Staff Advisory Council
Meeting Agenda
May 24, 2016
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
HR Conference Room
Present: Veronica Bosley, Bonnie Bresett, Kim Altiere, Tamra Hjermstad, Susan Gaskell, Helena Warburg, Miguel Gutierrez, Martha Tetrualt, Kevin Thomas, ex officio, ex officio, Vishakha Sheoran, ex officio
Absent:, Joey McClain, Brian Teal, Jessica Nairn, Rachel Louis
Next Meeting: September 27, 2016, 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. in HR Conference Room
- Approval of April minutes
The members reviewed and approved meeting minutes with a few amendments.
- Thoughts on the Staff Party
It appeared that a lot of people RSVPed they would attend the event, but didn’t show up. One member commented that once the music started, the venue became too loud to have conversations. Some people liked the event and some people didn’t like the event. The food was awesome, but some people felt the food was cold.
- Review on Communication for Salary increase
Martha shared the email communication that would be sent out to all staff. It would include the amount of the general increase for FY17 and the process for recommendations for merit. Martha explained how the merit increase process works for administrative and for support staff. They are somewhat separate.
Each year a portion of the salary budget is set aside to recognize extraordinary performance. Merit increase can be added to an employee’s base salary or given as a one-time bonus. For support staff, managers initiate the process by emailing Martha with their recommendations and a written rationale based on the employee’s work during the year. Martha reviews this and populates the spreadsheet to determine number and budget. Merit increases have been 1.5% of rate for the past few years. The distribution varies and can be dependent upon the size of the department.
One of the members shared concerns about sharing merit increase information personally with other staff since it can lead to unnecessary confusion and conversations in the department. Martha emphasized the importance of keeping salaries confidential realizing that people will talk anyway Another member mentioned that in their department, the manager would inform the employee about submitting request for increase for that employee. The manager doesn’t communicate whether the employee received the increase or not. The more you avoid such conversations, a manager appears to be less transparent. When you talk about money, it often leads to other unproductive conversations. Another member mentioned that dollar amount should not be the focus. It should be more about acknowledging the person for their performance and going above and beyond. Martha shared the importance of connecting performance reviews to merit increase.
- Summary of grievance policy uses from peer review
Kevin elaborated on grievance policies and shared few examples of what might be grievable and what not. The group shared that the key question is whether someone can grieve a decision based on compensation. The group is reviewing peer and ivy school policies for guidance on grievance practices.
Next Meeting Topics
- Language for bereavement and sick leave policies
- Recommendation for next year for Appreciation Day
- Important to distinguish between Non-discriminatory policy and work place related grievances
Please submit any agenda items to Kevin prior to the next scheduled meeting.
