Staff Advisory Council
Meeting Minutes
June 21, 2017
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
HR Conference Room
Present: Bonnie Bresett, Kim Altiere, Brian Teal, Veronica Bosley, Susan Gaskell, Martha Tetrault, ex officio, Kevin Thomas, ex officio, Vishakha Sheoran, ex officio, Tamra Hjermstad, Helena Warburg, and Laurie Booth
Absent: Rachel Louis, Jean Grant, Colleen Little, Jim Guiden, and Charlotte Clark
Next Meeting: SAC does not meet in July and August but will resume again in September.
September 20, 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. in HR Conference Room
Thanks to outgoing members
Kim Altiere, Bonnie Bresett, Rachel Louis, and Helena Warburg are completing their terms on the Council. Martha thanked Kim, Bonnie, Rachel, and Helena for their three years of service to and for sharing their unique insights on the various subjects discussed and implemented.
Another member asked about the status of the support staff vacation and tuition reimbursement policy recommendations. Martha shared that all drafts are with Fred and ready to be taken to Senior Staff for further discussion.
Martha also shared her impressions based on the the compensation presentation earlier in the week. The attendance for the two presentations was low. Martha shared that she would look into doing it during winter study for next year, which may attract higher attendance. One of the members suggested recording the presentation as a video and putting it on the website. Another member shared that it might be helpful to put the slide deck on the website. Martha explained that without context for the power point presentation, it would be challenging to understand the content.
Process for nominating new members
Martha shared that in the past, we have done individual solicitation for bigger departments on campus such as Facilities, Dining, and Library, to ensure that these departments are represented on the council. The memo for nominations usually goes out the last week of August and the first week of September.
Martha asked the council for suggestions on how to increase nominations. Kevin shared that we had more nominations last year than we had slots, so we could request them to nominate themselves again for this year’s solicitation. Agenda for next year
The members recommended items for next year. Many of these were identified by the Council in Fall 2016, but with a full agenda we haven’t had time to discuss them in depth:
- Norms on Campus – One of the members asked what the focus of norms on campus? Kevin shared that it is based on creating a culture where people feel respected and equal. Martha added that as hiring on campus has increased, it is important to onboard new hires to a welcoming environment, especially for the bigger departments like OCR, OIT, Facilities, Dining, etc. It is important to share what is the cultural norms are on campus,.
Some of the members shared the practices (e.g. individual meetings, checklist, tour guides, mentors, etc.) followed at their own department. One of the members suggested having a mentor (more social aspect and less of work) from another department. The member further added that Williams is a difficult community to connect in and find things to do. There should be an emphasis on adding a social component to the onboarding. Another member shared that it is important to have a general checklist and expectations for new hires and their departments.
Other future agenda items of interest are:
- Leave of Absence Policy
- Unpaid Leave
- Volunteer Firefighter Policy – potentially combine it with Inclement weather policy
- professional development with a focus on creating a culture of learning at Williams
- Professional development – what it means for Williams and how it will be integrated
One of the members asked the difference between training and professional development. Kevin shared that a conferences broadens your knowledge about the field by exposing you to new ideas but you don’t know whether it is directly job-related just. It is the difference between learning a specific skill set versus developing a deeper background.
