Office of Human Resources

In June, the HR team conducted a Focus Group led by Veronica Thomas-Gladden to research Human Resource communication practices to meet the needs of the College. Thank you to the following participants who provided insightful and constructive feedback Lisa DeLorenzo, Annmarie Driscoll, Kristin Graeser, Jenny Heberlein, Abderrahim Kherchttou, Christine Nowik, Elizabeth Stahl, Vicki Van Hise, and Amanda Wilkins.

As a result of the findings, below are some of the overarching themes that the HR team will implement immediately in all future email communications:

• Clear, attention-grabbing subject headings that identify the title, action items, and dates.

• Short, pointed emails that contain bulleted information and links to additional resources.

• Advanced notifications, two weeks before events coupled with reminders for due dates.

• HR will make every effort to avoid planning events and communicating during peak impact times. For example, registration, midterm, final exams, etc.

Stay tuned for additional resources and communication enhancements, such as:

• Add to calendar option for events from HR

• One-Stop location for all HR forms on the my-HACC portal

• Semester event calendar from HR

• Updated point of Contact chart for HR

HR will continue to provide predictable communications through the Horn, emails, and the SKI Gram to share upcoming events, important deadlines, and other relevant information.

Organization Development (OD) has designed, developed and assembled various professional development and learning resources for all employees working remotely and in person at the College. In addition, we have also facilitated and supported a variety of organization development presentations, activities and interventions. As an OD strategy, we identified and recruited internal subject matter experts to increase the professional development opportunities across the College, reducing the number and cost involved with external consultants and services. HACC also contracted with the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), which covered a broad spectrum of employee services and needs for all employees.

We proudly report that we pivoted and adapted our existing programs and developed various new offerings to suit employees' needs, requests and expectations during the pandemic. Here are the four categories that explain the methodologies we use while working remotely.

• Remote Instructor-Led Sharing Ideas on Working Remotely:

Employees were invited to scheduled events to share experiences, network, learn from one another and share best practices relevant to the group's needs and expectations working remotely. The method facilitated and allowed meaningful conversations, idea sharing, and peer feedback.

• Virtual Learning with the HACC/ Cornerstone LMS:

Employees single sign up with my.hacc.edu. Then, on the OHR/OD Channel, select HACC/Cornerstone Learning Management System (LMS), where all employees can find more than 100 virtual professional development modules. These modules could be done any time, at any place, using a variety of devices. The LMS also records all the in-house and external training completed by employees in a User Profile that supervisors should oversee as part of the performance management process.

• Monthly Toolkits for Self - Exploration Combine with Debriefings Sessions:

Employees received email notifications of monthly toolkits with various resources and tips in the LMS to review in advance and in their own time. In addition, OD created events in the LMS for employees to sign up for weekly or biweekly debriefing sessions Collegewide to share their understanding of the resources and tips and learn best practices. As a result, the groups discovered that other colleagues experienced similar challenges working remotely and inspired and motivated others.

• Zoom combine with Instructor-Led and HACC/Cornerstone LMS Professional Development:

Employees signed up for a program/s, and OD provided an overview, objectives, duration, and expectations from both OD and the participants of the course content. A variety of facilitated-led sessions followed after the introductory session with planned interactive learning activities. The methodology is mainly used for supervisor and employee training and development to stimulate group discussions, one-on-one remote meetings sessions and coaching.

No matter the format we selected for professional development, employees walked away with new ideas, knowledge and resources, which they could apply and implement into their daily remote working responsibilities. The activities also encouraged support and socialization across functional units.

In addition, the attendees earned certificates, badges, and hours of training completed. The LMS also stores all the training and development events and activities in a User Profiles in the HACC/Cornerstone Learning Management System. Therefore, supervisors can access their team members' profiles and integrate or acknowledge their employee's participation as part of the performance management cycle.

In conclusion, please look at the upcoming Professional Development for the Fall Semester and Beyond. Your participation in professional development is highly appreciated.

Please do not hesitate to contact: Cavil Anderson, PhD. executive director, at csander@hacc.edu and Elizabeth Stahl, coordinator, organization development at estahl@hacc.edu, for any additional information.

Developing employees according to their learning styles is essential if we want the training to be impactful. The goal of Organization Development is to increase the knowledge and skills of employees to complete their job responsibilities effectively and efficiently. During the pandemic, it became evident that remote work is challenging to the wellbeing of every employee. The responses to our June 2021 survey indicated employees preferred a combination of training methods, mainly focusing on interactions with coworkers, through both Zoom and in-person instructor-led training. We are currently putting the finishing touches on our fall 2021 and spring 2022 events that will be available on the HACC/Cornerstone Learning Management System (LMS). We plan to offer a variety of training and development opportunities to suit all learning styles.

If you enjoy engaging with your peers during instructor-led training? We have got you covered. Here are just a few sessions that will be open for registration soon:

• Excellence in Management (fall and spring)

• Deep Dive - Stages of Change with Grace Elsner

• How to Manage Your Outlook Email?

• How to Improve Your Productivity

• Time Management

• Managing Meetings Effectively
  

Maybe you enjoy gaining professional development in a hybrid format. We are excited to announce that we have developed various interactive experiences. These workshops will allow you to complete a portion of the training through self-guided modules on your own and then join a scheduled debriefing session to discuss and find ways to implement the content in your teams, divisions, and functional units. Keep an eye out for these workshops:

• HR for HACC Supervisors

• Time Management Workshop series

• Essential Skills in Communication

• Improving Work Habits

We are also planning to provide more virtual self-paced modules into the LMS for those employees interested in training and development without interacting with instructors and peers.

Don't forget! We are available to assist you with:

• Development of Functional Development Plan

• Assist you with team, divisional or functional unit retreats to diagnose the current status of your unit and develop an Individual and Functional Units Development Plan

• Facilitate DiSC Profile Analysis to encourage teamwork

• Conflict Management Assessment

• Five Behavior of an Effective Team

Where can you find these training opportunities and resources?
Go to the myHACC portal and find us in the Department of Organization Development channel on the Human Resources tab. For more information, please do not hesitate to contact Elizabeth Stahl, coordinator, organization development, at estahl@hacc.edu.