Floating holiday survey

The Civil Service Consultative Committee (CSCC) is tasked with making recommendations to the Office of the President for the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and Rochester floating holiday schedule. The CSCC is seeking input from multiple employee groups about which days to recommend. You can provide your input by taking the UMN TC and Rochester Floating Holiday Poll, which is available until February 9. You will be asked to select your first, second, and third choices from a list of possible dates for floating holidays for the 2027-2028 academic year.

ASR mini-poll results

Last week's poll asked employees whether or not they agreed with this statement "I understand how ASR supports the overall University mission and goals." 94% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they understood how ASR supports the University's mission and goals.

One respondent said that "We (ASR) are the spine," of the University, while another said that "If I didn't think that the work I do on a daily basis in ASR makes a positive difference in the lives of students, I would not be working here! It is very important to me to be able to make that connection in my work."

Just as a reminder: ASR's mission, vision and Values are posted on the ASR website. The University's history and mission and the University's current vision and goals are also available.

ASR Mini-Poll #6

This week's mini-poll asks whether you understand how ASR supports the overall University mission and goals. Please take a few moments to respond - it should take less than a minute.

Thanks to everyone that participated in the last News & Notes poll. Several thoughtful ideas for improving teamwork were submitted. A few of the more common ideas:

• More cross-training


• More opportunities for cross-departmental work


• More team/social events


• Better understanding of individual work styles


• More positivity/less negativity/blame

Moving forward, we will give survey respondents the ability to include additional comments with their response. So, if you have ideas for implementing any of the suggestions above, please include them with your survey response.

Finally, "Top Pop Hits" edged "Minnesota Music" in the vote to determine which type of music we'll listen to before the October staff event. Good thing for Minnesota music lovers that Prince fits in both categories.

ASR employee mini-survey #5

This week's question is important and we didn't want to limit your answers, so we left it open-ended. Please take a few moments to share your ideas on how teamwork can be improved in both your individual department and in ASR as a whole. ASR poll questions are always anonymous, so please feel free to respond as you see fit.

Last issue's poll asked if respondents felt communication within their department was effective. Overall, 65% of respondents felt that it was, 24% didn't feel strongly either way and 11% felt that it was not effective.

The last poll also determined which decade's music we'd be listening to prior to the ASR staff event in October. It was a very close vote. The 60's and 90's both had strong support, but not strong enough to put them in the top three. The top three of the 70's, 80's and 2010-now all finished within three votes of one another. Take this week’s poll question to find out which decade came out on top.

ASR employee mini-survey #4

This week's poll asks whether communication in your department is effective, then gives you the chance to weigh in on the sort of music you would like to hear at the October 29 ASR staff event. Please tell us what you think.

The previous poll question asked whether you would attend a “brown bag” session for ASR staff about ESUP and what topics you would like covered. 40% of respondents said they were likely to attend a brown bag session and another 6% said they were undecided. Many respondents indicated they already feel very well informed, but several topics were suggested including the student experience in the portal, an overview of the training plan, overviews of what's changing, and information about time and absence management for staff and managers. Watch for more information to come about brown bag sessions for ASR staff.