Ideas: From You to "U"

Good news and good ideas from your colleagues.  Send us your best suggestions, for our next update.

• From LS&A:  At LS&A we have recently formed a brown-bag noon hour book club, reading and discussing books that speak to our work lives.   Staff from the Dean's Office sent out an invitation to administrators in the college's departments and programs.   The response was so positive that, in order to keep the discussion size manageable, we capped the group at the first 12 to respond.  There is a waitlist of others interested, in case anyone drops out, and it's possible we may form a second group.   We meet once a month; discussion is open and self-facilitated.  Members suggest books, and we're in the process of creating a future reading list.   Our first selection was The Art of Happiness at Work , by His Holiness the Dalai Lamaa and Howard C. Cutler, MD ( New York , Riverhead Books, 2003.)  Group members strongly recommend this book to you!

• From an Ann Arbor staff member:  At the end of each quarter, we have an all-staff meeting to gear up for the next quarter and hear what each section of our department has accomplished. During the meeting, managers recognize a person from their section, for hard work and accomplishment.  These "employees of the quarter” each pick from a variety of gift certificates.  I was one of these people last year, and it really was a great feeling to be recognized for hardwork in front of all my co-workers.

• Ann Arbor staff member:  Our dean has encouraged staff to meet monthly to discuss issues that affect us, and to elect a representative who speaks for us in the school's Administrative Council (the dean, associate deans, and directors.)  Once a year the dean meets with us to give a State of the School address.  Last year the dean invited staff to the faculty retreat.  We are really treated with respect here, from ‘the top down.”

• When asked “What's the best way for new staff members to get the most out of working here?,” one staff group suggested:
  • Get familiar with the campus by attending different activities, like the Women of Color Conference and diversity events.
  • Continue learning.  Take courses offered through Human Resource Development, finish your degree, keep reading!
  • Be informed: get involved with departmental meetings, MAIS and Human Resources informational meetings.  Read the Record !
  • Get familiar with the online Standard Practice Guide.  Bookmark it and reference it often.  You'll find it answers a lot of questions!
  • See a problem that needs fixing? When you bring it to the attention of your supervisor, HAVE TWO OR THREE POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS to suggest.  (This is always great career advice, anywhere!)
  • Cultivate attitude :  can do, rather than can't do, and will do rather than won't do.

Featured Staff Article:

“It's great – to be – a Michigan Wolverine”

Barant Downs, Medical Secretary III, Pediatric Genetics, University of Michigan Health System, writes:  As U-M employees, we are part of a highly respected, long established, and exciting institution; outsiders often envy us!  Yet how easy it is to forget the sense of being members of this dynamic community, when focusing on finite tasks and individual responsibilities.

It can be great to work in an office where each person contributes to a positive working atmosphere.   Just a small amount of time and effort invested in making things more pleasant can have the synergetic effect of creating heightened well-being, collegiality and productivity.  Whether we work in a public or a private workplace, taking time for seemingly inconsequential details can make a significant difference in our sense of community and common purpose, and even in our health.

What are these details?  Here are just a few examples:

• Adding decorative accents to the workplace.*
• Being alert to opportunities to be helpful. 
• Offering to help a colleague with a duty of drudgery.
• Offering backup or covering the phone for a colleague.
• Saying “hello” to people seen regularly, even those who may seem preoccupied.
• Stopping to offer help to people who appear to have lost their way.

It's not difficult to spot these opportunities – they make us feel good, and polish the university's image.

*If you are inclined to put up some art or bring in a plant, asking one's colleagues for their opinions and preferences regarding decor can bring on pleasant results!

It takes so little effort, and only occasional thoughtfulness to create a positive and amicable atmosphere.  We are each empowered to do this, but only if we think of it.  In moderation, and done with a sense of modesty, it can only help – and make The University of Michigan seem as impressive, warm and functional to us and our fellow workers as it does to visitors and others on the outside looking in.