Giving back to the community soon to be a legal requirement?
Recipients of unemployment benefits in the state of North Carolina may soon be required to set aside a portion of their time every week to provide volunteer services throughout their community.
Under Senate Bill 737, any individual required to show they are seeking full-time employment would need to contribute part of their week to helping out within their community.
The required amount of volunteer time would be minimal, about 5-10 hours of volunteer services a week depending on the length of time an individual has been collecting benefits.
If you’re someone who has ever been unemployed, you know despite your best efforts, there WILL be some periods of idle time. And if there’s enough of it, those empty periods can potentially derail one’s motivation to stay focused and upbeat.
Charlie Diggs is the assistant manager at the Massachusetts Employment Security Commissions Office. Like many others, Mr. Diggs thinks volunteer work will keep unemployed individuals in a constructive frame of mind.
Diggs acknowledges the values of volunteer time “Especially in today’s service industry where teamwork and customer service is a premium. It’s a good way to keep those skills sharp.”
Hey, you also never know when a volunteer opportunity could translate into a full time job given the right circumstances. Shining as a volunteer could lead to an offer of employment.
Additionally, volunteer work is a great way to plug gaps of employment on a resume. Potential employers appreciate individuals who take the initiative to keep themselves busy.
But some job seekers think the bill may be placing an additional burden on their efforts to find work.
“It takes a lot of effort both money-wise and time-wise to find a job these days.’ says Steven Crocket, a High Point resident who has been out of work for 10 months
“You have three jobs that you have to look for every week and you want those to be quality.”
Overall however, the bill has received overall positive support.
Individuals like Latasha Nixon already volunteer they time during the week. Nixon lends a hand at the Open Door Ministries in between applying for different jobs.
“I set the tables, I clean up after people, I help in the kitchen, whatever they need done, it’s actually kind of fun.”
