Staff Advisory Council

January 26, 2016

January Staff Advisory Council Meeting
Meeting Minutes
January 26, 2016
9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
HR Conference Room

Present: Helena Warburg, Brian Teal, Veronica Bosley, Kim Altiere, Susan Gaskell, Rachel Louis, Miguel Gutierrez, Susan Gaskell Martha Tetrualt, ex officio, Kevin Thomas, ex officio, Vishakha Sheoran, ex officio

Absent: Bonnie Bresett, Tamra Hjermstad, Jessica Nairn, and Joey McClain

Next Meeting: February 23, 2016, 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m., HR Conference Room

  1. Approval of December 22 minutes

The members reviewed and approved meeting minutes with a few amendments.

  1. Position on college solicitation policy

Martha shared that the college formerly had a written a policy on solicitation but it was removed in 2004. It was not possible to administer with employees soliciting of personal reasons i.e., Girl Scout cookies, Avon, etc. Some members asked questions regarding implications of removing the policy, while others shared personal experiences in such situations. Martha recommended that if anyone feels that their supervisor is implicitly requesting that the employee buy something for their specific cause that the employee seek advice from HR. Kevin suggested adding a topic for supervisory training series on the supervisors effect of their actions on their staff.

III.   Recommendation for possible changes to support staff vacation plan

The group recommended that leave increases should happen sooner than five years. A question was asked about whether this would impact hourly staff in libraries. The response was that it would be standard across the board. Someone mentioned that there are times during a year in each department where you are not allowed to take time off. This was followed up by a question about whether grandfathering staff in to the plan was an option. Someone shared that there are processes in place to manage the time taken by hourly staff in facilities. The Council unanimously recommended that longevity should be rewarded additional vacation days sooner than 5 years.

  1. Continued conversation about appreciation day gift options

Kevin did a cost analysis to look at potential cost if each honoree received specific tiered dollar amounts based on their years of service as an Appreciation Day gift. The total amount came out to be $220k as compared to the current total amount is $19k for the entire day.  Kevin initiated a brainstorming session with the council members to think of potential gifts for Appreciation Day in the future. Martha shared that anything that looks like cash would be taxed. Some of the gifts suggested are as follows and the number in parenthesis reflects the number of members who supported that gift suggestion:

  • Umbrella
  • Extra vacation day to be added to the accrued vacation (3)
  • Eph bucks
  • Flowers and thank you notes from your supervisor and/or senior staff
  • Gift certificate (4)
  • Office plant (1)
  • Spa day or massage (2)
  • Framed print – Williams (1)
  • Free guest on alumni trip – 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 (3)
  • Cruise vacation for weekend
  • Ipad or Tablet or Kindle (4)
  • Fitbit or smart watch
  • Vacation for a day or two at local places such as Mohank, Kripalu, Canyon ranch (10)
  • Spin classes, yoga classes, personal training (1)
  • Cooking classes through dinning services
  • Boot camp at CIA
  • Services – dog walking, baby sitting, house cleaning
  • Restaurant coupon plus baby sitter
  • Williams outfit – sweatshirt, socks, etc. (5)

 

This will be taken under consideration and shared with Fred Puddester as possible changes for future years.

 

  1. Review of bereavement policy

Martha shared history and insight about the current Bereavement Leave. Someone liked the fact that if somebody needs more time to travel, they get it approved by Martha. Someone mentioned that three days doesn’t seem enough to plan everything, especially for an immediate family member. Someone else questioned if differentiating between immediate and close relatives would be helpful. The group agreed that it is also dependent on different cultural or religious practices. Martha suggested that doing a peer-review for this purpose would help the group to get a better understanding of this policy across other institutions.

  1. Next Meeting Topics

Grievance Policy

Please submit any agenda items to Kevin prior to the next scheduled meeting.