GO BIG Staff Initiative Update

Dear Student Affairs staff,

We want to update you on several bright spots happening as part of the broader GO BIG Staff Initiative to help foster Pride, Trust and Community throughout the division.

“Going local” in order to GO BIG

This past year, the GO BIG Staff Initiative team hosted two “Community Conversations” for Student Affairs staff (you can watch highlights from the first and second conversation). These conversations were a large group method to widen the circle of engagement across the division to define current and future workplace culture and discover shared value

Moving forward, we are “going local” by partnering with leaders and managers in individual units. Student Affairs Learning & Development, with support from the GO BIG Staff Initiative team, will help intact work teams apply the GO BIG principles of Pride, Trust, and Community to their work environment through organizational consulting.

For example, we’ve already facilitated focus groups with Cal Dining’s managers and supervisors. The purpose of these group facilitations is to identify important aspects of their unit cultures they wish to focus on in the near future. In addition, one of our GO BIG team members facilitated a staff meeting in Business Operations (BusOps) on how the team was being affected by recent organizational changes.

We plan to expand this work across many units in the coming months. We’ll report more on the outcomes of this local consulting work soon. If you’re interested in organizational consulting for your unit, let us know! 

Also, in partnership with Great Place to Work®, we are conducting a Trust Index® Survey. Your responses will be used by Great Place to Work® to identify specific strengths and opportunities for improvement within our organization.

The final details of the process are being developed and the survey will be launched within the coming weeks.

Cabinet Retreat Update

On May 5, Student Affairs Cabinet, which is comprised of divisional leadership met to discuss how the division is moving forward with our culture work and how to best provide support for the staff during this challenging time. This included understanding the needs of the staff and actionable ways to use campus resources.

Among the topics that emerged was the impact of the current budget situation through the lens of the GO BIG principles of Pride, Trust, and Community. Many members acknowledged that this is a tough time for all staff, and that living our values of Pride, Trust, and Community is even more important now than ever. External stresses and the impact on students were also discussed.

Leaders brainstormed behaviors that can help reduce stress and uncertainty, including highlighting bright spots - celebrating teams and individual successes, including as many voices as possible “at the table,” taking the time to listen, showing authenticity and mutual support, and creating space to acknowledge how people are feeling, among many others.

The Learning & Development team had follow-up meetings with leadership from RSSP, the Dean of Students Office, and Admissions & Enrollment to continue building on the culture work from this retreat. As our GO BIG work continues, please share with your supervisors any ideas you may have that help the division during this time.

Student Affairs Community Check-In
 

On Friday, May 13, the division held a Community Check-In, in the ASUC Student Union. Colleagues from across Student Affairs came together in a facilitated safe space to share their concerns about the impact our current budget situation has on our division, and ways to work together during a difficult time.

The event was facilitated by Student Affairs Learning & Development, the GO BIG Staff Initiative team members, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff Andrea Dooley, and Ellen Lloyd from campus Human Resources. Staff who attended were able to share their fears and hopes, and share ideas on behaviors and actions that can help all staff remain focused and resilient in the midst of challenge.

Additionally, a local Community Check-in was held for the Dean of Students Office on May 31. This initial conversation is the start of several future engagements to provide opportunities for staff to build community and trust with each other.

Thanks!
The GO BIG Staff Initiative Team

The mission of the GO BIG staff initiative is to create a work culture of pride, trust, and community in the Division of Student Affairs at UC Berkeley. Click here to learn more, and visit the GO BIG Blog.