ASR Staff Engagement October 21st Survey

This week’s ASR Staff Engagement Survey 10/21/2021 assesses recognition at work. Thank you for continuing to share your stories and experiences!

According to last week’s survey, most feel that they can perform well under pressure (55%) or that they sometimes can perform well under pressure (40%). When asked about who you rely on when you need help at work, most report relying on their peers (90% of responses), followed by a tie between supervisor(s) and procedure documentation.

Finally, when asked about recent personal or professional challenges that you overcame, getting consistently better sleep, learning something new, and making time to volunteer were mentioned amongst others. Going to pumpkin patches, taking walks with cocoa, bourbon tasting, and watching the leaves change color were all mentioned as favorite fall activities. Thanks all for your continued participation! It is very much appreciated. The results from the last survey are available below.

October 7, 2021 survey results

Do you consider yourself to be “good” under pressure?

• Yes 55%
• Sometimes 40%
• No 5%

What’s a recent challenge that you overcame?

• Ending an unhealthy friendship
• Learning something new
• Getting better at consistently better sleep

Check out this short Ted-Ed video, “How to stay calm under pressure,” to learn about why we can choke under pressure and how to avoid it.

Who or what do you typically rely on when you need help at work (check all that apply)?

• Supervisors (65% of responses)
• My peers (90% of responses)
• Procedure documentation (65% of responses)
• The internet (50% of responses)

What are your favorite activities in the Fall?

• Hiking with the dog, football, and bonfires
• Eating soup
• Theatre
• Getting out to look at the Fall colors
• Biking around the lakes while the leaves turn to their autumnal colors

Check out the Minnesota DNR Fall Color Finder to find all of the fall colors in our state parks.

Employee Engagement (E2) survey

On October 11, you will receive an invitation to complete the Employee Engagement survey. The survey is an opportunity for everyone to offer feedback about working both at the University of Minnesota and within ASR. All responses are confidential. More information about the E2 survey is available on the Leadership and Talent Development team's E2 website.

When you take the survey, some of the questions will refer to terms such as your “department” or “college leadership.” Since ASR is not structured like a college, please use the following definitions when filling out the survey:

• Campus = Twin Cities
• College leadership = ASR directors
• Department = Your ASR department (OCM, OTR, C&C, OSF, ASR IT, ASR Central)
• Manager = Your direct supervisor (person who does your performance review

Update from Stacey

At the beginning of this week, I attended Zoom meetings of the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) Registrars, along with several ASR colleagues. It is always good to connect with our peer institutions to learn more about how they are handling challenging issues and to commiserate a bit too. I wasn’t able to attend the full conference, but I had a few takeaways from the conversations:

• We all have increasingly tight budgets and are thinking about how to be more efficient.
• ASR is lucky to have a structure that facilitates conversations across offices of the registrar, student finance, financial aid, etc. because many institutions struggle with this.
• The University of Minnesota and ASR have more flexible work options than many institutions.
• Balancing our regular work with strategic projects and leadership initiatives will be crucial to our organizational health.

I’m grateful we are already underway with looking at prioritization and capacity planning through the ASR Operations group.

On a mostly unrelated note, you will receive a link to take the Employee Engagement (E2) survey on Monday. I hope all of you take the survey to provide critical feedback to ASR about employee engagement and how we can continue to improve. Since the October 2019 survey, we have been through a lot. I’m very interested to see how we think the pandemic and our very different working environments affect our results and how we can work to support each other. For more information on terms that are part of the survey, see the article below.

2021 Community Fund Drive

Each year the University holds a Community Fund Drive to support important efforts that matter to us. This year’s Community Fund Drive will run from October 1 to October 31. There are many ways to give, including donating to charities, nonprofits, and on-campus fundraising events, see the 2021 Community Fund Drive page for more information. If you would like to donate to the Student Success Fund, more information about the fund and how to donate are available on the ASR website.

Mental Wellness in the Workplace

Responding to seasonal transition

Fall is in full swing! While there is much to look forward to in the spooky season of pumpkin spice, colorful trees, and plenty of autumnal fun in the Twin Cities, it may also bring mixed feelings of sadness as the days get shorter and the weather turns cold. Particularly after a summer of re-evaluating hopes and expectations in the midst of constant change, feelings of loss may coincide with the onset of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). The transition to fall may be a reminder, not only of the changing seasons, but also the changes in each of us as we navigate uncertainties and reflect on where we are and where we hope to be. As Parker Palmer muses in his essay “The Paradox of Fall,”

“In the autumnal events of my own experience, I am easily fixated on surface appearances-- on the decline of meaning, the decay of relationships, the death of a work. And yet, if I look more deeply, I may see the myriad possibilities being planted to bear fruit in some season yet to come.”

Whether fall feels (figuratively and literally!) like a breath of fresh air, or is bringing on feelings of melancholy and contemplation, it is important to recognize and attend to these responses. Below are additional resources from the Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing and OHR on taking care of yourself during this transition and reflecting on your own seasons of life:

• Let’s Talk about SAD
• Mental Health Resources
• What is Life Purpose?
• Living a Purposeful Life

ASR Staff Engagement October 7th Survey

This week’s ASR Staff Engagement Survey 10/07/2021 explores resilience. Thank you for continuing to share your stories and experiences!

Last week’s survey examined the spaces that we work in. Most feel that they currently have an adequate workspace either at home or on-campus (76.2%), while 23.8% reported that they either have a somewhat adequate workspace or that they didn’t have one. A whopping 87.8% of respondents typically use more than one monitor. When asked about fun things on your workspaces, lots of folks mentioned photos of family and pets as well as lots of mentions of art, books, and mementos from trips.

Finally, the undisputed winner of Best Cheese is…Pepper Jack! This was followed by Feta cheese in second, and Bleu cheese, Mozzarella, and Colby Jack all tied for third.Thanks all for your continued participation! It is very much appreciated. The results from the last survey are available below.

September 23, 2021 survey results

Do you feel that you have adequate workspace at home or on-campus?

• Yes 76.2%
• Somewhat 19%
• No 4.8%

Check out “Ergonomics Expert Explains How to Set Up Your Desk” to learn how to make your desk and office chair adapt to you.

Do you typically use more than one monitor?

• Yes 87.8%
• No 12.2%

Do you keep any mementos, photos, or fun things in your workspace?

• Collection of postcards
• Pet pictures
• Just a ton of post-it notes
• My gold Poliwhirl pokemon card!
• UMN gear and photos
• Slinky
• Photos of my family and dog

What is the best kind of cheese?

• Pepper Jack 12.5%
• Feta 10%
• Blue Cheese 7.5%
• Colby Jack 7.5%
• Mozzarella 7.5%
• Parmesan 5%

Check out the “Cheese Lover’s Guide to Minnesota” to learn more about our Minnesota cheesemakers!

Update from Stacey

Happy Thursday! There is a lot to cover this week, but first, I want to mention that we are experimenting with a new standing column in News & Notes to highlight the great work we are doing in ASR. It’s an opportunity to showcase compliments we receive, projects that have finished, or to celebrate our regular ongoing work that serves students and the University. If you have items to share, send them to Danielle Eberhard (eberh115@umn.edu) to include in News & Notes. Staff can be named specifically, or we can recognize units generally. Check out the “Staff Recognition” article below.

Next, I have hiring on my mind. Now that the University has lifted the hiring freeze for most positions (those with salaries of $75,000 and under), ASR is working to fill vacancies. You may have noticed that we have several positions posted right now. It is a critical moment to incorporate Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion into our recruitment and search processes. If you are leading a search committee, I encourage you to check in with your unit’s DEI committee member or your unit director. As part of our DEI efforts, One Stop Student Services will be piloting an approach to review redacted application materials so they do not see names when reviewing candidates.

Finally, thank you for your participation in the Get the Vax 2.0 program and completing your employee attestations. Our students are also completing their process; over 75% of students have filled out their form. They have until October 8 before registration holds will be placed.