Resource Services

Resource Services Management Team
Staff Satisfaction Survey Action Planning
14 December 2001

In an earlier meeting the RS Management Team had identified two major issues that we thought should be addressed--Trust and Respect, and Training and Development. Each of the teams held discussions about these issues as well as related ones, and the team leaders brought the team contributions to the Management team. The Team reviewed the suggested action items prior to our meeting to develop more specific action plans for RS as a whole and/or for the RS Management Team.

Trust and Respect

Peg suggested at the beginning of the discussion that the comments in this area suggested that a major issue underlying these feelings of a lack of trust and respect was the lack of identity within the division (RS) and within the library. The items that were identified as being needed in order to improve this sense of identity were

· A more fully-defined responsibility, a definition of where we fit
· Clear communication, more communication and more thoughtful communication
· Adequate feedback
· Proactive acceptance of others; trust as a two-way proposition

A discussion of possible action items to foster a greater sense of identity among ourselves and within the library generated the following agreed upon plans:

The task force model will be extended to these RS staff-related issues. The Management Team will identify staff issue(s) which can be addressed by small task forces; the need and possibility of doing so will be an agenda item in each of the monthly meetings. Three possible task forces were identified in the discussion:

. Cost Study Review
. Buildings Access
. Communication among teams and between RS Administration/Management Team and the rest of the RS staff and teams

These will be planned at the next Management Team meeting.

More encouragement needs to be given to team-building activities. The RS Management Team and RS Administration will require that each team undertake some type of team-building activity on a regular basis. Teams will report back to the RS Management Team on these activities and their results, and they will be described to an RS-wide reporting meeting to be held at least a couple of times per year.

The RS Management Team will have a conversation about the RS structure and organization, and communication to determine additional issues to be addressed and better define our role(s).

Communication issues were a part of this need to foster greater identity. In addition to the taskforce listed above, the RS Management Team will address the need to update staff on task force activities. Minutes for the RS Management Team will be prepared and shared.

For fostering greater understanding, leading to more feelings of trustworthiness, the Management Team will develop a plan by which team leaders trade, share and/or try out responsibilities of other team leaders for a short period of time (e.g., a day).

The Management Team will also develop a plan to have staff visit divisional operations and actually do and/or observe the work there.

Training and Development

Action items in the area of training and development include:

The RS Management Team will create an RS staff development policy statement by May 1, 2002.

The RS Management Team will identify training sessions that might be developed by RS staff that can be offered to divisional staff. Attention will be paid to the need for staff time and resources for such development. The possible topics will be identified in the spring of 2002.

All teams are instructed to place all documentation on the web. Decisions should be documented and included in web pages.

RS will create training and/or knowledge checklists for staff at several levels:
Teams will develop such checklists for basic functional skills. The Management Team will create such checklists for cross-functional knowledge and training.

RS will recommend to LITS, SDC and TTC that a technology skills checklist be developed. RS will suggest that an email etiquette statement be developed, maybe with the additional assistance from the informal Technology Advisory Group (TAG).

Organizational Issue

The area of benefits was identified as a major concern. Specific items raised were:
Need similar insurance benefits to other institutions
More benefits for employees that don't have children
Tuition support, time for pursuit of MLS degree
Better tuition support for employees
Improved retirement benefits (for after retirement)
Use of gym, health benefits, other retired faculty benefits
Early retirement plan
Better dependent benefits (price break for camps, day care, etc.)
University level fund for staff development