in leadership struggling is also not making the leadership role look attractive.
There is a risk that the high levels of stress experienced by the workforce may be turning people away from career progression.
The impact of lack of diversity
Taking a more in-depth look at diversity in the third sector led to a focus on the barriers to greater diversity and how they are impacting the sector’s attractiveness.
There is a persistence of traditional notions of leadership that make the sector less inclusive and open. These involve recruiting in your own image, recruiting through similar networks and known connections, and that if you are a ‘certain type of person’ (according to those hiring or promoting), you may progress quicker.
There is lack of diverse role models which works to dissuade people from aspiring to work for an organisation if they do not see anyone like them.
The terms and benefits in the sector are generally lower than other sectors and this can stop people from being able to join the sector.
Although it was recognised that the sector is more attuned to workplace wellbeing issues and putting policies in place to better support workplace wellbeing, still more effort is needed to prioritise it. It was also highlighted that the sector is more inclusive than other sectors, but it is not immune from structural barriers, and it needs to face up to these challenges.
So how do we re-engage and make the sector more attractive to be a part of? I will focus on two main action points that came up in conversations with people in the sector: investment and culture.
Investment
Funding insecurities are contributing to low workplace wellbeing. The current funding model of short-term funding and contracts causes anxiety and stress amongst leaders and the workforce.
There is a lack of investment from funders to build capacities, to promote leadership development, to support infrastructure, and to invest in better diversity and inclusion practices.
The lower salaries and benefits compared to other sectors are working as an obstacle to increasing diversity and to being an attractive career choice.
There was also a sense that the sector does not always feel valued for the significant role it plays in delivering public services and supporting marginalised communities.
Better investment from government and other funders would demonstrate recognition and greater value for what the sector does and enable organisations to build their capacities and develop stronger infrastructure.
Investing in young people would lead to more focus on the future and would support the leadership pipeline.
Investing in leadership development with beneficiary groups would value people’s lived experiences of the issues that charities are addressing and encourage more inclusive and participatory involvement in leadership.
Work culture
Working in the third sector is very rewarding and enables a sense of fulfilment, which can positively impact wellbeing. However, the passion for the job that drives many people to work in the sector may also be having negative effects on the work culture.
Commitment to the cause drives people to work longer hours than paid, go the extra mile and feel down when they are not achieving their charity’s mission.
These behaviours can lead to unhealthy role modelling. During interviews, people suggested that if the leadership are working long hours and struggling to keep a healthy work life balance, this can have a ripple effect on the rest of the workforce and become an expected norm.
A culture that fosters an environment which enables vulnerability and honesty, and values diversity is something for the sector to strive for.
Ongoing work to challenge existing power and privileges and address practices that obstruct accessibility are a necessity in order to truly reflect the sector’s values and social purpose.
Future reflections
Going into this research, I did not expect to see the level at which different tensions play out in the sector. For instance, the passion that drives people to choose this career path, can also drive people to push themselves too far and impact their own wellbeing and lead to risks of burnout.
Secondly, often people choose this career with an acceptance that they will make less money but accept this because they want to make a difference. This highlights the privilege that people may have in order to make this choice. Lower salaries may prevent others from choosing this career path as they do not have the same privilege to make this choice e.g., those who may not have family support or a partner with a high wage to balance the household income. This raises the question; how do we prevent these cycles of tensions from continuing?
In terms of diversity, my research brought up questions about the assumptions we make based on who people appear to be. But are there invisible attributes of diversity such as lived experience and neurodiversity that we miss because people might not feel able to talk about them? And how can we create a culture of inclusion where people feel supported to share the challenges they might have faced?
We are delighted that Beccy has now joined ACOSVO as our Research and Development Executive and as part of her role she will be continuing to explore these themes. If you have any comments or thoughts on Beccy’s research please do get in touch by emailing beccy.mack@acosvo.org.uk