HR and Communications move ahead with Staff Engagement action plans
May 12, 2014 •
UCOP Human Resources and Communications are proceeding with action plans they developed to respond to the Staff Engagement work group recommendations, following approval earlier this month by OP leadership.
Among the recommendations now being implemented are an online system for handling performance appraisals throughout UCOP, new career planning tools and a staff advisory committee to work with Communications and the OP Staff Assembly regarding UCOP communications.
The moves follow the work of three staff engagement work groups that made recommendations on how to better engage and support staff in the areas of career development, performance management and communications. That effort wrapped up early this year, when the work groups handed off their proposals to subject matter experts in Human Resources and Communications.
In response to the recommendations, HR Executive Director John Fox and his team are building on existing career development and performance management programs to provide greater consistency and offer more options. In addition to the online appraisal system, which will launch this July, other new offerings include:
- Career Planning and Compensation at UC (summer 2014), a new course designed to help staff identify skills by career level and across job functions
- Online supervisor training (fall 2014) in engaging and developing employees
HR is also more actively promoting its existing offerings, improving its performance management system, facilitating staff recognition programs and examining new supervisor training methods.
Internal Communications Director Paul Schwartz and his team likewise addressed the communications recommendations and are now working with OP Staff Assembly to set up the communications advisory committee, which interested staff will be able to apply for.
The committee, which will launch as a two-year pilot, will meet regularly to discuss organizational communications efforts, support the work of the Staff Assembly and help facilitate communications throughout UCOP. Plans now call for getting the group up and running shortly after OP Staff Assembly holds its 2014–15 elections.
HR and Communications discussed their plans with the work groups and held brown bags to share them with the UCOP community before submitting them to leadership. You can find their complete presentations on the OP Staff Assembly website.
