Assignment 2
RSPCA Student Name: Yuuka Shibasaki
Student Number: 11462677
Lecturer: Brenton Price
May 30th 2011
RSPCA Student Name: Yuuka Shibasaki
Student Number: 11462677
Lecturer: Brenton Price
May 30th 2011
Introduction
RSPCA is a charity based organisation that helps prevent the cruelty to animals and promotes their care and protection. The first RSPCA was formed in 1871 in VIC. RSPCA is a national body that is found in all eight states and territories. RSPCA is the body that sets national policy while liaising with government and businesses on animal welfare issues.
Overview
At RSPCA in Queensland, stress levels within the organisation are high and the working conditions are poor. As the RSPCA relies on donations, they have a limited budget and not enough money to go around. Staffs are motivated by the animals, and thy help unwanted and abused animal to find a new home. However in many cases it is difficult for those animals to find a new home as 4500 animals comes to the shelter every year.
The staffs have been reporting significant stress at workplace. Work related stresses are believed to stem from several factors such as a lack of work-life balance, distrust of management, the organisation working beyond its capacity and compassion fatigue which is the biggest form of stress. Due to this work situation, it reduces productivity and there is a high level of turn-over.
Compassion fatigue is exhaustion due to compassion stress; compassion stress is the demand to be compassionate and effective in helping (Ellis, 2007). People in the animal care industry experience compassion fatigue when they are “traumatised” by trying to help animals. Compassion fatigue can occur when experiencing trauma second hand. At the RSPCA carers are exposed to not only suffering animals, but the knowledge that many of these animals will have to be put down. This refers to as the care/euthanasia paradox.
The symptoms of
References: Ellis. N., (2007) Stress Buster: RSPCA Stress audit Draft report, Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/tv/stressbuster/episodes/casenotes/rspca_final_report.pdf Gift from within HELPGUID, (n.d.) Stress at Work: How to reduce and manage job and worlplace stress. Retrieved on May 20th, 2011, from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/work_stress_management.htm HELPGUID, (n.d.) Stress at Work: How to reduce, prevent, and cope with stress Jagd. Soren., (2010) Balancing trust and control in organisations: towards a process perspective, volume 5, p259 – 269. K Overcoming Compassion Fatigue, (n.d.), Retrieved on May 20th, 2011, from http://www.pspinformation.com/caregiving/thecaregiver/compassion.shtml RSPCA(n.d.) What we do, Retrieved on May 23rd, 2011 from http://www.rspca.org.au/what-we-do/ STRESS BUSTER. (2008) RSPCA, Retrieved on May 19th, 2011, from http://www.abc.net.au/tv/stressbuster/episodes/ep1.html Wood, J., Zeffane, R., Fromholtz, M., Wiesner, R., Creed, A., Schermerhorn, J., Hunt, J., & Osborn, R., (2010)