Re: Remote Work . . . and Trust Alexa Van Dalsem 31 Mar 2021 16:59 EST
Thanks, Lacey. I agree - we can normalize and support each other as return to the office plans are made. I'm so excited to see all of the colleges and universities having these conversations and job postings noting remote work available. We're very fortunate to have an Assistant Director of Communications and Training (ADCT), who I'm partnering with to work on our department's hybrid office plan. Our ADCT is also an amazing professional development and engagement expert, and we're both advocates for remote work for staff. Regarding your question about building trust . . . I could talk for many hours about this. Building trust was an intentional effort that we started in the Office of Contracts and Grants in 2017. The basic answer to your question is that we identified a need to build trust, implemented a training program with Franklin Covey's Leading at the Speed of Trust that all staff were required to attend, and adopted the language and behaviors intentionally and organically in our work at all staff levels with leadership support and continued focus on trust topics. More details (no joke I could say a lot about this!): - Our Director and ADCT identified the need to build trust within OCG and with campus partners. - They chose Franklin Covey's Leading at the Speed of Trust as the training to improve trust, and the ADCT and I attended training to become facilitators. - Since 2017, the ADCT and I have lead the Speed of Trust training for over 200 staff members within OCG (including all leaders) and for some of our campus partners. All of our new staff go through the training with us (we did this remotely for the first time last year). This training is a real invitation to do work and staff embrace it in different ways. - The ADCT and I have lead various refreshers for OCG (including one last year on remote work and trust) to keep the concepts fresh. Our leaders and staff embraced the trust work and use it on a continuous basis in their work - it's not just 2 or 3 of us doing the work. The Speed of Trust concepts really work, so we see the positive impact or can identify why trust is low. - Our leaders use the trust language continually as well as walk the talk. Transparency has been key over the last year. Our leaders are open to feedback from staff. We've had staff come to supervisors and leaders and ask hard questions or point out where trust is failing, and we've made changes to address this. For really sensitive topics, we offer ways to submit questions confidentially online to our ADCT. - Our campus HR saw the impact of Speed of Trust and also started providing training to campus. - Speed of Trust is one of the best and most impactful trainings I have ever done - lots of common sense concepts, but it provides a common language and framework to build trust. It's a personally challenging course. The ADCT and I had no idea how it would be received when we started - did we luck out that it stuck? Maybe. Our leadership and staff may have really been ready for it. - Before trust training, a piece of our trust work started with an all staff discussion and development of Office Norms: https://www.colorado.edu/ocg/ocg-staff-resources. Again common sense/just be a professional items, but helpful to have in writing for common understanding and language. Our Director reviews the norms with new staff during onboarding. - Within OCG, trust is probably our highest cultural priority - just about everything we do starts from or is improved by the foundation of high trust. It's a concept embraced by, engaged with and held up by staff. Recent events are driving the diversity, inclusion and equity conversation on campus, and we see trust as a key factor in this work. I'm sure there are other components . . . We still make mistakes and do things that hurt trust, but we try to use those as learning experiences. Maintaining high trust is work and requires vigilance, but without a doubt, it's worth it. Happy to discuss more! Alexa Alexa Van Dalsem, MA, CRA Deputy Director, AFSO Office of Contracts and Grants 3100 Marine Street, 4th Floor | 572 UCB University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, Colorado 80309-0572 xxxxxx@colorado.edu O 303 735 6525 www.colorado.edu/ocg -----Original Message----- From: Rhea,Lacey N <xxxxxx@ufl.edu> Sent: Monday, March 29, 2021 7:36 AM To: Research Administration Discussion List <xxxxxx@LISTS.HEALTHRESEARCH.ORG> Cc: Alexa Van Dalsem <xxxxxx@colorado.edu> Subject: RE: Remote Work Alexa, I'm so impressed with the approach your unit/institution is taking on this topic! The document you provided is very thoughtful and I think many who seek to have these conversations at their own institutions will find it very helpful. "We have an open-dialogue, high trust culture in OCG" - assuming the staff agree with this assessment, this is an amazing accomplishment. A culture like that takes time to build, and requires the right kind of leaders. What would you say were the major contributors to creating this type of environment (or maintaining it, if it existed before your tenure there)? "One key for me is that I think remote work is going to expand for Research Administration . . . and we want to keep our amazing staff even as other opportunities from out of state come their way." - I agree with this prediction and it is a major reason I'm pushing the topic so much in my own circles. Recruitment in our field is already incredibly difficult. An institution (or even a unit within an institution) that falls behind on this trend will suffer greatly. Thank you for your contributions to improving the experience of our profession. I encourage you to continue sharing out on this listserv as your journey unfolds. The more we normalize these topics, the more positive our culture will become. Take care! _________________________________________________________________ Lacey |RA Manager|Physics|Phone: 352-294-3072|Email: xxxxxx@ufl.edu Think before you print! -----Original Message----- From: Research Administration List <xxxxxx@LISTS.HEALTHRESEARCH.ORG> On Behalf Of Alexa Van Dalsem Sent: Thursday, March 18, 2021 9:06 AM To: xxxxxx@LISTS.HEALTHRESEARCH.ORG Subject: [RESADM-L] Remote Work [External Email] Hi Deborah - Our institution and our department are having a lot of conversations around the topic of the future of remote work. CU Boulder is working on institutional guiding principles. My department - Office of Contracts and Grants (OCG) - had a hybrid workplace before the pandemic, and we're now discussing expanded hybrid. We just kicked of conversations with staff around remote work. We have an open-dialogue, high trust culture in OCG so involving staff is possible, and we think necessary to make remote work work for everyone, including more staff working 100% remote (depending on business needs and personal preference). I've attached OCG's Planning for the Future Version of Remote work document. A colleague and are co-leading this effort for OCG. We hope to have plans sorted out by June/July. One key for me is that I think remote work is going to expand for Research Administration . . . and we want to keep our amazing staff even as other opportunities from out of state come their way. Happy to discuss more - it's a topic near and dear to my heart! Alexa Alexa Van Dalsem, MA, CRA Deputy Director, AFSO Office of Contracts and Grants 3100 Marine Street, 4th Floor | 572 UCB University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, Colorado 80309-0572 xxxxxx@colorado.edu O 303 735 6525 https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.colorado.edu_ocg&d=DwIGaQ&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=4uDUx_JUmdTI_qsPGOY_rX8ORuy-uE8bfzhUTzTKHjk&m=F-44aj5ISQqMnlnO5XAP8mQy4Gq28VoC4n98-fC28rc&s=o6ktL3Ipw6f3Uzyn-GOs3DLmU8ZoqOwiDn1WTeJaYao&e= ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2021 23:39:19 +0000 From: "Good, Deborah" <xxxxxx@UCSF.EDU> Subject: Remote work Hi All - we're examining the future of remote work post-COVID given that the last year has shifted how we've had to conduct business and opened up opportunities that allow us to explore a more permanent option. We would be interested to know if other organizations have, or are considering, allowing permanent remote working. There's obviously a lot of factors to consider so we're looking at information that will help inform the process. Please feel free to email me directly or reply to the group. Thanks! Deb Deborah Good xxxxxx@ucsf.edu Research Services Manager Office of Sponsored Research ############################ To unsubscribe from the RESADM-L list: write to: mailto:xxxxxx@LISTS.HEALTHRESEARCH.ORG or click the following link: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__lists.healthresearch.org_scripts_wa-2DHLTHRES.exe-3FSUBED1-3DRESADM-2DL-26A-3D1&d=DwIGaQ&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=4uDUx_JUmdTI_qsPGOY_rX8ORuy-uE8bfzhUTzTKHjk&m=F-44aj5ISQqMnlnO5XAP8mQy4Gq28VoC4n98-fC28rc&s=vbdogNb9un4l3sXpphECJXbHpfb4XUizzF165tu1_Ho&e= ############################ To unsubscribe from the RESADM-L list: write to: mailto:xxxxxx@LISTS.HRINET.ORG or click the following link: https://LISTS.HRINET.ORG/scripts/wa-HLTHRES.exe?SUBED1=RESADM-L&A=1