Staff Assembly exists to promote and support all staff members at UC Merced. To do that, our executive board must first understand what employees want and need.
We issued a survey this past spring to find out how much UC Merced staff knew about our organization and its activities, and whether the people we’re here to represent know our mission and purpose. The results confirmed the board’s assumptions and serve as a valuable benchmark for us to measure success moving forward.
When you visit our website, you will see the following mission:
UC Merced Staff Assembly is an organization for staff dedicated to promoting the interests and well-being of all staff members. Staff Assembly supports the University’s mission by providing forums for staff at all levels to communicate on issues of mutual concern, helping create educational opportunities and offering exciting activities for interaction among staff employees.
By and large, we found survey respondents to be unclear on what our organization does, what we’re supposed to do, and even which events we sponsor or co-host. Here are some trends noted by the board as we reviewed the survey results:
- a desire for strong advocacy on behalf of staff;
- an expressed desire for professional development;
- complaints of negative workplace experiences and low morale; and
- a desire for fundraising efforts with direct benefit to staff, faculty and students instead of civic organizations.
Taking it all in, one comment seems to summarize the majority: “I believe Staff Assembly needs to be a stronger advocacy body for staff issues and concerns,” the employee wrote, adding that he or she had seen no evidence of our board acknowledging the challenges staff face.
As president, I know our board has advocated for staff. We met several times in 2017-18 with members of the Executive Leadership Team to discuss employee mental health, the shortage of health-care providers in the Merced area, low employee engagement and the general sense that employees feel overworked and underappreciated.
This past year, Co-Chairs for Communications Judy Marks (HSRI) and Mort Peyvandi (External Relations) debuted a twice-monthly email newsletter to share staff-specific news and events. We saw the effectiveness of this tool in the feedback we’ve received from readers and in the increased attendance at our events.
Speaking of events, our board is known for Staff Appreciation Week (SAW) but that is only one of many partnerships we have.
Human Resources’s New Employee Orientation, Build Your Network and Career Advancement Mentoring Program (CAMP) are all co-sponsored by our board. Both HR and the Office of the Chancellor have been longstanding supporters of Staff Assembly initiatives. Both divisions provide significant funding support for popular SAW activities. HR underwrites the annual breakfast, and the Chancellor’s Annual Staff Picnic is paid for and planned by her staff in conjunction with the event committee. This year, we were able to deliver food to workers unable to attend the picnic on campus, including campus police, Central Plant, housing custodial services and the Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC).
UC Merced Staff Assembly is an organization for staff dedicated to promoting the interests and well-being of all staff members.
Other annual activities involving the board include the Celebrating Service awards banquet, Staff Excellence Awards, Staff Convocation and the Chancellor’s Annual Staff Meeting. We also facilitate the inclusion of staff on several campus committees, work groups and executive candidate searches.
The 2018-19 Executive Board was elected in May and began its term July 1. This board will further the work initiated by the prior board, leaning on the results of the spring membership survey to inform its priorities for the coming year.
Some topics up for discussion are:
- soliciting questions from staff prior to meetings with senior leaders so that we may be better advocates for our fellow employees;
- improving accessibility and inclusion for our meetings, such as rotating locations and full Zoom integration;
- continuing the email newsletter twice a month; and
- presenting more lunch-and-learn opportunities for staff to discuss issues of concern and general interest.
There is a lot of work to be done in the coming year, and our board cannot do it alone. That’s why I encourage all staff to join us. If you have ideas that might speak to the needs communicated in the survey, or if you want to help achieve these objectives, let’s talk. Email me to share your thoughts or set up a time to meet.
Jeff Porto Jr. is a director of development for External Relations who joined UC Merced in 2010. This is his second year as Staff Assembly President.
