“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” – 1 Corinthians 16:13
Staff Experience Is Priority
When I was first given the opportunity to be in my current role, our board of directors was very clear to me that I needed to make staff experience our organization’s most important strategic priority. During the 10 years prior, our association produced some very impressive results, but there were concerns the results came at the expense of our staff team. In our effort to build upon the previous success, expectations became daunting and there did not seem to be any room for anything but greater and greater success. We had put ourselves in a difficult spot, building a model that demanded an unattainable margin.
Prior to the pandemic, we began putting greater emphasis on staff development, making learning and development a primary focus in our organization. We will soon be posting for the vacant position of director of learning and development, and we hope to have someone onboarded by July. This is a very important position for our organization, which spearheads our commitment to investing in the heart and soul of this organization – our people. Together with MoMo Pulliam and the rest of the Human Resources team, we are committed to raising the quality of the staff experience in our Y. In addition to learning and development, we invested a great deal into wage analysis, addressing compression issues, as well as conducting a thorough analysis of our organizational pay structure, things that were long overdue for our association. From that analysis, we made significant adjustments in the pay grades as well as updated job descriptions. (We plan to conduct a similar assessment very soon; this important process will help us remain competitive as an employer.)
Measuring Staff Experience
One challenge we have faced is having an objective measurement tool to effectively assess the staff experience. (While we will continue to utilize the comprehensive staff engagement survey to gather valuable input from our staff, we are no longer scoring it as part of the employee evaluation process.) One theme that has continuously appeared in the survey results has been in the area of supervision. As a result, we introduced more training for our supervisors. Having a supervisor who invests in your development as an employee, and as an individual, continues to be a critical element of the staff experience. We believe it is essential to have regular sessions with your supervisor. Whereby you receive support and guidance in your development.
COVID-19's Impact On Employment
As we have seen with membership, COVID has disrupted the workforce as well. Last week, the national jobs’ report indicated people are reluctant to return to the workforce. Whether it is the unemployment benefits they are receiving or they are feeling insecure about being exposed to the virus, employers are struggling to attract quality people to fill positions within their companies. As a result, stability within the workforce has become a threat to business continuity and sustainability. With so many job openings, across sectors, employees have many opportunities to choose from and, in many instances, they are seizing that opportunity. Amber Evans-Wynn, senior program director for our Center for Community Impact for the past 8 years, has recently taken a position with MultiCare doing similar work to what she has been doing for our Y. Amber was an important part of our outreach work; she had a tremendous impact on the youth and families in East and South Tacoma. Though we wish her well, she will be sorely missed.
Making Investments Growth
In last week’s message, I focused on possible areas in which we could invest to grow our organization. Having secured payroll support as part of the federal stimulus for businesses, we immediately began exploring opportunities, such as enhancing our capacity to deliver the virtual experience to our members or enlarging our footprint in early learning, both as a possible means to rebuild our Y. In addition, we have to consider debt repayment and capital reinvestment, but clearly, investing in our staff team is equally critical.
A year ago, our Y made the difficult decision to reduce its contribution to the retirement fund for each qualified employee. It is another example of how devastating the pandemic has been to our Y. In July, we will increase the level of our contribution. We know how important this investment is to your future well-being. In addition to this investment, we will assess our ability to reward our team with a merit increase in salaries. We have had to postpone all merit increases for over a year, and we hope to reinstate them in July as well. The fact that we were able to produce a positive variance in the April finance report is a very encouraging sign for our organization, one that will enable us to honor your dedication and hard work over the past year, if we can successfully build upon that success.
Celebrating You
Initially, I had elevated the importance of sound fiscal management as the critical component in rebuilding our Y. After discussing it with the board, though, it was clear our investment into the staff experience remains our most important strategic priority. In early June, we are planning a weeklong event for our staff team to acknowledge the dedication and commitment you all have exhibited throughout these past 14 months. Shannon Costanti, Kris Jensen, Tara Bywater, Stephanie Roberts, Kate Hardeman, and Miriam Ellison have been working to coordinate a fun week of activities, but most of all, the event is to honor all of you. Though we may have been severely impacted by this crisis, we have never lost our spirit. This is a tribute to all of you. It is not easy to work in this environment, but you continue to show up. As a result, our Y continues to give life to the community. I celebrate all of you. You are heroes to the Y, and to our community. God bless you.
#StayStrong #StayWithUs