CLUB POLICY

Staff & Volunteers

The Hawthorn Hockey Club (“HHC” or the “Club”) relies heavily on the work of staff (paid) and volunteers (unpaid). Volunteers assist the Club in many different ways, including:

Coaches
Team Managers
Technical Officials
Members of Committees and Working Groups
Board Directors
Umpires
Age Group Co-ordinators
People who contribute to Club canteen, BBQ, family days and social events
People who contribute to regional events and tournaments

This policy aims to provide guiding principles to follow so that:

Staff and volunteers working at Hawthorn Hockey Club have work that is safe, significant, fulfilling, valued and appreciated.
Duties that are allocated and that the responsibilities and expectations of staff and volunteers are clear.

Policy

All staff and volunteers shall be treated with respect, courtesy and appreciation for their contribution and their contributions shall be valued. All staff and volunteers are to be encouraged in carrying out their duties, not criticised or demoralised.

The Club shall engage staff in writing and the terms of engagement shall include duties and responsibilities, payment, insurances, hours and termination.

Volunteers shall carry out duties assigned by individuals from the HHC Committee, which includes the section Presidents: Juniors, Men’s, Women’s and Masters

Recruitment

Engagement of staff and recruitment of volunteers shall consider:

The nature of the role sought to be filled, and any necessary skills, capability experience, and aptitude required for the position.
The skills, capability, experience and aptitude of the proposed contractor or volunteer.
The time commitment required.
The association the contractor or volunteer already has with the Club.
The importance of growing the base of volunteers within the Club.
The principle that all Club members and people associated with the Club should contribute their time in some capacity for the benefit of the Club.
That some volunteers who have already made significant contributions can suffer ‘volunteer fatigue’.

All staff or volunteers must:

Have a current Working with Children Check (WWCC), or equivalent.
Be willing to become a member of the Club and thereby accept the Club’s Constitution and By-Laws, Policies and Procedures and Codes of Conduct. This includes Hockey Victoria and Hockey Australia's Codes of Conduct.

Induction

All staff and volunteers shall be offered as much information and training to discharge their duties as is relevant, appropriate and available given the nature of the duties and available Club resources.

Performance

Staff shall carry out the duties described in their letter of engagement. In allocating duties to volunteers, the Club shall be mindful of:

The need to be flexible.
Timing and availability constraints of the volunteer.
The volunteer’s skills, capability, experience and aptitude for the duties.
Further education and training required by the volunteer.
Any potential conflict of interest for the volunteer.

All staff and volunteers shall comply with the Club’s Constitution and By-Laws, Policies and Procedures, and Codes of Conduct.

Staff and volunteers are encouraged to provide constructive feedback to the Club to ensure ongoing improvement.

Supervision & Reporting

The Club shall endeavour to provide appropriate supervision of volunteers in the exercise of their functions.

Reimbursement

All volunteers shall be reimbursed for all expenditure incurred in the exercise of their duties and approved in advance by the relevant Division President or Club Treasurer.