I have been blessed to have spent a large part of my career as a commercial leader before becoming a human resource (HR) professional. The transition was not simple, but the 20 years’ exposure in commercial has also taught me so much about how I can be an effective talent partner to the business I serve, delivering solutions to meet their needs.
Likewise, in HR, you get to learn so much by exposing yourself to other aspects of life. In just a couple of years as HR, I’ve learnt various tips and tricks for successful communication, strategies on how to engage talents and important approaches to streamline mundane operational tasks.
One very interesting thing I’ve come to realise throughout my experience is how important volunteer work is for a HR professional. Now, you might ask yourself, why volunteering and how does it help a HR professional, right? Well hear me out;
What is Volunteering?
Volunteering is the act of selflessly giving up your time to do something for others without expecting anything in return. Whether it’s volunteering at a homeless shelter, a school or some other organization or charity of your choice, the act of giving your free time to something bigger than yourself not only benefits your personal growth as a human being, but helps you truly understand the nature of your profession. The HR profession is all about employee relations and connections, starting from the hiring phase all the way to transiting out of the organization. While there are many benefits of HR in doing volunteer work, here are 3 which really stood out for me.
1. Exposure to and learning from different types of people
When you go out and volunteer, you develop, sharpen and grow your human resources skills. You learn how to communicate with different types of people on an emotional level (not just the professional ones you’re used to at work) and feel more accomplished as a person since you’re doing something good. You’re stepping out of your comfort zone to experience various situations you would have never put yourself in the first place, allowing you to gain new experiences you can use when at work.
In Mentoring Alliance for Action (mAfA), a mentor platform which allows HR (and other) leaders to take time off their busy schedules to support, nurture and transform someone, without expecting anything in return. Many of our mentors have come back over and over again to ask to do more, which includes mentoring more people, training, speaking, planning, financing, advising and even helping to pack goodie bags. What drives these HR professionals to feel so purposeful? I know it is definitely not their organisations’ KPIs.
2. Sharpen your talent development & program design skills
As a volunteer, you’ll also be able to learn from those who work for the NGOs or Social Enterprises, many of whom have learnt various tricks of the trades to help engage and motivate their volunteers. They’re always searching for the best people to volunteer for their organisations, creating flexible and innovative work designs and fostering a welcoming work environment, all while dealing with different personalities on a daily basis. This is similar to what human resource professionals handle and do on the job, allowing them to learn from such a different industry, and apply the learnings back to their own.
As the co-chair of mAfA , there has never been a day when I am not thinking about how do I get the most credible volunteer mentors, create the best mentoring journeys, provide the best training needed and get the funding to sustain the quality of the program. I must say that our team, together with our volunteers have really put together strong foundations, creative engagement plans and great support from the public, all with close-to-zero budgets. Imagine how these skills and ideas can benefit the organisations we are employed in? Back at work, I have found myself to be more inspirational, influential and strategic in the things I do. Like how our mentors always say; If we can successfully land a mentoring program in Asia, we can definitely do so in any organization.
3. Learn to motivate without breaking the bank
Building on the previous point, another important aspect of volunteering which many HR professionals can learn from is that money isn’t the only motivator. Volunteers don’t get paid for their time or service, yet have the desire to still work hard to help achieve the organisation’s overall goals. What human resource professionals walk away with is how to create and foster a “culture of gratitude & purpose,” which can boost overall company morale and culture.
Many of our mentors from mentoring organisations within mAfA have also learnt so much from their mentees during these journeys they have committed themselves to. Each “Thank You” gives them increased purpose, happiness and motivation to keep going. After all, giving is a big source of happiness for most people. No one said volunteering this way is easy, but our volunteers will tell you that it has transformed them tremendously.
Do you see the link? What if we can inspire HR professionals to give willingly, leveraging on their unique skill-sets, which are often so valuable when it comes to serving people. Individuals, teams and organisations can benefit from these great givers, but what’s even better? These givers themselves feel happier and better, and in turn, they want to give even more. We call this the “contentment cycle”.
I know I’ve personally learnt a lot from my own personal volunteering experiences and have used them effectively as a HR professional, who is passionate about serving and developing people. While it may mean that I have to make calculated sacrifices, I have also learnt how to better communicate and understand people from all backgrounds, while also motivating myself to continuously find new ways to advance my team and my organization. Human resources can be so much more than you think, especially in today’s pandemic world, and volunteering can help one realise this. So when you get the chance, go out and volunteer; it’ll not only better your profession, but also yourself.
Join us at www.wc-sg.org to find a mentor, a friend and lots of learning opportunities. If you are keen to volunteer in any capacity, reach out directly 🙂
KK
