Dear Colleagues,

We are excited to introduce a new Human Resources initiative shaped by your feedback from the employee engagement survey and inspired by recommendations from our Supervisor Development working group.

“In Good Company: Chats with HR” is all about bringing HR to you—out of the office and into the spaces where our campus community works and connects. Beginning Tuesday September 9th and continuing throughout the academic year, members of the HR team will be hosting open office hours in various locations across campus, providing a casual and welcoming environment to ask questions, share feedback, and engage in meaningful conversations.

Each week will feature one of two formats:

• Open Office Hours: Drop by to talk about any HR-related topic—no agenda, just conversation. These weeks we will feature a Zoom option, allowing participants to schedule specific slots with an HR partner.
  
• Guided Conversations: Join us for an hour-long discussion on a specific topic, complete with resources, insights, and a chance to connect with colleagues.Topics will be facilitated by the HR team with assistance from campus partners.
  

Our team is thrilled to be bringing HR into your spaces and strengthening our community one conversation at a time. You’ll find our weekly schedule—location and topic—each Monday in ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½Now. Whether you are seeking guidance, have a question, or just want to connect, we hope to see you there. 

Thanks, 

Patty

Patricia Rooney, SHRM-CP; PHR

Assistant Vice President for Human Resources

After a long and dreary winter, the HR team is happy to share the spring edition of “HR Connections”— complete with employee engagement updates, safety tips, benefits and wellness information, employee spotlight and continued commemoration of new hires and work anniversaries!

Thank you for all that you do for our campus and welcome to short-term!

Thanks,

Patty

Patricia Rooney, SHRM-CP; PHR

Assistant Vice President for Human Resources

• Engagement Steering Committee
• Supervisor Development Working Group
• Career Advancement Working Group
• Faculty/Staff Relationship Working Group
• Well Being Committee
• Human Resources Support

Engagement Steering Committee

Supervisor Development Working Group

Career Advancement Working Group

Staff/Faculty Relationship Working Group

Well Being Committee

Human Resources Support

We are excited to share an important update to the institutional staff engagement work. After our call for committee volunteers from the campus community, we are happy to report that we received over 70 nominations from across every division! Taking into account individual preferences and trying to balance the various working groups, the rosters are now complete and this phase of the work will begin in earnest after the November break. While we could not effectively accommodate everyone who self-nominated or was nominated by a colleague, please know that there will be plenty of opportunities to participate as we continue to mine the survey data and establish new initiatives for the college. As a reminder, here are the four working groups:

• Supervisor Development Working Group: Charged with creating a baseline professional development program for supervisors and managers
• Career Advancement Working Group: Charged with identifying and understanding our current state, enhancing development opportunities and clarifying steps for career advancement
• Staff/Faculty Relationship Working Group: Charged with exploring and finding ways to minimize the barriers between faculty and staff and improve the relationship
  

• Well Being Committee (already in progress): Dedicated to fostering a supportive and healthy work environment that enhances the physical, mental, and emotional well being of all employees. Charged with developing and advancing B Well programs and initiatives that promote balance, engagement, and overall well being across ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½. This committee will meet monthly at first and then shift to a bi-monthly or quarterly cadence.

I want to extend great appreciation to the members of each of the four groups– your energy and commitment to a Better ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Together ensures that we will accomplish our goals in the coming months and continue to move the institution forward. 

Thank you as well to the newly formed Steering Committee and members of the HR team for their enthusiasm and willingness to help us guide this important work. They will be intricately involved in establishing the working group structure, providing resources, facilitating discussions and ensuring that timelines are met. Those assigned to chair a working group will reach out to their cohort over the next several days to schedule a kick-off meeting prior to winter break.

Finally– thank you to all of you who inquire or are curious about the staff engagement process and are ready to support our endeavors. When we work together, we achieve great things.

Patty

Patricia Rooney, SHRM-CP; PHR
Assistant Vice President for Human Resources

Thank you to everyone who attended the Staff Engagement and Well-being Survey presentations held this past Tuesday in Commons. We are excited to share that between the two in-person sessions and zoom attendees, we had over 180 staff members participate in the discussion!  This show of interest and support truly reflects our mission of a Better ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Together, and for that, we are extremely grateful. 

Reminders and Next Steps:

1. To view the survey report materials, employees may visit this link, Key Findings Report, or click on the engagement survey button at the top of the Human Resources landing page. From that page, you will sign in with your standard network credentials in order to view the material. 

2. If you have any questions or comments about the report, or an idea to share with the engagement team, please email us at EmployeeEngagement@bates.edu or use the form within the link above. (Sharing your email address through this form is completely optional and your feedback will be confidential.)

3. Over the next few months, we will be absorbing and reflecting on staff responses to the survey; working with Senior Staff to review and understand feedback specific to their division; and meeting with President Jenkins as he shares his strategic priorities based on the survey results. While we will be looking deeply into the data, confidentiality remains at the core of this work.

On behalf of all Employee Engagement Working Group, thank you again for helping us Better ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Together. We look forward to working with many of you as we move into a new phase of this initiative. Much more to come!

We wanted to remind you that representatives from Rankin Climate will be on campus next Tuesday, May 21^st, to present the results of the Staff Engagement and Wellness Survey. While we are hopeful that many of you will attend in person, we have also created Zoom links for those who cannot make it to campus that day. This is an important milestone for the college and marks a new phase of reflection as we review the feedback and consider how we will structure the next phase of action planning.

An important note: due to some technical hurdles, the two community sessions will be held in Commons rather than Olin. The event space has a 100-person capacity, so please plan to arrive  a few minutes early to ensure a seat. Here are the specifics:

May 21st Session 1:

10:00 am to 11:00 am, Commons 221-222

May 21st Session 2:

1:30 pm to 2:30 pm, Commons 221-222

We encourage all of you to make one of these Tuesday sessions a priority if you can. The presentation materials will be available to the entire ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ community on the Employee Engagement landing page after the sessions.  

Thanks and we hope to see you on Tuesday!

The Employee Engagement Working Group

We are excited to share that the final survey participation numbers are in, and they are FANTASTIC!!

457 staff completed the survey, which means68.1% of eligible participants took the time to share their experiences, offering meaningful feedback, insights, and recommendations to the college. We are grateful for your honest input and clear commitment to aÌýµþ±ð³Ù³Ù±ð°ùÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Together! We look forward to continuing this journey with you as we wrap up the academic year. Here are the overall stats:

*Non-exempt and per diem staff were rolled in together as they are both paid on an hourly basis

Outlined below are the dates/times that have been scheduled to share the results of the survey with our campus:

• On May 8th, Rankin Climate will review a summary of key findings with President Jenkins and some members of Human Resources 
• May 20th through May 21st, Sue Rankin and Melody Bundy from Rankin Climate will visit campus to present the findings of the survey, answer questions about the data analysis, and review next steps:
• Monday, May 20th:
  • 11:30am to 1:00pm: Presentation to Employee Engagement Working Group
  • 2:00-3:00pm: Presentation to Senior Leadership
• Tuesday, May 21st:
  • 10:00-11:00am: Presentation to the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Community, Olin Concert Hall
  • 1:30- 2:30pm: Presentation to the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Community, Olin Concert Hall
  • We are also working on providing Zoom access to each community session– more details to follow in the coming weeks

Thank you again for your continued support of this important engagement initiative. There will be many more opportunities for interested staff to participate in the months ahead, so please be thinking about how you might contribute to this critical work. We need you.

The Employee Engagement Working Group

The Employee Engagement Working Group is happy to share the latest participation rates for the Staff Engagement and Well-being Survey. We are pleased to report that we have seen significant upticks in all areas except for our per diem (on call) and seasonal groups, despite additional outreach. We will continue our efforts to connect with staff members in these two categories over the coming days. 

The Stats:

Thank you again to all who have taken the time to complete this important confidential survey (368 people so far) and to all those who are encouraging their colleagues to do the same. Your engagement in this process and commitment to continually improving the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½  staff experience is very much appreciated.  Over the next week, you will see members of the working group visiting campus departments to talk about the survey and answer any questions as we head into the final week.

Our goal is to reach 75% core staff participation by the end of the survey– that’s a big number, but you can help us get there!! The more feedback we receive, the more we can achieve!

Now is the time

Better ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Together– Survey ends March 29th!

* For more information, including direct access to the survey as well as details on open computer labs and Zoom sessions, please go to 

Interpreter services inquiries and paper survey requests can be sent to our email account: EmployeeEngagement@bates.edu‘

Thank you!

Employee Engagement Working Group

The Employee Engagement Working Group is excited to share our latest survey participation rates with you. After only two weeks, we are closing in on a 50% completion rate! 

Thank you to all who have completed the process and to those colleagues who continue to encourage other staff to share their thoughts and experiences by taking this confidential survey– we appreciate you.

As you can see from the graph above, we need your help in connecting with our per diem (on call) and seasonal staff members, as they are seldom on email and are responding only at 2.9%. If you have per diem or seasonal staff on your team, please reach out and encourage them to take the survey– understanding their ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ experience is important to us. Members of the working group are also happy to attend your regular team meetings to talk about the survey and answer any lingering questions about the process or future steps.

With a full 15 days left to participate, we invite anyone who has not had the opportunity to take the time and share your feedback. Together, we can create a more inclusive and thriving campus community for everyone! 

Now is the time.

Better ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Together – Survey ends March 29th!

* For more information, including direct access to the survey as well as details on open computer labs and Zoom sessions,  please go to 

Interpreter services inquiries and paper survey requests can be sent to our email account: EmployeeEngagement@bates.edu

Thank You-

The Employee Engagement Survey Group