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Posts Tagged: Work Environment Assessment

Let your voice be heard

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Dear Colleagues,

Two years ago you were asked to participate in a statewide survey regarding your work environment. Survey results have been tabulated and reviewed. While the Work Environment Assessment Committee was discussing survey results, we realized that ANR has no formal or consistent mechanism to get feedback from staff. an ANR Staff Assembly would provide that mechanism.

A staff assembly would promote effective communication between staff employees and the ANR administration. An ANR Staff Assembly would provide forums where staff at all levels can discuss UC ANR and University issues of mutual concern, and offer opinions and recommendations to the administration on policies, processes and programs.

For more information, click on the links below. Let us know if you are interested in being involved in the ANR Staff Assembly by filling out a 1-minute survey by January 26. If you have questions, please contact Jodi Azulai at jlazulai@ucanr.edu

What is a staff assembly?

Who has staff assemblies in UC?

How would an ANR staff assembly benefit ANR staff?

What are the main functions of an ANR Staff Assembly?

Who would establish the ANR Staff Assembly?

How would staff volunteers establish the ANR Staff Assembly?

Who can be a member of the ANR Staff Assembly?

What personal benefits would I gain by being a member of the ANR staff assembly?

How do I get involved?

For the full ANR Staff Assembly webpage, click here.

Sincerely,

Your Work Environment Assessment Committee

 

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on Wednesday, January 14, 2015 at 3:04 PM

Work Environment Assessment workshops set for spring

Last month Vice President Barbara Allen-Diaz wrote to you about ANR's follow-up plans for the Work Environment Assessment. Six workshops have been scheduled around the state. Please plan to attend the one in your region and mark it on your calendar. Prior to each event, invitations, a registration survey and more information will be sent.

Please remember that California is a very large state, and in scheduling workshops, some people are going to have to travel farther than others. We also understand that not everyone will be able to attend, and we will plan to share information with everyone later in the spring.  The regional groupings, the location of the workshop, and the date are listed below. See the map on the website at http://ucanr.edu/sites/wesurvey  to identify which counties, RECs, campuses and administrative units are in each grouping:

  • South, San Diego – Monday, March 2
  • Central Valley, Kearney REC – Monday, March 9
  • Sacramento Valley, Davis – Tuesday, March 31
  • North, Redding – Wednesday, April 15
  • Administrative Units, Davis – Wednesday, May 20
  • Coast, San Luis Obispo – Wednesday, May 27

Please plan to attend – a positive and welcoming work environment is important to all of us.

Work Environment Committee

 

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

Posted on Wednesday, January 7, 2015 at 3:48 PM

VP announces Work Environment Assessment follow-up

Dear Colleagues,

I want you to know how much I appreciate the time that you took to participate in the Work Environment Assessment in 2012. ANR had a phenomenal 64% response rate! I hosted a virtual town hall with you in April of this year after the results were finally released. Today, I want to provide an update on the steps we are taking to follow up on the Work Environment Assessment. Workshops are being planned for the spring of 2015, and a “Save the Date” message will be coming soon with the date and location of the workshop in each regional grouping. 

Goals of the workshop are to:

  • share information on what we're learning from the assessment results with data by regional grouping as well as overall statewide totals;
  • address instances of exclusionary behavior by engaging in a discussion of Principles of Community; and
  • share information about the new ANR Staff Assembly.

ANR is committed to ensuring a safe, supportive, inclusive and welcoming work environment for everyone. While overall results from the ANR climate study show that most ANR employees are comfortable in their work environment, some reported discomfort.  There is also variation between groups; for example, academics are more comfortable than either represented or non-represented staff. Some employees have experienced exclusionary behavior such as feeling ignored, left out, intimidated or bullied.  

Over the past several months, the UC ANR Work Environment Assessment Committee (see roster below) has been working to identify areas of opportunity for improving the work environment for all ANR employees. The first step will be to engage ANR employees through a series of six workshops.  All academics, staff and county-paid staff will be invited to participate to discuss data from the work environment assessment and additional insights from prior listening sessions. The assessment data will be provided by regional grouping, as well as a statewide overview. 

Although the assessment data that we have does not include campus-based CE specialists (they received the campus version of the survey), they will be invited to participate in the workshops along with the rest of their ANR colleagues. 

We are taking two immediate steps to address the issue of exclusionary behavior.  First, the workshops will include a session devoted to developing “Principles of Community” for ANR.  Principles of Community provide a foundation for understanding our common values.  They define expectations for behavior in the workplace that is professional, welcoming and inclusive.  And they provide a framework for addressing issues that may arise in the workplace.  After all of the workshops have been completed, the draft Principles will be shared and then finalized. 

The second step is to provide a communication mechanism for non-academic staff to voice their issues, concerns and suggestions. ANR academics have the Academic Assembly Council, but there is no similar organization in ANR for staff. Currently all ten campuses, the Berkeley Lab and UCOP have a Staff Assembly organization. There is also a statewide body, called the Council of UC Staff Assemblies (CUCSA) that has representation from all of the Staff Assemblies. I am committed to forming an ANR Staff Assembly. Accordingly, one of the workshop sessions will focus on understanding what an ANR Staff Assembly would do, and why staff would want to be engaged in this organization.

I want to thank the Work Environment Assessment Committee for all of their work to analyze the data and prepare for these workshops. Our work environment is a top priority for me, and I hope you will plan to attend the workshop in your part of the state.

Sincerely,

Barbara Allen-Diaz
Vice President  

Work Environment Assessment Committee
2014-15 Roster

Jodi Azulai, Training and Development Coordinator

Bethanie Brown, Human Resources Supervisor, Human Resources—Staff Personnel Unit

Jan Corlett, Chief of Staff to the Vice President

Jeff Dahlberg, Director, Kearney Agricultural Research & Extension Center

Chris Greer, Vice Provost, Cooperative Extension

Kat Hicklin, Business Officer, South Coast Research & Extension Center and UC Cooperative Extension Orange County

Amy Long, Administrative Assistant, Cooperative Extension, San Diego County

Linda Manton, Executive Director, Human Resources—Staff Personnel Unit; Affirmative Action Contact; Title IX Contact

Robert Martinez, Human Resources Coordinator, Human Resources—Staff Personnel Unit

John Sims, Affirmative Action Compliance Officer, Human Resources—Staff Personnel Unit

Rachel Surls, Cooperative Extension Advisor, Los Angeles County

 

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

Posted on Tuesday, December 16, 2014 at 8:19 AM

Join April 29 town hall to discuss ANR Work Environment Assessment

Join VP Barbara Allen-Diaz and AVP Bill Frost for a one-hour town hall on Tuesday, April 29, at 9 a.m. to discuss the UC ANR Work Environment Assessment.

UC recently released the results of a systemwide survey of all faculty, students and staff on work environments and work-life issues. When asked about their work environment in UC ANR, 73 percent of the respondents said they were “very comfortable” or “comfortable.” However, there is cause for concern because 31 percent of respondents believed that they had personally experienced exclusionary conduct in some form, such as feeling intimidated, bullied or ignored.

“This is an area where we can, and we will, do better,” said Allen-Diaz. “It is something that we must prioritize and address together, as an organization.” 

The UC ANR Work Environment Assessment results are based on a 64 percent response rate from UC Cooperative Extension specialists and advisors and staff located around the state. However, these results do not include Agricultural Experiment Station faculty or Cooperative Extension specialists located on the Berkeley, Davis and Riverside campuses who received the campus survey or staff in Oakland who received the UC Office of the President survey.

“I want to hear from you,” said Allen-Diaz. “Please join me on April 29 and share your suggestions for ensuring a safe, supportive, inclusive and welcoming work environment for everyone.”

The UC ANR Work Environment Assessment report is available at http://ucanr.edu. A complete look at the systemwide effort is available at http://campusclimate.ucop.edu/index.html.    

If you will be in the ANR building at 2801 Second Street in Davis on April 29, please join the town hall in the San Joaquin Valley and Sacramento Valley rooms. If you are outside the building, connect with us via Adobe Connect at http://uc-d.adobeconnect.com/allanr.

If you haven't used Adobe Connect before, you may want to log into http://uc-d.adobeconnect.com/allanr ahead of time in case it requires you download a plug-in. If you have a technical problem, contact Miriam McDonald at miriam@ucanr.edu or (530) 750-1229 or Damon DiPietro at damon@ucanr.edu or (530) 750-1228.

 

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

 

Posted on Tuesday, April 1, 2014 at 8:18 AM

ANR Work Environment survey results now available

Dear Colleagues,

Today, the University of California released the results of a systemwide survey of all faculty, students and staff. The Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) participated in this survey with the rest of the UC system to gather a wide variety of data related to work environments and work-life issues. UC ANR was the first location to administer the survey in the fall of 2012.                                                      

We wanted to know about your experiences working for UC ANR, and I want to thank you for your participation and honesty in filling out the survey.

The UC ANR Work Environment Assessment results are based on a 64% response rate from CE specialists, advisors and staff located throughout our system. However, these results do not include AES faculty and CE specialists located on the Berkeley, Davis and Riverside campuses who received the campus survey; or staff in Oakland who received the UCOP survey.

When asked about their work environment in UC ANR, 73% of the respondents said they were “very comfortable” or “comfortable,” and this is very positive news. However, there is also cause for concern because 31% of respondents believed that they had personally experienced exclusionary conduct in some form, such as feeling intimidated, bullied or ignored. This is an area where we can, and we will, do better. It is something that we must prioritize and address together, as an organization.

UC ANR is committed to ensuring a safe, supportive, inclusive and welcoming work environment for everyone. Everyone's experience of the work environment is different, and detailed analysis of the data will help us understand the differences. We want to acknowledge areas where we are doing well and identify issues that require attention.

The UC ANR Work Environment Assessment report is available at http://campusclimate.ucop.edu/results/index.html. A complete look at the system-wide effort is available at http://campusclimate.ucop.edu/index.html.

I am inviting your comments and suggestions – I want to hear from you:

  • I will be hosting a town hall in April – watch for the date in ANR Updates.
  • Go to the UC ANR Work Environment Assessment website where you can submit your thoughts and ideas on our work environment (http://ucanr.edu/sites/wesurvey/).

We are a very large and geographically dispersed organization; an organization that has core values of respect, trust, honesty, integrity, professionalism, creativity and continual improvement; and an organization built on teamwork and collaboration. We must continue to work together as a team to ensure that these values are demonstrated every day, in our interactions with each other and in our work units.

Again, watch for our town hall in April to further discuss the survey results and next steps.

Sincerely,

Barbara Allen-Diaz
Vice President

 

View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.

This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.

Posted on Wednesday, March 19, 2014 at 10:02 AM

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