Meeting Minutes
Date: February 12, 2016
Opening
The regular meeting of the SET was held in CD-142 on
Friday, February 12, 2016. The meeting was called to order by Cara Hamilton at
10:00 a.m.
Present
Cara Hamilton, Sharetta Bufford, Jessica Raymond (for
Gayle Arries), Scott Jaeschke, Lynn Lewis, Lisa Anderson, and Roberta Sitton
(for Kathy Brand)
Absent: Richard Parker
Celebrations:
·
Cara gave an update on the Call Center. Just
under 50 volunteers worked from one to seven shifts. As we continue to train
(and to fine-tune training), we will continue to get better and better.
·
Sharetta added that the Call Center works better
using employee volunteers than it did with temps, because temps didn’t know all
the answers to questions or know other employees in the room. Call Center
volunteers now are able to ask for help from other subject experts on duty in
the room.
·
Cara showed an example of the “popcorn pack”
thank-you that she and Cathy Cole presented to Call Center volunteers.
·
Sharetta shared that she had received a thank
you gift from a student who said, “If it had not been for you helping me, I
would not be going to this school.”
·
Scott Jaeschke praised the support team who
helped with his Saturday student event; specifically, Jeanne Otey, Matt
Edwards, Jason Hart, Nathan Geary (from IT), and Lou Moritz.
·
Scott was part of the Learning Assessment Team
who attended an event in Greenville with other technical schools; Scott said he
was proud of Tri-County because the TCTC team was “more prepared, and it was
obvious.”
·
Lisa Anderson praised Pam McWhorter (IT) who has
been working closely with her on ACA forms.
·
Lynn Lewis was encouraged to notice an
instructor intentionally interacting with a student about her ill grandfather,
and noted “interaction makes people feel someone cares.”
Review Decision & Action Tracking from last meeting:
Action items were reviewed and
updated from the last meeting (see
tracking chart below).
Update for Sub teams:
·
Cara thinks the SET should be a standing
committee (for continuity and transition) instead of a project charter. She
will go back to Executive Staff with the standing committee designation. A
continuity and transition plan is still needed.
·
Cara talked with David Kreft about the Call
Center not being cleaned.
·
Scott has recruited Emily Danuser and K. C.
Bryson as part of the Measurement Team.
·
Jessica brought pictures of employee apparel
options (styles and colors) for Tri-Day wear. Cara said the idea was that each
department would pay for the first item of clothing for each employee;
thereafter, employees could order additional pieces online, and that possibly a
small inventory would be kept in the Campus Store. The team agreed that the
selection should be narrowed to a couple of color choices, e.g. red with black
logo or black with white logo.
Next steps: Jessica will ask
Crowe to send samples of each color and type and ask whether a quantity
discount would apply.
·
The Recognition subcommittee showed samples of a
“thank you” post card and a folded/envelope card. Denise Hall quoted a price of $.12/page to
print, with either two or four forms printed on each page. Envelope cost is
$50.31/1000. Extra stock might be kept in the Campus Store or President’s
office. Jessica also showed a translucent envelope sample that would be more
expensive. Cara stated this is a relatively small investment to recognize
people and say “thank you”. Cara and Jessica will talk further about shirts and
cards and try to make a decision on each.
·
Lisa Anderson reported that LC101 is now up for
faculty and staff with about 25 people in the first group. The class has
provided useful materials and additional workshops for participants, e.g. MBS.
Individualized Development Plans are being developed for each participant. Lisa
stated the IDP shows employees we care and want them to be successful.
Lisa says there is a plan to
also develop IDPs for current employees, and training is being scheduled for
supervisors. Cara said a lot of time has been put into this, but emphasized
importance of investment for talent management. “We will reap benefits in
employee satisfaction and performance.” Lisa Garrett will put something in the
new Connection about LC101.
·
Lisa reported that HIPs courses are being
developed for staff; also that she is on a team to plan a professional
development day for adjuncts.
·
A competency “dictionary” is being developed at
the State level and once approved, it will be introduced at TCTC.
·
On Professional Development Day (March 1st),
Ken Kopera will provide an update on the SSC plan, to be followed by two
concurrent sessions and lunch. The afternoon is reserved for
Divisions/departments to do training or team-building exercises.
·
Sharetta met with Lisa Anderson about what can
and cannot be done regarding recognition for employees. The procedure states funds
are available when employees leave the College as follows: 1-5 years = $25,
6-10 years = $35, more than 10 years = $50, but apparently the procedure is not
always followed. Sharetta inquired if the College or Foundation had budget that
could be used for recognition purposes; Cara stated we must stay consistent
with what the procedure says and suggested Sharetta’s team try to determine why
the procedure is not being consistently applied.
·
Sharetta is also continuing to work with Lisa to
find an HR resource to do supervisor training.
·
Scott asked what measurement needs his team can
start working on now. Cara suggested, for example, “How long do people wait in
line?” or “How often do we solve problems the first time?” Scott feels some
people experience survey fatigue, so he is less inclined to go with a survey.
Cara suggested a “Secret Shopper” to listen and observe different processes. Sharetta
related a personal incident of being recognized for “passing” a Secret Shopper
test. Cara stated the “heart and soul” of a Secret Shopper operation is
continuous improvement. Scott suggested asking key folks “What are you hearing
about what’s going on? What’s the word on the street? What’s working and what’s
not? Is there a disconnect between policies and how they are perceived?” The
goal of measurement should be more than communicating results; it should also
address issues that arise. Scott will get measurements, look at the process of a
Secret Shopper, and look at a model (or college) that can provide information.
·
Richard Parker provided the following report-out
to Cara: Commitment to excellence – what processes are stopping us from being
good? He had a meeting on January 28; approximately 20 (out of possible 35)
positions have been filled. The team will train folks on LEAN in Higher
Education, then break out into smaller teams to go out and implement LEAN
practices. Sessions will be held on Monday and Friday afternoons, and there
will be 11-12 sessions.
·
Lynn Lewis presented to the LC101 group on
January 4th. She had them spend 15 minutes on campus looking through
a student’s lens and bring back positives and negatives that they observed.
·
Sharetta shared that the Recognition Committee
is going to do random acts of kindness.
