Problems Faced by
Forest Service
Coordinators of
Volunteer and Hosted
Program Workgroups
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- A Changing Forest Service Work Culture
- History of the Supervisor Training Project
- Updating Supervisor Training
- Initial Findings
- Major Safety and Liability Problems Faced by Coordinators
- Multiple Roles of Coordinators
- Collateral Duty Overload
- Insufficient Training
- Ambiguous Contractual Agreements
- Unclear Lines of Authority and Workgroup Supervision
- High Turnover Leads to Constant Training
- Limited Resources
- Lack of a Physical Presence
- Lack of Managerial Support
- Inappropriate Levels of Work Expectation
- Lack of Knowledge of Forest Service Safety Standards
- Crews Working Too Close to Each Other
- Other Problems Faced by Coordinators
- Production Versus Social and Educational Goals
- Problems With Gender, Work Culture, and Generation Gaps
- Helping Volunteers and Hosted Workgroups With Personal Problems
- Coordinator Problems With Different Types of Workgroups
- Discussion
- Using Hosted Groups and Volunteers as Workers in the Forest Service
- Downsizing and Cutbacks Influencing All Aspects of the Work Culture
- Coordinators Are Stressed, Spread Thin, and Multitasked
- Interorganizational Relationships: Not a New Idea
- Weak Relationships With Outside Organizations
- Research Specific to Volunteers and Hosted Programs
- Coordinators' Work Roles Are Not Clearly Defined
- Decreasing Job Stress, Maintaining Safety, and Reducing Liability in the Forest Service
- Recommendations
- References
- About the Author
