World Hope International

Objective
World Hope International (WHI) knows that the success of their relief and development efforts depends on the talent, dedication, hardiness and resilience of their staff, both in the US and abroad. In 2008, WHI recognized it could improve its understanding of its staff members’ needs. It engaged The KonTerra Group to conduct a staff care assessment that would clarify staff needs and use that information to recommend changes to existing staff care policies and practices.

Solution
Through a series of customized surveys as well as interviews with domestic and field based staff, KonTerra consultants reviewed WHI’s staff support programs and policies to determine effectiveness in the following areas:

• Preparation of staff to work in high stress, high threat environments
• Preparation of staff for critical incidents and support for them afterwards
• Mitigation of cumulative stress
• Responses to chronic stress associated with common stressors
• Special attention was given to specific field locations where significant levels of stress had been known to impact staff.

Result
KonTerra concluded this project with a report summarizing the effectiveness of current staff support programs/policies. The report offered recommendations to enhance both policy and practice, and proposed educational and consultative opportunities for staff support in high stress, high threat environments for consideration by World Hope International. WHI used this information as the basis for both short-term support programs, as well as the foundation for a long-term staff care strategy for all WHI employees.