My executive director is not managing professionally or treating me with respect. I am a hard-working, productive employee. Don’t staff members who work in charities, for less than market rates in most cases, deserve better?

Poor human resource management practices are the second most common theme of the queries I receive in response to these ethics columns (board members in potential conflict of interest situations is the most common).

Of course employees should be treated with respect. There is no justification for poor HR practices or disrespectful treatment in any organization. Charities are held to the same standards under employment and civil law, and those that do not recognize this often expose themselves to unjust dismissal suits they can ill afford.

There are, of course, reasons for poor human resource practices in our charities. I am listing them as an aid to understanding, not as justifications:

Poor treatment of many Executive Directors by their Boards. It is hard to keep treating others well if you yourself are treated like dirt. Many Executive Directors say “never again” – their jobs are impossible and their collective bosses, the boards, do not appreciate the stress, the professional skills needed or the inadequate compensation for senior executive responsibilities.

Poor HR skills of Executive Directors. Boards recruiting a new Executive Director seek visionaries with amazing skills in fundraising, partnerships, financial management, program delivery, governance, government relations, volunteer management, human resource management and many other competencies. Most charities do not pay well or offer benefits, and the perks that would accompany executive jobs in other industries are almost completely missing. Is it any wonder that selection committees compromise – and that HR management is not always at the top of their list of requirements? And weak initial skills are hard to address with very limited budgets for professional development. Even ED’s who recognize their weaknesses may not have the funds to take training.

STRESS! Did I mention stress above? Many Executive Directors worry all the time about keeping the doors open, about those who are turned away, about the needs their organizations cannot meet, and about who they might have to lay off if the next project funding proposal is not successful. The AGM is coming up, the chair wants to talk for two hours about changes at the national level, the government funding contact wants a line-by-line review of last quarter’s expenses and a member is on the line with a complaint. A multi-national with no roots in the community just acquired a reliable corporate supporter, and the bank is on another line asking for a meeting to discuss the overdraft situation. At that moment, the ED is inexcusably rude to an employee who pokes their head in the door and says, “Got a minute?”

Lack of time. See above – but also note that many Executive Directors never manage a vacation. They cancel even the few courses they sign up for, because they are needed to fight yet another fire. Even boards that approve reasonable professional development budgets may object when the ED says they are unavailable for Wednesday evenings for the next three months and therefore cannot support that new task force in person.

Passion. Many EDs, especially long term ones, are so passionate about their cause that they may be oblivious to other important issues, like common courtesy or the need other staff have for a life outside the charity.

Lack of documentation. Small organizations often lack an HR policy manual, making every decision seem arbitrary and unfair. Sometimes they are.

The last one is the easiest to fix. HRVS – The Developing Human Resources in the Voluntary Sector (HRVS) project has detailed information and sample polices at www.hrvs.ca/hr_practices/pg003_e.cfm. You can also find a free 22-page Guide to download at www.capacitybuilders.ca/, along with resources for volunteer management.

The poor pay will take longer to address. While it may be appropriate to pay mid to low end of market, charities often pay well below that, as if the satisfaction of serving the cause should be enough to pay the mortgage. In order to attract and retain the best people, as our causes deserve, we need to educate boards, grant-makers and donors to the need to compensate reasonably.

Check out www.hrvs.ca/benefits/pg001_e.cfm for the status of national initiatives to improve benefits in charities. In the interim, look for group plans designed for nonprofit staff, through organizations like the Coalition of Ontario Voluntary Organizations, at www.covo.on.ca or Associum Consultants at www.associum.com.

However, the main improvement has to be in the workplace environment. Boards need to give more consideration to human resource management skills in choosing and evaluating Executive Directors. Even more importantly, they need to communicate their ethical values and use them in evaluating Executive Directors. If respect is an ethical value, then the ED must be expected to live up to that value in their daily work.

Part of showing respect to employees is regular performance reviews, based on objectives set together. The Executive Director can give praise as deserved, along with constructive feedback, instead of criticism in front of co-workers (a common complaint).

Executive Directors without time or skills to handle HR well should give that area priority when hiring senior staff, and/or recruit skilled volunteer help. The ED can form an HR committee with a mix of volunteers and staff to look at clarifying and improving HR practices. And they can look to their own needs, such as stress management courses or real vacations without access by phone or e-mail. They need to give themselves a break.

Finally, EVERY one of us can be a role model for the kind of treatment we want for ourselves. Be respectful to your co-workers, including the Executive Director, and suggest respectful solutions to the organization’s HR problems. Offer to help develop and implement improvements. If the situation does not improve and you find a better position, seek an exit interview to respectfully tell the organization how they can help retain the remaining employees and new hires.

Since 1992, Jane Garthson has dedicated her consulting and training business to creating better futures for our communities and organizations through values-based leadership. She is a respected international voice on governance, strategic thinking and ethics. Jane can be reached at jane@garthsonleadership.ca.

To submit a dilemma for a future column, or to comment on a previous one, please contact editor@charityvillage.com. For paid professional advice about an urgent or complex situation, contact Jane directly.