Human Resource Services news
From the associate vice president
The Office of Organizational Learning and Development became fully staffed when Aubrey Pettaway joined director Valerie Wallen last July. Since then, they have been working on a comprehensive workplace learning and development plan for UR employees.
Incorporating feedback from employees across campus, the plan increases efforts to develop the knowledge, skills and capabilities of each employee. Here at the University of Richmond, this will serve to maximize the positive impact of the University on student learning and the campus experience.
Very shortly we will publish a “menu” of training and development opportunities for all UR employees. Over time, the menu will evolve into a catalog, enriching the quality of work life at the University.
In particular, I want to highlight a few recent developments that have had a positive impact for our employees.
In December and January, Valerie and Aubrey unveiled two of these programs, one with Athletics and one with Dining Services. “Effective Interactions with Diversity & Inclusion,” held in December, addressed diversity and inclusion as skill development.
In January, Aubrey and Pam Ash facilitated a class for Dining Services titled “Recognizing and Dealing with Harassment,” designed to increase awareness and provide the skills and motivation necessary to better address the issues of harassment.
Feedback from participants was very positive. Human Resource Services is excited to make these programs available to the entire University community.
Beginning in October, Valerie and Aubrey, with input and support from the HR team and departments across campus, redesigned our New Employee Orientation program. The new process introduces new employees to a variety of current employees and students, orients them to programs and services, and provides learning opportunities during the first 30, 60 and 90 days on the job.
One new employee had this to say about the one-month program, “I have had orientation before, but this was very different in a great way. I think everything was great and well prepared.” Another said, “I’m impressed with the involvement from a variety of staff, a great job in showing off the school for its vast resources and perks for staff. Looking forward to my experiences here!”
And, in the midst of all this new programming, the learning and development team has facilitated planning and team-building retreats for many departments on campus.
This is an exciting time to be part of the UR community. The entire HR team is anxious to make your employment at the University as gratifying as possible.
Carl Sorensen
Associate VP,
Human Resource Services
Diversity and inclusion training
Athletics led the way in requesting and implementing a training course on diversity and inclusion. The course, titled “Effective Interactions with Diversity & Inclusion,” was held in December. Leaders of the department approached the staff from Organizational Learning and Development and asked to be one of the initial groups that would proactively address diversity and inclusion as skill development.
The learning and development team designed a course for Athletics employees that would help them explore and better understand the meaning of diversity and inclusion from within the athletic context. As trainers, the learning and development staff researched best practices in diversity programs and worked on identifying approaches that would deliver the desired results. Along the way, the training staff worked with staff of Common Ground to develop a course that would complement that office’s work.
Employees from Athletics attended a half-day training session designed to enhance skills used by coaches and staff to assist athletes with issues of difference that arise in the UR community. Learners in the course were also asked to identify how conflicts can naturally arise from differences and develop strategies for successfully managing those conflicts.
Evaluations of this first diversity and inclusion training were overwhelmingly positive. More than 80 percent of participants agreed or strongly agreed that the training taught them what they needed to know and that the course was relevant in terms of their needs. Participant comments also provided valuable feedback that stated they wanted more interaction and more time for thoughtful discussion of relevant issues during the course. The learning and development staff will incorporate concepts from the training into the new employee orientation program and are already working on a follow-up course to further develop employee skills in the areas of diversity and inclusion.
More learning and development news
During the spring semester, short courses on sexual harassment and anti-discrimination will be held for all staff supervisors and staff employees. The course will reinforce the University’s policy of zero tolerance. Richmond is committed to implementing this policy in a way that provides a forum for employees to discuss issues and identify options and resources in the event that they experience or witness a problem. Watch campus mail, SpiderBytes and e-mail for more information about a schedule for these courses.
A new workplace learning and performance Web site will be added to the Human Resources Web site soon. Check the HR Web site under the workplace learning topic for more information about learning opportunities and development activities offered by the Organizational Learning and Development staff.