Category: Employee Relations

  • Best Practices for Facing Tough Budget Choices

    Best Practices for Facing Tough Budget Choices

    by Julie Burrell | March 19, 2025

    Navigating budget cuts — especially when it comes to personnel decisions — is one of the most difficult challenges HR professionals can face, both professionally and emotionally.

    As payroll is often an institution’s biggest budget line item, it’s often one of the first places to be impacted by cuts. Whether HR is considering instituting hiring freezes or moving toward a reduction in force (RIF), the path forward requires strategic thinking and compassionate implementation.

    Here are key takeaways from the CUPA-HR webinar Budget Reductions in Higher Ed: Strategies, Collaboration, Challenges, which detailed how one institution implemented a multi-step cost-reduction program and ultimately achieved $15 million in savings.

    Best Practices for Payroll Reductions

    Cultivate collaboration between HR and finance. A reduction in force requires a strong partnership between HR and finance. This partnership was brought to life by webinar presenters Shawna Kuether, the associate vice chancellor of human resources at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, and Bethany Rusch, now the vice president of finance and administration at Moraine Park Technical College (previously of UWO). For actions like personnel reductions and severance packages, finance focused on cost control and supplying relevant metrics, while HR addressed risk mitigation by identifying legal and compliance implications.

    Their advice to HR: If you don’t already have a strong partnership with finance, begin building one now. A working relationship built on mutual respect is not only beneficial when difficult budgetary constraints arise, but also vital to the overall health of your institution.

    Meet a tight timeline if necessary. UWO was looking to improve its financial position within one year. That meant HR and finance had three months from the project approval stage to notifying employees.

    Here are the five broad strategies they implemented in that timeframe:

    • Offering voluntary retirement incentive options.
    • Freezing all personnel actions, including searches already underway.
    • Pledging to no new financial commitments.
    • Enacting graduated, intermittent furloughs for all non-academic employees, which provided the funds for the voluntary retirement incentives.
    • Implementing a reduction in force to reduce salary costs.

    Consider a workforce-planning workshop. In the webinar, Kuether and Rusch detail their five-day planning workshop, which was driven by their why (a set of five guiding principles); their who (such as subject matter experts who understood which critical skill sets were needed to ensure continuity of operations); and their what (such as key metrics to determine what staff-to-student ratios to use).

    Communicate early and often what criteria you employ — and document them. During an RIF, clear and transparent communication and documentation are fundamental to success. Criteria for layoffs followed the documented university policy, which is publicly available online, and these criteria were communicated clearly during the course of the RIF process, thereby minimizing liability, employee appeals, and potential litigation.

    Provide employee transitional planning and resources. HR’s work is far from over once RIF decisions are announced. At UWO, transition support to affected employees and their supervisors included:

    • Offering EAP resources, including onsite walk-in sessions with counselors.
    • Providing toolkits to managers handling difficult conversations.
    • Offering rapid-response sessions in collaboration with the Department of Workforce Development to provide training on filing unemployment and finding job opportunities in the state.
    • Contracting with an external vendor to provide outplacement services, including training and interviewing skills.
    • Hosting a job fair specifically for dislocated workers.

    Maintain the results after the RIF has concluded. Following through with a RIF is emotionally and operationally challenging — you want to ensure the results last. The webinar covered tips on maintaining proper guardrails to protect the results.

    Acknowledge the emotional toll. “This is heavy and oftentimes heartbreaking work,” Kuether and Rusch stressed. “But for us, and maybe for you, the financial realities of our university could not be ignored. You have to find your motivation in knowing you are making your college financially viable and able to focus on accomplishing its educational mission.”

    They say the two most important traits that higher ed leaders need during budget cuts are resilience and adaptability. Resilience allowed the HR and finance teams to stay focused in moments of stress, while adaptability helped them remove barriers as they came up and stay the course.

    Want to learn more about UWO’s work? Watch the webinar recording.

    Related CUPA-HR Resources

    Furloughs, Layoffs and RIFs — Best Practices in Policy Development in the Wake of COVID-19 — This on-demand CUPA-HR webinar covers the pros and cons of four main options for reducing payroll costs: furlough, salary freeze, salary reduction and RIFs.

    Layoff/RIF/Furlough Toolkit — A highlight of this HR toolkit is “You Can Get There From Here: The Road to Downsizing in Higher Education,” a comprehensive guide to all aspects of budget reductions.

    Change Management Toolkit — This HR toolkit includes resources ranging from change-management basics to best practices from higher ed institutions.



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  • Resources for Addressing Workplace Conflict

    Resources for Addressing Workplace Conflict

    by Christy Williams | March 5, 2025

    As your institution processes its response to recent executive orders and the reactions of employees and students across campus, increasing workplace tensions may make it more challenging for your HR team to maintain a positive and collaborative environment.

    These challenges are not novel for higher ed HR, but they can be used as a springboard to examine the approaches you’ve used in the past and reimagine how they should — or could — evolve now. So, how can we support each other in our collective need for respectful discourse and civil disagreement? Here are some valuable insights and resources to help you along the way.

    Develop Conflict-Savvy Leaders

    Conflict is an inevitable part of any workplace, and higher ed institutions are no exception. Erica Hines, chief human resources and personnel success officer at Community College of Aurora, recommends that rather than attempting to avoid conflict altogether, we recognize the importance of embracing conflict as an opportunity for growth. And creating a conflict-savvy culture like that begins at the top.

    It’s important for leaders not only to be prepared to address conflict, but also to model that behavior for everyone in your institution — administration, faculty, staff and students.

    As Hines details in her webinar, Developing Conflict-Savvy Leaders, when your institution’s leadership is prepared for conflict, a culture of trust can be built. When leaders are willing to face conflict head-on and focus on finding win-win solutions, fewer issues escalate.

    Train for Conflict Resolution

    It’s not enough, however, for only administration to be conflict-savvy and model civil conversations. Managers and employees should be provided with strategies for de-escalating workplace tensions.

    Tulane University’s conflict resolution program supports its employees with a variety of conflict resolution services, including consultations to learn about their program, coaching to help employees with specific challenges, mediation to help employees through a disagreement, and facilitated conversations led by a professionally trained specialist. Tulane’s HR team believes that “conflict can be a tool for positive change when employees have the resources to build upon their conflict competence.”

    Establish Clear Norms Around Communication and Feedback

    In the Developing Conflict-Savvy Leaders webinar, Erica Hines stresses that employees at all levels need to understand how to give and receive input in a constructive way. One norm she suggests is to use “I” or “my” when offering feedback. For example, “Here’s what I noticed…” or “Here’s what I felt when…” A norm you might establish for receiving feedback could focus on active listening, summarizing what you just heard, and then asking how you can reach a win-win solution. For example, “What would you prefer I do in that situation?” Or “What ideas do you have for managing this situation in the future?”

    When teams have a shared understanding of how to navigate difficult conversations, they can address issues proactively instead of letting them escalate. By integrating these practices into daily interactions, you can cultivate an environment where open dialogue and mutual respect thrive.

    Prioritize Professionalism and Civility

    Creating a culture of professionalism is the foundation of a kinder campus. As Jennifer Parker, assistant director of HR operations at the Colorado Community College System, highlights in her article, A Kinder Campus, professionalism is more than just following policies. Professionalism is how faculty, staff and administrators treat one another daily. Respect, integrity and ethical conduct should guide every interaction, ensuring that civility remains a cornerstone of your culture.

    Beyond professionalism, Parker emphasized the role of active listening and empathy in conflict resolution. When employees take the time to truly listen and seek to understand different perspectives, they’re not just resolving disputes — they’re “building bridges of trust.” Demonstrating empathy during difficult conversations helps diffuse tension and encourages constructive dialogue. When you prioritize professionalism, you create an environment where trust and collaboration flourish.

    From Conflict to Meaningful Conversations

    Addressing workplace conflict isn’t just about resolving disputes — it’s about creating an environment where open dialogue is encouraged, and employees feel heard and supported. Because of this, conflict resolution training shouldn’t be a one-time event, but an ongoing practice woven into workplace culture. While difficult conversations may never be easy, the more everyone practices, the more natural those conversations become. By setting clear expectations, proactively guiding discussions, and championing a culture of respect, you can help transform workplace tensions into opportunities for growth and collaboration.

    Related CUPA-HR Resources

    Developing Conflict-Savvy Leaders — This CUPA-HR webinar explores how HR can help leaders address conflict head-on, thus minimizing the need for HR intervention down the line.

    Ushering in the New Wave of Conflict Resolution: Tulane University’s Restorative Approach — This article details the launch of Tulane University’s conflict-resolution program.

    A Kinder Campus: Building an AI-Powered, Repeatable and Fun Civility Training Program — This magazine article outlines how the Colorado Community College System created a campaign to address incivility on their campuses.

    Civility in the Workplace Toolkit — This HR toolkit provides practical strategies for fostering respectful communications and managing workplace conflicts.

    Managing Difficult Conversations Toolkit — This HR toolkit provides basic strategies that can be widely used as starting points for many challenging conversations.

    Next Steps: A Practical Guide for Ensuring Access and Opportunity for All Employees — This CUPA-HR blog post offers considerations for ensuring that you are providing equal access and opportunity for all.

    Resilience and Psychological Safety: Navigating Uncertainty — This blog post explores how resilience and psychological safety can be particularly useful in times of change and uncertainty.



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  • Taking Steps Toward Equity on Juneteenth – CUPA-HR

    Taking Steps Toward Equity on Juneteenth – CUPA-HR

    by Julie Burrell | June 18, 2024

    Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and is now recognized as a federal holiday — Juneteenth National Independence Day. Observing Juneteenth’s historical significance is a meaningful step in understanding American history. But for its history to mean something in our present moment, its lessons must be translated into tangible action. CUPA-HR offers the following resources, tools and research data to help confront and change racial inequities in the higher ed workforce.

    Racial Composition and Compensation  

    Lingering historical inequities remain in higher ed’s current-day compensation, hiring and promotion practices. Juneteenth is a reminder that we need urgent solutions to these persistent inequities. Here’s a snapshot of the composition and pay for people of color in the higher ed workforce:

    • Progress in both representation and pay has been sluggish for people of color, according to our data on administrators, faculty, professionals and staff collected in CUPA-HR’s signature surveys. Our interactive graphics track gender and racial composition as well as pay of administrators, faculty, professional and staff roles. (Read the executive summary.)
    • Women of color have consistently been paid inequitably, with Black women paid 76 cents on the dollar in our most recent data.

    CUPA-HR research also digs down into sectors of the higher ed workforce in terms of composition and pay. Recent research reports include:

    • The Higher Education Financial Aid Workforce: Pay, Representation, Pay Equity, and Retention (read now)
    • Representation and Pay Equity in Higher Education Faculty: A Review and Call to Action (read now)
    • Higher Ed Administrators: Trends in Diversity and Pay Equity From 2002 to 2022 (read now)
    • The Higher Ed Admissions Workforce: Pay, Diversity, Equity, and Years in Position (read now)

    Fostering Inclusion

    Long-term solutions to a more representative and equitably compensated workforce include adopting inclusive hiring and retention strategies, analyzing and auditing both compensation and promotion practices, and enacting policies that support your employees’ well-being. In these resources, we offer best practices and data-driven recommendations for a more equitable future.



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  • How Three Institutions Built Winning Retention Programs – CUPA-HR

    How Three Institutions Built Winning Retention Programs – CUPA-HR

    by Julie Burrell | May 21, 2024

    New CUPA-HR data show some improvement in turnover in the higher ed workforce, but staffing hasn’t fully bounced back to pre-pandemic levels. Managers still face challenges filling positions and maintaining morale, while employees are seeking jobs where their satisfaction and well-being are prioritized.

    CUPA-HR’s recent webinar offers solutions that may move the needle on employee retention. Retaining Talent: Effective Employee Retention Strategies From Three Institutions brings together HR pros who showcase their high-impact, cost-effective approaches to increasing satisfaction and well-being, including:

    • Professional development programs driven by employees’ interests
    • Effective supervisor-employee communication, including stay interviews
    • Actionable campus climate surveys using liaisons
    • Mentoring programs and leadership pipelines
    • Recognition programs and community-building events
    • Employee Resource Groups to enhance belonging

    Here are some of the highlights from their programs.

    Stay Interviews at Drake University

    A stay interview is a structured, informal conversation between an employee and a trained supervisor — and can be key to retaining top talent. Maureen De Armond, executive director of human resources at Drake, considers stay interviews to be a critical tool that nevertheless go underused in higher ed. Overall, only 8% of employees stated that they participated in a stay interview in the past year, according to The CUPA-HR 2023 Higher Education Employee Retention Survey.

    De Armond stresses that stay interviews can build trust, increase communication, and show that you care about employees as people, not just their job performance. If you’re looking to get started, De Armond recommends checking out the Stay Interviews Toolkit.

    Actionable Climate Surveys at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

    What’s worse than not conducting a climate survey? Not doing anything with the answers employees have taken the time to provide, says Nicole Englitsch, organizational development manager at UTRGV. To make surveys actionable, they’ve enlisted campus climate liaisons.

    These liaisons, who are mostly HR professionals, are assigned to specific departments. The liaisons have been trained by their external survey partners to help their departments understand the results and engage in action planning, guided by a three-year timeline. This network of partners helps ensure that UTRGV’s goals of making survey results both transparent and actionable are achieved.

    For more on their employee engagement and retention efforts, see Building Leaders From Within: UT Rio Grande Valley Blends Leadership Development With a Master’s in Higher Ed Administration.

    Recognition and Community-Building at Rollins College

    How can institutions create a culture of belonging and valuing employees? David Zajchowski, director of human resources at Rollins, explains how their high-impact recognition and community-building programs range from informal coffee-and-doughnuts gatherings to special awards ceremonies for employees.

    Probably the most popular way of valuing employees while increasing connection is Rollins’s annual Fox Day. On a random day in spring, the president surprises employees and students with a day off from work and class to participate in community-building college traditions.

    Despite the effectiveness of employee recognition, many employers may be leaving this low-cost retention incentive on the table, as only 59% of higher ed employees said they received regular verbal recognition for their work in the Employee Retention Survey. Wondering how your employee recognition program stacks up? See a comparison of recognition programs and take a self-assessment here.



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  • What HR Should Know About Tenure and Academic Freedom – CUPA-HR

    What HR Should Know About Tenure and Academic Freedom – CUPA-HR

    by Julie Burrell | February 6, 2024

    From an HR perspective, faculty positions can often look very different from other professional and staff roles on campus, especially when it comes to those faculty on the tenure track. But as HR’s role in academic staffing expands, it’s critical to understand tenure and its role in supporting academic freedom, says Joerg Tiede, the director of the department of research and public policy with the American Association of University Professors (AAUP). In his recent CUPA-HR webinar, Tenure: Past, Present and Future, Tiede explains the nuances of tenure and academic freedom through an HR lens. Here are some key takeaways.

    Tenure and Academic Freedom

    Tenure

    Tenure is an “indefinite appointment that can be terminated only for cause or under extraordinary circumstances such as financial exigency and program discontinuation,” according to the AAUP.

    Tiede notes that this simple definition is often surprising to many in higher ed, because tenure frequently comes with other advantages, such as sabbatical or the ability to vote for or hold a position in faculty senate. But these other benefits are often part of an institution’s culture or a faculty member’s contract, rather than inherent to tenure itself.

    Academic Freedom

    Tiede stresses that tenure exists not as an individual perk, but to protect academic freedom. The AAUP defines academic freedom as “the freedom of a teacher or researcher in higher education to investigate and discuss the issues in his or her academic field, and to teach or publish findings without interference from political figures, boards of trustees, donors, or other entities.” The concept of academic freedom applies to faculty members’ speech and writing on campus as teachers and advisors, in their research, and in their “intramural speech” (e.g., institutional governance) and “extramural speech” (e.g., when speaking as a citizen).

    The AAUP’s 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure is the most widely adopted description of both academic freedom and tenure at institutions of higher education.

    Non-Tenure-Track Faculty

    Not all professors have or are eligible for tenure, including non-tenure-track faculty who may work full time as salaried employees with benefits but are not eligible for tenure. An example of this kind of faculty may be someone whose job functions involve instruction rather than a mix of instruction and research. Other non-tenure-track faculty include adjuncts, who are paid per course and typically do not have a benefits package. The breakdown of who is eligible for tenure differs by institution, with some institutions not having a tenure system at all. See the AAUP’s data on the academic workforce.

    The Future of Tenure and Academic Freedom

    “Tenure is indispensable to the success of an institution,” says Tiede. This is because academic freedom not only strengthens individual institutions by protecting the teaching and research of faculty, but also upholds the public good. The AAUP’s FAQs on academic freedom states: “Those teaching and researching in higher education need academic freedom because the knowledge produced and disseminated in colleges and universities is critical for the development of society and for the health of a democracy, an idea often expressed by the phrase ‘for the common good’ or ‘for the public good.’” In theory, tenure shields faculty from political or religious agendas. It also protects tenured faculty who work in areas that are or may become controversial.

    Tiede notes that academic freedom would be made secure with more broadly inclusive tenure policies. One way this can be accomplished is by converting non-tenure-track positions into tenure-track positions, with the AAUP recommending “only minor changes in job description.” In particular, the conversion of teaching-focused positions from non-tenure-track to tenure-track is recommended. Though tenure is often tied to research accomplishments, Tiede and the AAUP do not view this as inherent to the definition of tenure.

    A more inclusive tenure process also includes reviewing for implicit bias. In breaking down who is tenured or on the tenure track, CUPA-HR has found that more women faculty are represented in non-tenure-track roles than in tenure-track roles. Moreover, with each increase in rank, the proportions of women faculty and faculty of color decrease for both tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty. Taken together, this means that women are over-represented in the lowest-paying and lowest-ranking positions.

    Who gets tenured also has implications for pay equity. Faculty pay raises are commonly tied to promotion and tenure, which is often the only time faculty see a significant increase in their salary. When there is bias in promoting women and faculty of color to successive ranks, this results in career earnings gaps.

    Additional Resources

    Watch Tiede’s webinar, Tenure: Past, Present and Future, which covers the origins and history of tenure and answers HR-specific questions, like whether academic freedom applies to provocative posts on social media and how best to nurture a merit-based culture within a tenure system.

    CUPA-HR’s Toolkit on Academic Freedom contains real-world examples of academic freedom policies at various institutions.

    In Opening Doors for Strategic Partnerships With Academic Leadership, Gonzaga University’s HR pros explain how they cultivated the relationship between HR and the campus community, including leveraging the power of HR champions on their campus.

    Check out CUPA-HR’s e-learning courses, including Boot Camp, which offers a higher ed perspective on essential HR topics, and Understanding Higher Education, which is designed to help all employees be more effective in their roles by developing a deeper understanding of institutional structure and culture.

    Ways to support an increasingly contingent faculty workforce are explored in the article The Way Forward: Envisioning New Faculty Models for a Changing Professoriate. The focus is on The Delphi Project, part of the University of Southern California’s Pullias Center for Higher Education, which explores how non-tenure-track faculty working conditions are tied to student success.



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  • Ten Higher Ed HR Stories That Defined 2023 – CUPA-HR

    Ten Higher Ed HR Stories That Defined 2023 – CUPA-HR

    by Julie Burrell | January 17, 2024

    Last year brought major changes to the higher education landscape. Turnover reached a peak, prompting more attention than ever to retention and recruitment, while looming policy changes in overtime pay and Title IX regulations further complicated long-term planning. And, though it may feel like unprecedented change is the new normal, timeless HR topics like onboarding and compensation strategy also captured readers’ attention in 2023.

    We’ve rounded up the CUPA-HR articles, resources and research that defined 2023 and will continue to shape your 2024. These are the most-viewed stories on our website as well as some resources you may have missed.

    Top Stories

    CUPA-HR members were understandably concerned about the impact of two issues — the retention crisis and the potential shake-up to overtime pay rules — on their campuses.

    1. The Higher Ed Employee Retention Crisis — And What to Do About It

    Key Takeaway: Turnover in higher ed reached a peak last year — the highest level since we started tracking it in 2017 — so it’s no surprise that talent management and recruitment was top of mind. This article marshals a wealth of insights from our members and the CUPA-HR research team to aid HR pros, including a blueprint for employee recognition, as well as strategies for rethinking compensation and flexible work.

    1. The CUPA-HR 2023 Higher Education Employee Retention Survey

    Key Takeaway: The data provided here help explain the record-high turnover. The report also digs into the factors that most impact retention, offering a model for understanding higher ed retention. Analyzing data from 4,782 higher ed employees — administrators, professionals and non-exempt staff, with faculty excluded — from 529 institutions, the survey found that more than half (56%) of employees are at least somewhat likely to search for a new job in the coming year. (Looking for an overview of report findings? Check out our press release.)

    1. Overtime and Title IX Final Rules Targeted for Early 2024 Release in Fall Regulatory Agenda

    Key Takeaway: Last year, the Department of Labor announced that they would target April 2024 for the release of a final rule to update the Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime pay regulations. The rule seeks to substantially increase the minimum salary threshold required for white-collar professionals to maintain exempt status. To stay abreast of any updates, don’t forget to register for our Washington Update webinars and visit our FLSA overtime resources page.

    Relationships and Well-Being

    The demands on HR pros are at an all-time high. Last year, our members sought ways to care for themselves, their team and their campuses. Two of the most popular resources of 2023 addressed mental health and resolving interpersonal conflict.

    1. Managing Stress and Self-Care: “No” Is a Complete Sentence

    Key Takeaway: In this highly rated recorded webinar, Jennifer Parker, professional development and training manager of the Colorado Community College system, gives practical tools for minimizing stress and leads participants in creating a self-care plan.

    1. Ushering in the New Wave of Conflict Resolution: Tulane University’s Restorative Approach

    Key Takeaway: Learn how Tulane University’s Office of Human Resources and Institutional Equity launched a conflict resolution program, all while successfully managing the pivot to virtual offerings during the pandemic. One of the few university programs in the country to provide a restorative approach, Tulane’s program is a roadmap for fostering and maintaining campus relationships.

    Retention and Recruitment

    Our members offered real-world case studies of talent management and attraction in these feature articles in Higher Ed HR Magazine. They provide success stories and practical tips you can tailor to fit your needs.

    1. Modernizing Workplace Culture and the Employee Experience — Strategies for HR

    Key Takeaway: Workplace culture encompasses so much that it’s tricky to pin down. Jacob Lathrop, consultant to the vice president/CHRO at Michigan State University, defines workplace culture as the feeling employees are left with when they leave work. It’s how they describe their days to family or friends. Old ways of doing things may be harmful to employees’ well-being, while modernizing workplace culture might mean retaining and attracting talent. Lathrop’s tips include embracing flexibility and autonomy, evolving your paid-leave policies, and updating career exploration programs, among others.

    1. A Tale of Two Onboarding Programs: North Carolina State University and
    2. A Tale of Two Onboarding Programs: The University Of St. Francis

    Key Takeaway: A perennially popular topic, onboarding can look very different depending on the institution. In the first article, North Carolina State University’s onboarding manager Amy Grubbs tells the story of their efforts to create consistent new-hire experiences, get supervisors involved in the onboarding process, and bring a full-service Onboarding Center to life through strategic campus partnerships. (Check out Amy’s webinar too, which provides even more information on the Onboarding Center and strategic partnerships.) With more limited resources, Carol Sheetz, formerly of the small, private University of St. Francis, shares her solo effort to build USF’s onboarding program from scratch. This article contains her top tips and resources for other HR pros in the same situation.

    1. Investing in Employees During an Economic Downturn: How We Implemented Our Living Wage Strategy

    Key Takeaway: A decade ago, the Maricopa County Community College District committed to a $30,000 livable wage for its full-time employees, but employees found it challenging to keep up with inflationary pressures and the COVID-related economic downturn. Maricopa responded by raising the livable wage by 15.5 percent, from $14.42 to $16.65. This article explains how HR managed to implement this raise, while preventing additional pay compression and reduced employee morale. (The second phase of MCCCD’s plan, focusing on progressive pay practices, internal pay equity and market alignment, is explored here.)

    1. Recalibrating Employee Recognition in Higher Education

    Key Takeaway: “Most of us continue churning out the same recognition programs — many decades old — often without questioning their value, validating their impact or reviewing for bias,” says author Sharri Margraves, the executive director of organization and professional development for Michigan State University’s human resources. She surveyed 65 higher education institutions to find out how they formally and informally recognize employees. This article not only presents these findings, but also suggests ways to redesign your own recognition program, including a self-audit tool to assess your strengths and weaknesses.



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  • Kansas State University’s Braggin’ Wagon Offers a Unique Way to Recognize Campus Employees – CUPA-HR

    Kansas State University’s Braggin’ Wagon Offers a Unique Way to Recognize Campus Employees – CUPA-HR

    by CUPA-HR | October 19, 2022

    Think about a time you were recognized by a colleague for a job well done. Whether it was a grand gesture or a small act of recognition, chances are the personal shoutout put some pep in your step. Positive recognition in any form is a sure mood booster and helps move campus well-being in the right direction.

    In a recent CUPA-HR webinar, Refuel, Invest and Inspire Campus Well-Being, presenters from Kansas State University (K-State) shared a unique way of recognizing teams and departments on campus: the Braggin’ Wagon.

    The Braggin’ Wagon was developed by K-State’s Staley School of Leadership, which has a strong partnership with HR. The decorative travelling wagon is filled with treats, candy, small toys and other fun items for the receiving team to enjoy. Once the wagon is delivered to a department, it is up to that department to restock the wagon and deliver it to another department in order to keep the recognition going.

    This simple yet powerful way of recognizing campus employees serves a double purpose — it adds an element of fun to the work day for the team being recognized (who doesn’t love getting a surprise treat in the middle of a work day?), and it also gives the team passing on the wagon an opportunity to get out of the office for some exercise and take a mental break in the work day.

    “When K-State resumed in-person work, it was important to put the emphasis on our employees and the solid work they were doing to make a difference. The Braggin’ Wagon was a way for departments to recognize other university partners who contributed to their work in a positive way,” says Shanna Legleiter, associate vice president of human capital services at K-State.

    With the Braggin’ Wagon as inspiration, what are some other creative ways HR can shine a spotlight on employees who work hard to keep campus operations running smoothly? Are there campus partnerships that can be formed to bring ideas for recognition to life? Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box when it comes to recognition opportunities!



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  • Build Psychological Safety and Fun Into the Workplace to Reduce Overwork and Burnout – CUPA-HR

    Build Psychological Safety and Fun Into the Workplace to Reduce Overwork and Burnout – CUPA-HR

    by CUPA-HR | September 28, 2022

    In the wake of the Great Resignation and talent recruitment challenges, heavy workloads have led to stress and burnout for some employees. One way higher ed HR pros can help identify sources of stress and mitigate burnout is by considering employees’ work environments. Are invisible pressures placed on employees, causing team members to downplay or hide their concerns about heavy workloads, or can employees be honest about their concerns and feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to work each day? How would employees describe the atmosphere where they work? Are levity and humor weaved into the workday, or is the lack of levity contributing to feelings of being overwhelmed?

    In the recent CUPA-HR virtual workshop, How to Manage Unmanageable Workloads, presenter Jennifer Moss explained how building psychological safety and bringing the fun back to work can reduce the impact of overwork and burnout. So what is psychological safety, and how can HR integrate it and the elements of fun and play into the workplace?

    Increase Psychological Safety

    “Psychological safety is the ability to reveal one’s true self and opinions without fear that doing so will lead to negative repercussions in terms of reputation, career, status or relationships with others,” explains Why Psychological Safety Matters Now More Than Ever, an article in the Spring 2021 issue of Higher Ed HR Magazine. Teams with high psychological safety see more open conversations between team members and managers about their work. They feel comfortable sharing honestly because they know they won’t be punished simply for doing so.

    Read the article to learn how HR pros can elevate psychological safety in the workplace by attending to systems and structures, supporting employees to forge connections, and fostering a learning orientation.

    Bring Back the Fun

    Although HR has much serious work to do, leaders can look for opportunities to incorporate fun, where appropriate. The application of fun and play has been shown to reduce stress and feelings of burnout while also improving creativity and productivity in working environments. Having fun at work has shown to have a positive impact on employee morale, engagement and camaraderie, all of which collectively have an influence on an organization’s culture. Here are some ideas to bring back the fun and stimulate play in the workplace.

    Encourage Humor

    Similar to incorporating more fun into the workplace, there are also plenty of benefits to weaving humor into the workplace. This element of work is sometimes considered non-essential but has many emotional and physical benefits that make us happier and healthier at work. Humor builds trust in relationships; a culture where it’s okay to admit failure; and happier, healthier employees. Learn how to conduct a humor audit to analyze where your workplace humor went right and ways to use it more effectively.

    Related resources:

    Health and Well-Being Toolkit (CUPA-HR members-only toolkit)

    How to Bring the Fun at Work (Higher Ed Workplace Blog)



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  • Three Elements of a Successful Onboarding Program – CUPA-HR

    Three Elements of a Successful Onboarding Program – CUPA-HR

    by CUPA-HR | September 14, 2022

    Onboarding programs consisting of a brief history lesson about the institution and instructions for how to get a parking pass aren’t likely to inspire new hires. Here are three elements of onboarding programs that go beyond the basics to create a deeper understanding of campus culture and a sense of belonging.

    Orient New Hires to Higher Education

    Learning industry-specific skills and knowledge is essential for employees to thrive in their workplaces. Higher education is no different. New hires must quickly get up to speed on how their departments function within the context of their institution and its mission. This can be overwhelming for anyone, especially someone new to higher education.

    To address this learning curve, CUPA-HR created Understanding Higher Ed Course 1 — An Overview of Higher Education for All Employees. The course is designed to help all higher ed employees understand different types of institutions, terminology, cultural hallmarks of the higher ed work environment, the basics of higher ed funding, and key soft skills that support success in the workplace.

    Create a Sense of Belonging

    A crucial aspect of the workplace that can’t be captured in a new-hire orientation video is the sense of belonging employees experience. And if staff members work remotely, opportunities to connect with coworkers and build community may be even more difficult to achieve.

    To overcome these challenges, the University of Florida’s Academic and Professional Assembly (APA), led by several HR employees, reconsidered their approach to onboarding. Through their Warm Welcome experience they helped create a campus culture that fosters a sense of belonging for new staff. The APA helps spark campus connections by hosting welcome events and small groups where new hires can interact with high-level leaders. During these events, leaders share personal stories and insights about leadership, diversity and inclusion and the value that staff bring in the pursuit of the university’s many goals. This storytelling approach draws out leaders’ personalities, camaraderie, sense of humor and transparency, and allows staff to see the “human” aspect of a large institution. Read more about UF’s Warm Welcome experience to learn how to design a warm welcome experience for your staff.

    Partner With Other Departments

    Onboarding shouldn’t fall solely on HR’s shoulders. Support from many areas of the institution is critical for a successful onboarding program. Additionally, shared responsibility for onboarding can positively affect organizational culture, departmental buy-in and employee retention. Presenters from the University of Colorado Boulder shared their strategic partner model in a 2019 CUPA-HR on-demand webinar “Onboarding: A Strategic Partner Model for Bringing About Cultural Change.” Watch the webinar recording to learn more about UC Boulder’s model to increase employee engagement, retention and productivity while keeping the focus on institutional goals.

    There are many reasons employees are drawn to work at an institution, and a successful onboarding program shows them why they should stay.



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  • More Than Half of College and University Employees Say They Are Likely to Look for Other Employment in the Near Future – CUPA-HR

    More Than Half of College and University Employees Say They Are Likely to Look for Other Employment in the Near Future – CUPA-HR

    by CUPA-HR | July 21, 2022

    New research from CUPA-HR shows that higher education institutions are in the midst of a talent crisis, as many staff, professionals and administrators are considering other employment opportunities due to dissatisfaction with their pay, their opportunities for advancement, their institutions’ remote and flex work policies, and more.

    The newly published research report, The CUPA-HR 2022 Higher Education Employee Retention Survey: Initial Results, provides an overview of what proportion of the higher ed workforce is at risk for leaving, why they’re considering leaving employment, and with which policies, work arrangements and benefits employees are satisfied or dissatisfied. The report includes several recommendations for addressing these issues.

    Data from 3,815 higher ed employees across 949 institutions and representing 15 departments/functional areas were analyzed for this report.

    Findings

    Higher ed employees are looking for other jobs, mostly because they desire a pay increase. More than half (57%) of the higher ed workforce is at least somewhat likely to look for other employment opportunities in the next 12 months. The most common reason for seeking other employment (provided by three-fourths of those likely to look for another job) is an increase in pay. Other reasons are that they desire more remote work opportunities, a more flexible schedule, and a promotion or more responsibility.

    Higher ed institutions are not providing the remote work opportunities that employees want. Nearly three-fourths (71%) of employees report that most of their duties can be performed remotely, and 69% would prefer to have at least at least a partially remote work arrangement, yet 63% are working mostly or completely on-site.

    Higher ed employees are working longer and harder than ever. Two-thirds (67%) of full-time staff typically work more hours each week than what is considered full-time. Nearly two-thirds (63%) have taken on additional responsibilities of other staff who have recently left, and nearly three-fourths (73%) have taken on additional responsibilities as a direct result of the pandemic.

    Higher ed employees have clear areas of satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Areas of satisfaction include benefits, relationship with supervisor, job duties, and feeling a sense of belonging. Areas of dissatisfaction include investment in career development, opportunities for advancement, fair pay, remote work policies and parental leave.

    Read the full report.



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