• Employee Engagement Updates — Learn about exciting initiatives including the Supervisor Success Series, Performance Review redesign, and other opportunities to strengthen our campus community.
• 2026 Enrichment Week Recap — Take a look back at a fantastic week of learning, wellness, creativity, and connection.
• Heat Stress Safety — Practical tips for staying safe and healthy during the warm summer months.
• Wellness Spotlight: Employee Assistance Program (EAP) — Explore valuable tools and resources available to support you and your family.
• Everyone Has a Story — Meet this edition’s featured employee and learn more about their ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ journey.
• Where in L/A? — Put your local knowledge to the test for a chance to win!
• & More

We invite you to take a few moments to read through this edition and stay up to date on the many programs, events, and initiatives happening across campus. Thank you for all you do to make ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ such a special place, and we hope you enjoy the rest of your summer!

Best wishes,
Jaime

We’re pleased to share the . It’s filled with updates, stories, and seasonal highlights to keep you connected at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½! Inside this edition, you’ll find:

• Building a Better ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, Together â€” Learn about initiatives and opportunities to make a positive impact in our community.
• 2025 Annual Holiday Party â€” A festive look back at our celebration and all the joy shared across campus.
• Benefits Spotlight: EAP Resources â€” Discover how the Employee Assistance Program can support you and your family.
• Winter Safety Tips â€” Helpful reminders for shoveling during these winter months.
• B Well Highlight – Meet our B Well Ambassadors. 
• Where in L/A? â€” Test your knowledge!

We invite you to read through the newsletter and stay up to date on all the opportunities and initiatives happening this season. Wishing you a safe, warm, and connected winter at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½!

Best wishes,

Jaime

We’re pleased to share the It is packed with updates, stories, and seasonal highlights to keep you connected at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½! Inside this edition, you’ll find:

• Community Giving Campaign Launch â€” Learn how to support local and national organizations making a difference from October 20–November 14.
• Open Enrollment 2026 â€” What you need to know about plan updates (including the discontinuation of the Aetna Whole Health plan) and key dates beginning October 29.
• AED Awareness â€” Take a minute to locate the AED nearest to your workspace — every second counts!
• B Well Survey Results â€” See what your fellow employees shared about well-being priorities and how HR is using your feedback to shape what’s next.
• Fall Fun at Wallingford’s â€” A look back at our joyful October outing with more than 200 attendees!

We invite you to read through the newsletter and stay up to date on all the opportunities and initiatives happening across campus this season.
Wishing you a cozy, colorful, and connected fall at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½!

Best,
Jaime

For More Information

• Human Resources
• hrdept@bates.edu
• 207-786-6140

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

The Summer 2025 HR Newsletter is here! This edition is full of updates and resources to help you stay connected and supported at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½. Inside, you’ll find:

• An employee engagement update from President Jenkins, highlighting the next steps toward building a Better ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Together
• Late-summer water safety tips to keep you and your loved ones safe while enjoying Maine’s lakes and ponds
• An introduction to the new B Well Ambassador program and the Well-being Committee
• A look back at Employee Enrichment Week, plus upcoming events like the family-friendly outing at Wallingford’s Fruit House on October 11
• An introduction to In Good Company with HR, beginning this September
• And more!

We invite you to read through the newsletter and stay up to date with the many opportunities and initiatives happening across campus.

Wishing you a safe and restful end to the summer!

Best,

Jaime Swart, HR Administrative Assistant

I am excited to share an important update with you regarding the ongoing employee engagement work led by our Human Resources team.

After several months of collaboration among dozens of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ colleagues (click here for full list), the third phase of the employee engagement initiative has been successfully completed. 

Together with support from Rankin Climate, the four subcommittees (Supervisor Development, Career Advancement, Staff-Faculty Relationships, and Employee Wellness) have developed several key recommendations in response to the staff survey feedback. This work is inclusive of diverse points of view and experiences, concrete survey metrics, and the continued desire and commitment to create a Better ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Together. 

The list of recommendations is extensive—you will find it by clicking here. I will highlight a handful that we will move forward in the coming academic year:

• Launch a comprehensive supervisor professional development program this fall
• Enhance the performance development process, reviewing position descriptions, clarifying job responsibilities, and outlining measurable goals 
• Structure consistent opportunities for networking, peer learning, and the sharing of best practices
• Expand the Ombuds Program to better support all employees 
• Create a formal recognition program that celebrates employee achievement
• Introduce a wellness ambassador program

Other recommendations specific to the Staff-Faculty Relationships committee have been presented to our new vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty, Joanne Roberts, for her review and feedback before we announce the more complex initiatives related to that work.

Thank you to everyone who made this work a priority. It is crucial to the success of our college, and I deeply appreciate your time and energy in service to the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ community. Thank you for staying involved and informed as we continue to strive toward a Better ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Together.

Warmly,

Garry

Garry W. Jenkins, President, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College

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

Please check out the winter 2024 newsletter attached to this email. This edition features articles focused on wellness and personal growth, including a workshop series hosted through B Well called Mindset Management: Enhancing Self-Leadership and Personal and Professional Growth. You will also find employee engagement updates, reminders about checking your newly elected benefits, and more!

Wishing everyone a wonderful rest of 2024, and looking forward to seeing everyone in the new year!

Best, 
Jessica Fournier
Employee Relations Manager

• 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