RSPCA Queensland Organizational Development Plan

Introduction to RSPCA Queensland

Of all Queensland's societies and organizations dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty and bettering the lives of animals, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA Queensland) is the oldest. The organization requires approximately $42 million in funding every year to build and maintain the various programs and services it offers. Since RSPCA Queensland is a community-based, non-government charity, most of its funding comes from donations, sponsorships, and bequests from the local community. Government funding accounts for less than 1% of the money it receives (RSPCA Queensland, 2016).

The organization boasts a rich and interesting history spanning 130 years. It began with just a single supporter and has grown into a sizeable organization with 270 remunerated employees and 3,000 dedicated volunteers. All the people involved, even those involved indirectly, are committed to advancing available opportunities and improving the quality of life for all animals. The organization remains independent and continues to strive to educate and inform communities on their responsibilities in protecting and enhancing animal welfare (RSPCA Queensland, 2016).

Current Situation: Compassion Fatigue and Staff Stress

RSPCA Queensland remains an independent organization dedicated to providing protection and care services to animals. Because of the limited support it receives from the government and the increasing number of abandoned and stray animals, the organization's resources are now insufficient to meet the demands of the current circumstances. RSPCA refuses to turn away any animal that needs help. Nonetheless, a significant number of the animals it receives are not suitable for adoption and must be euthanized. Ultimately, it is the staff members who suffer. Caring for these animals takes a serious emotional toll, and staff members may experience compassion fatigue — exhaustion caused by prolonged compassion stress. These workers genuinely want to help, and their emotional commitment makes them especially vulnerable. The organization's chief aim is to provide the highest level of care possible, and compassion fatigue may undermine the staff's ability to achieve this (Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2008).

Ellis (2007) noted that symptoms of compassion fatigue can include preoccupation with images and thoughts of suffering animals. The affected person becomes hypervigilant and faces difficulty sleeping. Concentration suffers and the individual becomes hyperaroused. They may also seek to avoid situations and environments likely to remind them of trauma. Other symptoms include an unhealthy attitude toward others, crying spells, irritability, physical fatigue, and emotional numbness.

Those who administer euthanasia at RSPCA may also be at risk of developing various emotional and psychological conditions. The responsibility of carrying out euthanasia on unwanted animals typically falls on RSPCA employees. Administering euthanasia is simultaneously physical, technical, and emotional, and the nature of the act places employees in direct confrontation with death. Unlike the sudden, unexpected trauma faced by physicians or police officers, euthanasia in a shelter setting is regular and predictable — it is part of daily routine — and the possibility of developing acute trauma is therefore highly likely (Rogelberg et al., 2007).

Rogelberg et al. (2007) note that shelter workers who perform euthanasia are exposed to a type of stressor that differs from role, task, or physical-process stressors studied in occupational stress literature. Euthanasia can be considered a moral stressor. For instance, a person joins the organization with the goal of helping to save and care for animals, but soon discovers that killing unwanted yet healthy animals is part of the process. They must confront this conflict, which can be deeply traumatizing. The paradox is built into the job. Most of these workers genuinely care about the wellbeing of the animals. They want to see them happy and healthy, but the circumstances of the job demand that occasions arise where perfectly healthy animals must be euthanized. If caregivers fail to find shelters quickly enough, they are expected to euthanize the same animals they care for and protect.

RSPCA put down nearly 3,000 animals in 2013 on medical and behavioral grounds. The staff needs additional training beyond the standard counseling and employee assistance program RSPCA currently offers to address this situation (Hayward, 2014).

Anderson, Brandt, Lord, and Miles (2013) argue that connections between emotional stress and euthanasia are well established. Staff may experience guilt upon euthanizing animals that are by all standards healthy. They may also develop anger toward individuals and the broader society who abandon pets they previously committed to care for. There is also a moral dimension to this stress, as euthanizing healthy animals may conflict with a worker's personal values and ethics, thereby challenging their reasons and motivations for working in the field. Combat veterans may experience perpetration-induced stress — stress that results from being a participant in a traumatic experience. Someone involved in administering euthanasia may undergo a similar form of stress. This can be compounded by the fact that euthanasia occurs regularly in such establishments, and is a daily occurrence in some facilities with high traffic of unwanted or abandoned animals. Continual exposure can cause these problems to worsen over time. Beyond emotions such as anger and guilt, individuals who administer euthanasia have been known to report life dissatisfaction, depression, anxiety, grief, and sadness. Somatic conditions including high blood pressure, sleeping difficulties, and ulcers have also been associated with performing euthanasia. Such problems may result in low job satisfaction, and staff members may ultimately leave their positions.

It is absolutely necessary for RSPCA to carry out euthanasia. Nonetheless, the exercise places a considerable burden of stress on staff. It affects all shelter staff profoundly and the experience can be traumatizing. Dealing with that trauma requires that employees be provided with adequate emotional support. While support services and programs exist, they are not sufficiently universal or widespread. This inadequacy is largely due to insufficient funding. The organization receives less than 1% of its funding from the government and relies heavily on private donations (Anderson, Brandt, Lord, & Miles, 2013).

Hayward (2014) notes that while RSPCA is a friendly and rewarding place to work, taking breaks is difficult because doing so reduces the available workforce, placing an even greater burden on remaining staff. The organization is significantly understaffed, and this understaffing can lead to employees being overworked.

Organizational Development Framework

Organizational development involves the process by which an organization builds internal capabilities to be as effective and efficient as possible in its mission and to sustain its operations over the long term. The staff has a responsibility in developing programs, but program development should involve all organizational stakeholders, including those the organization serves. All stakeholders have an interest in the outcomes that programs achieve. Board members play a critical role in providing support and guidance. To build an effective organization, strategic planning, program development, and evaluation should be interconnected to support continuous learning (Philbin & Mikush, 1999).

References

Anderson, K. A., Brandt, J. C., Lord, L. K., & Miles, E. A. (2013). Euthanasia in animal shelters: Management's perspective on staff reactions and support programs. Anthrozoös, 26(4), 569–578.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation. (2008). Stress buster. ABC.

Ellis, N. (2007). RSPCA stress audit: Draft report. Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Hayward, K. (2014, January 27). Animal destruction takes heavy emotional toll on carers. The Sydney Morning Herald.

Philbin, A., & Mikush, S. (1999). A framework for organizational development: The why, what and how of OD work. Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation.

Rogelberg, S., Digiacomo, N., Reeve, C. L., Spitzmuller, C., Clark, O. L., Teeter, L., Walker, A. G., Carter, N. T., & Starling, P. G. (2007). What shelters can do about euthanasia-related stress: An examination of recommendations from those on the front line. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 10(4), 331–347.

RSPCA Queensland. (2016). About RSPCA QLD. Retrieved from https://www.rspcaqld.org.au/who-we-are/our-history