Staff Update (Submitted by Ashley Arrocha, Staff Constituent Advisor)

This is an incredibly unsettling time and the main concerns of staff are consistent with the devastating impact and grief that COVID-19 is having globally, nationally, in our respective communities, our workplace and in our immediate daily lives.  Although we continue to do our jobs to the best of our abilities and support one another the best we can, we are all struggling in one way or another; a bright spot is our strong sense of community and shared resilience.

To get a pulse on staff community concerns and feelings during these trying times, the SAT, Staff Council District M Representatives and I decided to adopt a similar approach as we did in late August and solicit staff input through an appreciative inquiry survey.  We focused on the following four questions:

1. What concerns or challenges are you experiencing as a result of COVID-19 or otherwise?
2. As a staff member, what is important to you right now?
3. What, if anything, has been a bright spot or positive experience during this time?
4. Anything else you would like to share?

Although I’ve included the unedited survey responses here as an electronic appendix to this memo, I wanted to briefly summarize the main thoughts and feelings shared in this survey.

• Staff are extremely grateful for the strong leadership shown by our VP Jeff Dayton-Johnson, the COVID-19 Response Team at MIIS and the Middlebury-wide leadership during this very challenging time. We appreciate that the leadership prioritized the wellbeing of employees, wage continuity, job security, establishing the COVID-19 pay bank and ensuring that all employees are supported through this fiscal year. This was done with a clear and transparent communication.
  
  
• Staff also expressed gratitude for the wide-ranging support we have shown our students.  This includes the pass/fail grading options, establishing an Emergency Fund, platforms for students to voice their concerns and ask questions, and the extraordinary work of DLINQ and their ability to help professors and students pivot to remote teaching/learning as quickly as possible, but with minimal impact on academic quality.
  
  
• Staff are most concerned about their well-being, job and wage security, navigating in such a chaotic and stressful time, the future of the Institute and the wellbeing of our students.  The main challenges we are facing today are related to working remotely, managing work responsibilities with family responsibilities and staying connected.
  
  
• With the uncertainty of the future, it is very hard to plan and stay productive.  Staff feel that it is especially important that we maintain a healthy, supportive and positive community while being as proactive as possible regarding the future of the Institute. 
  
  
• The impact of COVID-19 is wide-spread and multi-faceted, and our community has felt this at its core.  However, the bright spots in all of this are that we continue to support one another, collaborate on ways to move our mission forward, generate new and creative ideas for the future, show empathic leadership and engagement, spend more time with loved ones and, as one colleague stated, showing that we are all in it together.

Additional Updates

Staff Advisory Team (SAT):

The SAT, Staff Council District M Representatives and I continue to work together to provide cohesive staff representation and opportunities for staff to engage and learn.  Over the past seven months, we offered the following informational staff meetups:

October:  Staff Counsel and Board of Advisors Update
November:  Wellness Initiatives
December:  ITS Reorganization and Priorities
February:  Recruiting and Admissions Update
March:  Communications and Marketing Update
April:  Open Community Meeting related to Institutional response to COVID-19
April/May:  Weekly Monday Virtual Lunch Hour – in response to COVID-19

Staff Employee Training and Development:   

It’s important to note that staff training and development are currently being led by the Strategic Initiatives staff and HR.  This should transition to the Director of Organizational Development once this position is filled.  

Over the past seven months, the following staff training and development opportunities were offered:

• Fifteen staff members participated in a three-day, Restorative Practices (RP) training in November.  The training is based on the main principles of RP and how we can apply them in our community to help build and maintain a strong sense of community, trust and leadership.  
• Thirty-five staff members have already participated in the Dare to Lead Program.  This program is an opportunity to learn more about daring, bold leadership, is led by Melissa Sorensen and provides participants with an opportunity to read Dare to Lead, by Brené Brown and engage in facilitated cohort discussions.  
• Fifteen staff members participated in the Intercultural Competence for Employees Workshop with Netta Avineri, Jen Peck, and Lisa Donohoe in February.

These types opportunities cultivate and enhance leadership, relationship-building and communication skills, which translate into more effective and healthy teams.