HAVE UNRECORDED LEAVE, CAN VOLUNTEER!
Employers can also make it mandatory for staff to do volunteer work
THE boats are on standby for flood relief operations in Pahang. In fact, the boats have been on standby for a few days. The 15 horsepower outboard motors to go with the boats have been cleaned and are ready for action.
But there is no one taking the boats out. They are parked nicely and eager for action. They have been out on flood rounds many times before. However, the latest round of floods has seen the boats idle with nowhere to go.
Which brings us to the subject of volunteers and their boats.
A few years ago, some professionals teamed up with a group of anglers to undertake relief missions to several areas affected by the floods in Pahang.
Many villages were cut off by rising waters. They could not make their way to relief centres and rescuers couldn’t get to them. Until the floodwaters receded, the victims had to be on their own.
In came these professionals and their angling friends.
The professionals got together, raised money and even had hypermarkets donating foodstuff to flood victims.
Since Pahang was badly hit, this band of volunteers decided to do rescue missions in the state’s interior.
They had multipurpose vehicles and trucks. A few big bikers also joined in to provide extra muscle. The missing link was boats. No boats, no rescue.
But a few phone calls later, the boat issue was solved.
Angling friends offered themselves and their boats to help deliver rice, milk, personal hygiene items, cooking oil and other foodstuff to victims.
The anglers strapped their aluminium and fibreglass boats on top of their vehicles and everyone was ready to roll.
I joined the mission in what turned out to be an important learning curve where flood relief work is concerned. We finished our job in a couple of days.
Everyone was made to learn that flood rescue missions are not fun and games. They are lifegiving and life-threatening ones and should be carried out with utmost care and urgency.
As we regrouped after the mission, a simple post-mortem was held.
Everyone came away satisfied but noted that a better communication system needed to be put in place for future missions.
More walkie talkies, a satellite phone perhaps and extra chargers for mobile phones were some of the recommendations.
As we joked over teh tarik and nasi bungkus, everyone mentioned names that could have made the mission more successful.
These individuals have certain skill sets that could have made the mission more impactful.
Nasir, one of the anglers, said: “They couldn’t get leave. So they couldn’t join us. Their annual leave was almost finished.
“I’m lucky to be able to join because I still have many days of leave left.”
The sentiments were echoed by many others in the group.
Which led everyone to conclude that they would set aside a number of days of their annual leave every year to volunteer for such rescue or relief missions.
This is the spirit of many individuals who volunteer their time, resources and skills when the need arises. Many of them make these sacrifices without giving much thought.
Almost automatic, actually. This thing about not getting leave for volunteers can be addressed quite easily.
I’ve whispered this to cabinet ministers before but nothing happened. My fault, actually. I should have helped by submitting a working paper for the cabinet to discuss and consider, if they think appropriate.
It’s not rocket science. Allow employers to approve unrecorded leave for individuals wishing to do volunteer work. Set up a proper structure for this, with strict checks and balances to detect and prevent possible abuses.
Classify the volunteer work that qualifies for these provisions.
I’m sure there are many examples to choose from — disaster relief; domestic and international humanitarian missions; healthcare and educational enhancement; and environmental awareness. Plus lots more.
I asked Datuk Wira Dr Bahari Abu Mansor, the national deputy chairman of the Malaysian Red Crescent, for his views.
Dr Bahari is a private medical practitioner with extensive experience in humanitarian volunteer missions.
He said: “It’s about time we have something like this. It’s long overdue, actually. We can have a structured set-up so that its implementation can be properly monitored. We can have a proper database of active volunteers for quick and easy reference.”
When I broached the idea at the National Integrity Institute last week, its chief executive officer, Datuk Dr Anis Yusal Yusoff, was supportive and suggested the matter be further discussed.
He said: “It’s a good suggestion to help those who are sincere in doing good for the community.
“In addition to this, we should also look at other ways to compensate the noble cause.
“For example, cumulative credit hours for community service can be converted when determining year-end bonuses or staff recognition.
“Of course, such voluntary services must be done with the utmost sincerity and integrity. These qualities must be properly embedded into the hearts of those who want to do good.”
Employers should also welcome this suggestion.
Their reputation as a caring and progressive employer can be enhanced by allowing their staff to serve humanity properly and effectively.
Alternatively, employers can also make it mandatory for their staff to do volunteer work, with proper guidelines and conditions. It’s time we looked at volunteerism with more passion and care.
Allow employers to approve unrecorded leave for individuals wishing to do volunteer work. Set up a proper structure for this, with strict checks and balances to detect and prevent possible abuses. Classify the volunteer work that qualifies for these provisions.