The work by Meinald Thielsch, professor of Work and Environmental Psychology, and PhD student Niklas Tschäschke is the first to systematically synthesise the international research literature on motivation and demotivation in voluntary work carried out under high-risk conditions. To this end, the pair analysed the international research landscape: 87 empirical studies from 24 countries involving a total of 8,162 participants, ranging from volunteer fire brigades to emergency services, search and rescue teams and civil protection. The findings have now been published in the renowned journal *Safety Science*.

“This review is one of a total of three studies that Niklas Tschäschke is conducting as part of his PhD at the University of Wuppertal. “With this study, we aim to gather insights into what managers, in particular, can do to ensure that volunteers remain satisfied, motivated and committed in the long term,” summarises Meinald Thielsch.

Those who stay do so because of the team

For the first study, the researchers categorised the findings from all 87 studies according to which conditions motivate volunteers and which demotivate them. “Social integration is the most common factor encouraging people to remain in voluntary work,” reports Niklas Tschäschke. This includes team cohesion, identification with the organisation and mutual trust. “Volunteers also draw motivation from the fact that roles are clearly and fairly allocated, meaning they know what they have to do and what is expected of them,” notes Tschäschke. “This enables them to make the best possible use of their skills.”

Good training, adequate preparation for assignments and constructive, clear feedback from the line management are further factors that the researchers frequently identified as key to the success of voluntary work when analysing the study results. “Many volunteers also draw motivation from being allowed to have a say and having scope to make decisions on the ground,” says Tschäschke.

Withdrawal and leaving the organisation, on the other hand, are associated with chronic overload, conflicts between volunteering, work and family life, a high frequency of call-outs, secondary traumatisation caused by witnessing the suffering of others, poor leadership and communication, as well as perceived injustice and a lack of recognition.

Various levers for change

“It is important to bear in mind that, in this study, we have examined the international body of research. Many of the studies originate from the USA and Australia,” notes Tschäschke. “The structures of the fire service, ambulance service and civil protection vary from place to place. Nevertheless, this study provides strong evidence that volunteer retention hinges on how processes, roles and decision-making pathways are structured within the organisations.”

Prof. Dr Meinald Thielsch emphasises: “The design of the organisation is therefore a key factor in ensuring the reliability of civil protection. The studies show that social integration is a strong factor which acts as a long-term buffer against negative experiences and delays people from leaving.”

Based on their findings, the two researchers have derived initial recommendations for action, which can be linked to the three basic psychological needs of belonging, a sense of competence and self-determination:

1. ‘Alarm hygiene’: It is not uncommon for volunteers to be alerted and then called off whilst en route to an incident. Clear activation criteria, more targeted alerting and restraint in the case of less urgent alerts can help prevent frustration and a feeling of ‘not being needed’ from arising in the first place.
2. Embed recovery in day-to-day operations: this includes psychological support and debriefings following incidents – not just after exceptional emergencies.
3. Make roles and career paths clear, transparent and fair: volunteers should know what is expected of them and according to which transparent criteria they can take on responsibility.
4. Reduce bureaucracy: Avoiding duplicate documentation and using simple digital forms saves time, thereby increasing the scope for decision-making in actual operational work.
5. Mentoring for every new recruit: a training mentor, for example, is always available to talk to and strengthens the sense of belonging to the organisation.