Update from Stacey

We watch a lot of baseball in my family, and I’ve been reading an old book about the economics of baseball, Moneyball: the Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis. (The 2011 film is worth a watch too.) A central theme of the book is that the Oakland A’s routinely found undervalued baseball players by paying careful attention to players’ performance, and dismissing criticism of those players that was rooted in a bias that they didn’t fit the “look” of a successful player. Lewis, paraphrasing the General Manager’s advice, wrote “When you rule out an entire class of people from doing a job simply by their appearance, you are less likely to find the best person for the job.”

I love when I find unexpected connections like this; I didn’t expect anything from Moneyball to relate to work, and yet this idea speaks to how we select people to join our organization or join projects as ASR staff. We can, and should, think about the qualities that make someone a successful ASR employee and work to ensure we remove bias from our processes. On that note, please check out the article below about joining ASR’s DEI Community of Practice and the many other informative items in this edition. Take care, and enjoy the holiday weekend.

New PERR form

Over the past year, we have been working on a new and improved process to replace the PDR form as it hasn’t been covering our needs. The new ASR Professional Experience & Resource Request (PERR) form encompasses requests for both professional development experiences (webinars, conferences, classes, etc) and resources (computer hardware and software, books/magazines, membership dues, licenses, office furniture, equipment, etc.). You can find the new JADU form linked on the Staff Intranet page.

For questions about the PERR process, contact Megan at asrcentral@umn.edu. If you have any technical issues with the workflow, email asrprojectsupport@umn.edu to open a ticket with the PWF team. Please reference the PERR FAQs document for further information.

ASR Hierarchy Group: OTR & C&C

The team reviewing opportunities for organizational alignment between the Office of the Registrar (OTR) and Continuity & Compliance (C&C) had their kick-off on June 21 and hit the ground running, scheduling weekly meetings, identifying key questions for sponsors, reviewing position descriptions, discussing the current structures of OTR and C&C, and exploring different organizational models at other institutions. This team may engage other ASR colleagues as their work ramps up. For more information about the work this group is exploring and the team make-up, visit the N&N blog.

Twin Cities department directory update

In response to the overwhelming feedback, the Twin Cities department directory was decommissioned on June 18, 2021. This update does not affect the people or general search functions on umn.edu. Contact information for services, such as Human Resources, Printing Services, or other units, can be found on the contact page for each of their websites.

ASR Slack

If you haven’t already, remember to check out the ASR-wide Slack! Everyone in ASR is encouraged to join, especially as we continue to work from home and move into flexible work. There are several communication channels available, ranging from good news to pets! You can also use the ASR-wide Slack to connect with others and coordinate future work decisions, such as finding a parking buddy as we navigate new parking contracts, or you can simply use it as a way to catch up and chat with your coworkers.

Cleaning bins

We received an extension on our cleaning bins, so we will now have them in our spaces until Friday, August 20, 2021. The recycling bins are available in Fraser, Williamson, and Bruininks Hall. Please coordinate with your supervisor to find time to go in and clean out your desk.

The bins are currently located in the following locations in Fraser:

• 133
• In the hallway outside of M133
• 200 near the front desk
• 345

Please get rid of items you do not need. Many old files can be scanned, including individual items in your office and team items in shared filing cabinets. The goal is for our spaces to be cleaned out as much as possible so they can be used as future touchstone spaces.

ASR Staff Engagement July 1st Survey

This week’s ASR Staff Engagement Survey 7/1/2021 looks at our return to campus. Thank you for continuing to share your stories and experiences!

According to the results of the last survey, a significant majority are typically most productive in the morning (76.5%), followed by the afternoon/evening (14.7%) and midday (8.8%). For the first time in News & Notes survey history, we had an even split! 50% of respondents reported that they normally listen to something while working and 50% do not.

In another close result, most prefer to work with a pet (or pets) nearby (47.1%), closely followed by working alone in your own space (41.2%). Finally, we had lots of fun responses when asked where you would go if you could travel anywhere for a day. Going to the beach and the North Shore were the most frequent responses. Tuscany, Cuba, Florence, Australia, and Zurich were also mentioned, among others.

Thanks all for your continued participation! It is very much appreciated. The results from the last survey are available below.

June 17, 2021 survey results

I am typically most productive in…

• 76.5% The morning
• 14.7% The afternoon/evening
• 8.8% Midday

Do you usually listen to something (music, podcast, etc) while working?

• 50% Yes
• 50% No

Which of the following best describes your preference?

• 47.1% I prefer to work with a pet (or pets) nearby
• 41.2% I prefer to work alone in my own space
• 11.8% I prefer to work with others nearby

If you could travel anywhere for a day, where would you go?

• Feywild
• The woods
• St. Maarten
• Machu Picchu
• The Shetland Islands
• Maui
• Fushimi Inari Shrine
• Grand Marais