Five or six years ago, Richard D. Young of the University of South Carolina College of Liberal Art's Institute for Public Service and Policy Research, in Columbia, South Carolina published a paper on volunteerism in America that is worthwhile reading on the subject. Young's paper examines the roots and motivations of volunteerism in America and can be found at the following web address for anyone who is interested:
http://www.ipspr.sc.edu/publication/Volunteerism%20FINAL.pdf
One of the points Young made in his paper was the Americans were world leaders in the number of hours they spent volunteering each year, and he noted by way of example that volunteers were providing an overwhelming majority of firefighting services in communities around the country. If you take a moment to give the subject some thought, you'll quickly realize that each and every one of us is being served by volunteers in some fashion or another. Sometimes, these volunteers receive the recognition they deserve. Oftentimes, they don't. The next time you see a volunteer, take a moment and tell them, "Thanks". This country would be a lot worse off without them.
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Several articles have appeared in the news over the past year or so regarding an ironic twist in the job market. At a time when the national unemployment rate was hovering around ten percent and millions of Americans were out of work and looking for jobs, employers with job openings were frequently listing in their employment advertisements that they were only accepting applications from individuals who were already employed.
Employers who used the "currently employed" criteria in their job hiring process essentially subscribed to the theory that people who were then currently employed were more dedicated workers than those who were unemployed, and thus, were more attractive hiring candidates.
Personally, I don't subscribe to that theory because (a) millions of people lost jobs in the current economic downturn through no fault of their own, and (b) I can name quite of few slackers I encounter on a regular basis who are still on payrolls. Nevertheless, I do recognize that employers have wide latitude in setting their own hiring criteria, so the practice of seeking only currently employed applicants is just another fact of life that must be endured. That said, if you're hiring…give the unemployed a chance.
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Human Resource departments around the country were not the only places where the unemployed have been rejected. Many politicians during this past election cycle made political hay by disparaging unemployed workers and characterizing them as lazy individuals who were simply suckling at the public's teat. Only when tax cuts for the wealthiest in America were solidified were politicians willing to extend (and only begrudgingly) unemployment benefits for millions of Americans whose only lifeline was literally those benefits. With the unemployed held in such low esteem, I guess it's no wonder employers are weary of hiring them.
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And while I'm on the subject of low esteem, if you take the time to research the subject, you'll find that there's a significant link between unemployment and depression and low-self esteem.
In December of 2009, the UK's "Men's Health Forum" noted in an article that, "It's not easy to stay healthy when you're unemployed. The loss of confidence that inevitably results from losing your job and the sudden need not to get out of bed in the morning can be a toxic combination when it comes to both physical and mental health. Make no mistake about it, unemployment can kill."
The article went on to state: "Unemployment always reminds you that the world in general and the world of work in particular will carry on turning quite happily without you." It also warned to watch out for boredom because the long drawn out days of not working can be stressful and depressing. Unemployed individuals frequently find themselves questioning their own worth, because so much of what is valued in our society is tied to one's occupation.
The moral here is that not having a job is not all it's cracked up to be.
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I have placed all of the above issues in one article because I think we (and by that I mean America) have overlooked a solution that could address each of the above-referenced problems. That solution is volunteerism. What's wrong with asking people who receive unemployment benefits to spend a certain number of hours each week volunteering for a tax-exempt charity, organization or government unit? There is much work to be done in our society and government entities and charities do not have the resources to accomplish all of it in the current economic climate. Much of that work volunteers could perform, if only their energies and talents were so directed.
Once more, unemployed volunteers could maintain their own sense of self-esteem by knowing that they continue to be contributing members of our society. Volunteering would also help fight the disparaging label that politicians frequently place on those who receive unemployment benefits. If prospective employers would join the effort, and recognize volunteerism as having the same value as employment, unemployed volunteers would know that their time contributions could eventually lead to gainful employment. The end result would be a win for everyone. The time to start is now.
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