- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Last spring, a sampling of non-represented UC ANR staff were asked to complete the biennial Staff Engagement Survey to gauge their impressions about working for the University. The Council of UC Staff Assemblies (CUCSA), in collaboration with Systemwide Human Resources' Employee Relations department, developed the survey with the company Willis Towers Watson. The 2017 survey follows similar surveys conducted in 2013 and 2015. The results have been tabulated, and the UC ANR Staff Assembly and UC ANR Human Resources are preparing to share the results broadly across the division.
All staff and academics are invited to take part in a webinar review of the survey results from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Dec. 13 (additional information and the webinar link will be e-mailed). Vice President Glenda Humiston, ANR Staff Assembly and ANR Human Resources will host a town hall meeting from 11 a.m. to 12 noon on Jan. 16 to discuss the results and ideas for improvement.
“Reviewing the engagement survey results gives us the opportunity to have open conversations about how people feel about working at UC ANR, and identify ways we can improve,” said John Fox, ANR Human Resources executive director.
At the UC ANR Staff Assembly ambassadors' meeting in October, CUCSA delegates Jeannette Warnert and LeChé McGill presented a preview of the results in three areas that show opportunities for improvement: organizational change, performance management and wellness. After the presentation, the ambassadors broke into groups to suggest ways to improve staff impressions in these areas.
According to the survey, 34 percent of respondents had a favorable impression to the statement, "Generally, recent major organizational changes across the UC system have been planned well.” This is a 2 percentage-point increase from 2015.
The most popular suggestion from the ambassadors for improvement was including staff (particularly those affected by the changes) in the change process. The ambassadors also emphasized the importance of communication about changes, such as information about why changes are being made and how they will be implemented. They also stressed the importance of listening to staff and taking their input seriously.
In the area of performance management, 70 percent of staff surveyed responded favorably to the statement, “I think my performance on the job is evaluated fairly.” However, this was an 8 percentage point drop from the 2015 survey. A significant proportion, 67 percent, had favorable impressions about the statement, "I feel my personal contributions are recognized." A smaller group, 20 percent, responded favorably to "I feel my campus/location does a good job matching pay to performance."
The ambassadors felt strongly that performance management impressions could be improved by helping staff and supervisors develop a better understanding of the new employee-performance-appraisal report rating system. They suggested sharing details about the successes of staff who were rated "transformational," and providing training to staff on their role in the performance appraisal process.
Ambassadors also expressed a concern that there is an assumption among UC ANR managers that staff cannot be rated as "exceptional.”
The 2017 Staff Engagement Survey covered the topic of “wellness” for the first time. Sixty-one percent of UC ANR staff responded favorably to the statement, “My supervisor is supportive of my participation in health or wellness-related initiatives and programs offered at my campus/location.” A similar number, 60 percent, gave favorable responses to the statement, “My organization promotes an environment of physical, mental and social well-being.”
Ambassadors shared a number of ideas for improving this outcome, such as offering discounts for local health clubs/gyms, release time for exercise, exercise awards, structured wellness activities, and support for telecommuting.
For more information on the 2017 UC Staff Engagement Survey, see the UC ANR Staff Assembly website.
- Author: Aubrey Thompson
Nominate someone you know for the Bradford Rominger Agricultural Sustainability Leadership Award.
Every year, the Agricultural Sustainability Institute at UC Davis recognizes an individual from the University of California for their leadership in sustainable agriculture. The award honors individuals exhibiting the leadership, work ethic and integrity epitomized by the late farmer Charlie Rominger and the late UC Davis livestock geneticist Eric Bradford. Awardees demonstrate leadership with a passion for service as they aim to improve the world through their contributions to agriculture.
Help celebrate the work of a UC faculty, staff, Cooperative Extension advisor, student, or alum who helps make California agriculture thrive, now and for future generations.
Nominations are welcome for UC Cooperative Extension farm advisors and specialists as well as UC Davis graduate students, faculty members, and in special cases, alumni, for their work toward agricultural sustainability. Award recipients will receive a cash prize and may be invited to give a lecture sponsored by ASI, which manages the award and selection process.
Nominations are due Jan. 15, 2018. To submit a nomination or for more information about the award, visit http://asi.ucdavis.edu/about/awards-and-scholarships/bradford-rominger-award/nominate.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
To show how ANR is making a difference for Californians, ANR collects impact stories from UC Cooperative Extension and Agricultural Experiment Station work in UC Delivers. Please help us keep the collection updated by contributing your success stories that include documented or potential impacts.
Once a story is posted to the website, it is converted to a one-page PDF that is shared with ANR senior leaders and posted to the federal impacts website for land grant universities at https://landgrantimpacts.tamu.edu. At the end of January, the national land-grant impact writing team will be gathering stories from this database to share with members of Congress.
Stories or portions of stories may also be included in the annual federal report that is submitted to our funding partner, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The 2016 Federal Report Snapshot can be viewed at http://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/Divisionwide_Planning to see a sample of research and extension that was included in the report. One-pagers on UC Delivers may also be used to educate county supervisors, legislators, funders and reporters about the impact of ANR activities.
You may find other ways to share your work using UC Delivers.
To submit an article to UC Delivers, go to your ANR Portal page and click on “Add a New Story” under UC Delivers. or if you are AES faculty without access to the portal, you can contact Jennifer Caron-Sale directly for assistance posting a story. Program Planning and Evaluation's editing process is designed to post stories within four weeks after submission.
Caron-Sale, Program Planning and Evaluation policy analyst, reviews content and works with authors to ensure articles are written in lay language, have strong payoffs and conform to ANR's writing style and the UC Delivers template. For academics who have completed an ANR Competitive Grant Final Report in 2017, she will reach out to initiate the editing process for a summary written for the general public.
If you have questions about UC Delivers, please contact Caron-Sale at jennifer.caron-sale@ucop.edu or (510) 987-0214.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
The California Institute for Water Resources is celebrating its 60th anniversary.
To commemorate the changes and achievements of the institute, FaithKearns,CIWR academic coordinator II, wrote a Q&A with Doug Parker, CIWR director and leader of the Water Quality, Quantity, and Security Strategic Initiative.
Originally located at UCLA in 1957 and directed by Martin Huberty, over the years, the multi-campus research unit moved between the UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and UC Riverside campuses.
In 2011, ANR renamed UC Water Resources Center the California Institute for Water Resources and established its headquarters at the UC Office of the President in Oakland, where it remains today.
“The initial mission of the institute still stands: to integrate California's research, extension, and education programs to develop research-based solutions to water resource challenges,” Parker said. “In practice, we work across all kinds of institutions and provide educational programs through direct contact, web-based programs, and social media to increase understanding of complex water issues while also trying to diversify the conversation about water within our state.”
To read more about CIWR activities and key water issues that Parker sees ahead for the state, visit http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=25648.
- Author: Jodi Azulai
New academic & staff employees save the date: UC ANR Administrative Orientation on May 23, 2018
ANR will hold another administrative orientation in the spring. This orientation on May 23 is intended for new staff and academics. For more information, contact Tina Jordan for Academic HR at tljordan@ucanr.edu or Jodi Azulai for Staff HR at jlazulai@ucanr.edu.
On a career path?
If you are plotting your career path, you may want to review the Career Planning Tools found on the ANR Learning and Development webpage. Explore UC systemwide competencies, complete a self-assessment worksheet, create an Individual Development Plan and discuss your career goals with your supervisor to see how they can support you.
Can Lynda.com courses be downloaded and completed without Wi-Fi? Yes!
To learn how to download, choose either iOS device or Android device. Start learning at your convenience with a Lynda app.
November's Lynda.com course features are:
- Become A Project Coordinator (click here)
- Power Point: Designing Better Slides (click here)
- Running a Professional Webinar (click here)
Interest survey: Winter 2018 UC People Management Networking Cohort
People managers who wish to be considered for the Winter 2018 UC Performance Management Networking Cohort are asked to fill out this interest survey by Dec. 5.
Participants are people managers who want to or have completed the UC Performance Management Certificate (via UC Learning Center). There are 10 required and 4 elective modules to complete to earn the certificate. Each module takes from 30 to 45 minutes. (Browse course titles and codes here).
As a member of the networking cohort, you'll meet for a facilitated call once a month for 10 months to share:
- Tools used from the UC People Management course and how they are affecting positive change
- Guidance for challenges or issues in engagement, productivity or communication
- Homework assignments from the course
People who complete the course by June 2018 will be eligible to apply for funds to attend the second annual UC People Management Conference in August 2018. See last year's conference website.
What are participants saying?
The UC People Management Certificate series has helped me to be a more well-rounded and engaged supervisor. I have learned that performance management is more than a once-a-year performance evaluation endeavor; it's an ever-evolving process of setting expectations and goals, monitoring and giving staff feedback, coaching, reviewing expectations, evaluating results which replays continually. Additionally, I have learned how to work with my staff to create SMART goals which benefit not only the employee, but the entire organization as well. Additionally, using the lessons learned in the series, an administrative succession plan has been formulated which will ensure continuity of services and institutional knowledge. --- Lori Renstrom, M.A. Administrative Officer 3, UCCE San Diego County
