Volunteerism in Times of Crisis: An Unconventional Response to Processing Unemployment Insurance Claims

• Author: Helen H. Yu,ChiaKo Hung,Morgen S. Johansen,Jennifer Kagan,David Lee
• Published date: 01 September 2020
• Date: 01 September 2020
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/0160323X21991640
• Subject Matter: Reviews & Essays

Reviews & Essays

Volunteerism in Times of

Crisis: An Unconventional

Response to Processing

Unemployment

Insurance Claims

ChiaKo Hung

1

, Morgen S. Johansen

1

, Jennifer Kagan

1

,

David Lee

1

and Helen H. Yu

1

Abstract

This essay provides a reflective commentary outlining Hawai’i’s unconventional response for

employing a volunteer workforce of public servants when faced with the task of processing an

unprecedented backlog of unemployment insurance claims triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although efforts are still ongoing, this essay applies volunteerism and public service motivation as a

framework to explain why public servants would serve in a voluntary capacity at another public

agency. The intent of this essay is to spur conversation on how public servants are further stepping

up to the frontlines during times of crisis, as well as expand knowledge on the relationship between

volunteerism and public service motivation.

Keywords

volunteerism, public service motivation, COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment insurance claims

Despite the significant declines in volunteering

in the United States over the past fifteen years

(Grimm and Dietz 2018), research on p atterns

of volunteering have shown that employees in

the public sector are more likely to volunteer

when compared with their counterparts in the

private sector (Ertas 2016; Houston 2006; Lee

2012). Furthermore, in times of crisis, we often

turn to both public servants and volunteers to

maintain the essential functions of government,

with the current COVID-19 pandemic being no

exception (Miao, Schwarz, and Schwarz 2021).

Although COVID-19 has drastically inter-

rupted public practices throughout the United

States, and in some activities have created a

“new normal” in the public sector (e.g., social

distancing), it remains an unprecedented global

event that is still unfolding. While government

agencies at all levels have been called to

mobilize emergency response efforts, and pub-

lic servants, including doctors, nurses, teachers,

and first responders, have stepped to the front

lines, a volunteer workforce should- and

can- not be discounted, when public leaders

are exploring unconventional solutions with

1

University of Hawai’i at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA

Corresponding Author:

Helen H. Yu, University of Hawai’i at Manoa, 2424 Maile

Way, Saunders Hall 631, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.

Email: helenyu@hawaii.edu

State and Local GovernmentReview

2020, Vol. 52(3) 214-225

ªThe Author(s) 2021

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DOI: 10.1177/0160323X21991640

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