Winner Winner!!

The votes are in and Kelaine Haas is the winner of the name-the-newsletter contest! She will be receiving a special treat for her submission: MedEd Pulse. Thank you to Kelaine and to all of the others that submitted names!

Employee Engagement Phase II - Projects Announced

At the June OME Quarterly Staff meeting, inter-continuum teams were invited to submit innovation proposals to increase employee engagement in three areas:

• There is good cooperation and sharing of ideas between my department and other departments.

• Conditions in my job allow me to be as productive as I can be.

• Given your choice, how long would you plan to continue working for the University of Minnesota?

Two teams were selected and the following proposals were shared at the September all-staff meeting. 

1) Professional Partnership Program (Team: Andrea Medina, Christy Illig, Jamie Larson, Sarah Dohm)

Proposal: Addresses two of the engagement priorities: “ There is good cooperation and sharing of ideas between my department and other departments ” and “ Given your choice, how long would you plan to continue working for the University of Minnesota ?” 

One piece focuses on collaboration and knowledge sharing to improve efficacy and efficiency across the continuum. The goal is to share best practices, seek feedback on complex processes, and gain broader insight into other team members’ roles. This would promote collaboration between departments, help individuals feel integrated within the OME team, and support team members to feel that they have critical expertise and ownership of their work.

The second piece focuses on professional development through partnership and/or career-oriented affinity. Team members would have the opportunity to engage with others who have similar professional interests; team members would engage in cross-departmental work, such as “reach” projects that expose individuals to new knowledge and skills. This would offer growth opportunities for team members, which encourages employee longevity within OME, and would contribute greatly to more consistent collaboration between departments.

2) OME Handbook & Onboarding (Administrative support team: Marianne Watters, Cynthia Johnson, Janell Lopez, Priyanka Chaduvula, Patty Bailey, Gretchen Jackson, Serena Jones)

Proposal: Addresses engagement priority: “ There is good cooperation and sharing of ideas between my department and other departments ”

Part one of the project is for the team to create an OME handbook (printed and online version) that can be used as an onboarding tool for new staff and as a resource for current staff. OME staff will be asked for input for the new handbook. 

Part two of the project is to update the onboarding process to include a designated department representative (e.g. administrative coordinators) who will be responsible for completing pre-employment onboarding processes (ordering computers, requesting directory/data access, etc.) for new staff.

Congratulations to both teams! Full proposals will be presented at the March all-staff meeting. Each team participant will receive a $150 stipend for professional development. 

New Capital Improvement Guidelines & Process

A new Capital Improvement Guideline & Process document was shared at the September all-staff meeting and applies to all OME staff . This is the new process that will be used when requesting office furniture/equipment or office improvements (painting, carpeting, etc.) and cost exceeds $100.00.

OME - Save the Dates!

SCRAPPY DAYS!

Scrappy Days are here again! The schedule for Scrappy Days is as follows:

Oct. 22-Nov 2: A locked confidential bin available to all staff that will be located outside Marianne's office. And green recycle bins will be placed throughout B Corridor for books, magazines and other non-trash recyclable materials

October 26-29: Bring all unused/unwanted office items to room B647. DO NOT BRING ITEMS TO THIS ROOM PRIOR TO THESE DATES! The conference room is still being used for meetings through the 25th. If you have office furniture (e.g. file cabinets, bookcases, etc.), please list them here and we will have the movers pick them up on the morning of the 30th.

October 30: Movers will pick up items in B647 and any large items listed on the Google sheet (link above)

HARVEST GATHERING - STAFF APPRECIATION

A staff appreciation progressive potluck will be held on November 9th from 12:00-2:00. Please contact Marianne if you are interested in helping plan this fun event! Details and a sign-up sheet will be sent to staff towards the end of October.