To wonder why the RNLI needs a full time equality and diversity officer

[NonSuchFun]

The RNLI is one of the most loved and respected charities, and clearly needs a professional management structure. However, its core work is done by volunteers who maintain lifeboat stations up and down the country, crewing the boats and responding to emergencies at sea. It is unfortunate that a public spat over the sacking of two Whitby lifeboat men, along with four others who have resigned in protest has coincided with an advertised full time position for an equality and diversity officer, on £40k approx a year.

I have no idea how many core employees the charity has but it surely can’t be that many. So I am left wondering how this new E&D person will occupy their time. It seems to me that if there is a need to bring the organisation up to date in this area that a one year temporary contract could cover it with a brief to set up an online e-learning package, ensure that every lifeboat station has one person designated local E&D representative and to hand the reins over to another person in management for ongoing responsibility. Outside contracts could be used for occasional reviews. Job done. I just can’t see what this person will be doing full time, year on year. My own work requires that I compete annual e-learning as did my previous employer, a large insurance company and as does my DH’s company. Why wouldn’t this suffice for the RNLI?

Many people are outraged at the salary - most of the lifeboat crew members live and work in small seaside towns up and down the country, I imagine they can only dream of such a salary. It takes a lot of tin rattling to bring in £40k a year.

Please enlighten me.

if the crew were joyriding in a lifeboat then that is instant dismissal, volunteer or not. pornographic mugs are bad but that is appalling.

the RNLI and the other charities that provide lifeboats are an essential. while a lot of their work is saving the drunk and the stupid, (I guess most of the work on the Thames is that) there are plenty who need help through no fault of their own.

the Thames station has to be paid crew as the only way to man the boat quickly is to be at the station. no volunteer is likely to be living five mins from the river.

I’ve worked for several of the large UK charities, ending up at a senior level. I left the sector partly due to the frustration of spending so much time dealing with the type of staff and volunteer issues the RNLI faced here - harassment, bullying, racism, sometimes fraud, sometimes simply mundane, wilful incompetence. The kinds of issues are no different to most (all) sectors which engage large numbes of staff (paid or otherwise).

The difference in the charity sector is that the public and often trustees expect good management of organisations worth hundreds of millions of pounds, without paying proper market rate for professional staff, without investing in good management training or HR (overheads! admin costs! outrage!).

I’m not at all surprised to see people saying they should get a volunteer Equalities and Diversity Officer, that is always trotted out. Why not also a volunteer CEO to lead a £200 million organisation, with all the complexity, stress and obligation that entails? Jesus wept.

Charities need good, qualified, paid staff to ensure accountability, efficiency, and to protect the donations received, and professionally protect their staff and the reputation of the charity.

I absolutely applaud the way the RNLI have communicated about the handling of the situation. This alone makes me feel they are well managed and my donation would be safe with them. I also applaud the hiring of a dedicated E&D staff member to (presumably) instil an appropriate understanding of good practice and conduct amongst staff and volunteers. The cases already mentioned would be enough to justify that post’s creation, and a salary of £40k (esp in London or South East) is not high based on the skill and knowledge the individual would need to have. Absolutely not a box ticking exercise!

There's some nasty daily mail type ppl on this thread. You know who you are. The type that cried when Tommy Robinson went to jail....

Why do they need to pay £40k? Is there no-one public-spirited enough to volunteer?
You’d give up your income for a full-time volunteer job?