Responding to the Employee Survey:
The SFS Journey

by Ruth Johnston

Financial Management's survey results as they related to Student Fiscal Services created many more questions than answers! While some results were encouraging (e.g. the value of teamwork and ability to balance life and work), others (e.g. office politics/favoritism, leader collaboration and trustworthiness) caused concern and a need for more information and direct action.

The leaders began meeting with Debby Seaman in July to begin addressing leadership team issues. We held a retreat that helped identify working styles, what was working well in SFS and between us and what needed improvement. It was an effective tool to help identify difficulties and build understanding. One outcome is a survey of leadership effectiveness that will be given out in late January. Another outcome was the establishment of the "Three-Week" team, a cross-SFS team of staff and leaders who plan for staffing and tasks at the beginning of each quarter. Their success was quickly seen as we held the smoothest and conflict-free Autumn opening ever.

SFS staff involvement with the survey was next on the agenda so a SFS-wide team was put in place to get it organized. The morning was spent with a review of SFS over the last two years and a styles tool called "Winning Colors." The afternoon was more challenging and risky as it began with leaders being excused from the room while staff (and leaders in another room) discussed concerns about working in SFS, with able facilitation from FM facilitators. Debby read flip charts from each group (anonymously) and the silence in the room was deafening! Leaders found some of the comments hard to hear, were even more curious about some of them, and eager to work together with all staff to make SFS a better place to work. The activity included table groups of staff and leaders identifying what is good about SFS, what needs to remain the same, and what needs to be improved. After all groups reported back, the ideas were collated and a focus emerged.

One team was chartered and began work immediately, the "Flex Time" team. They are charged with identifying how to make flex time work for everyone in SFS, taking into account needs for customer service and unit coverage.

The staff wanted another session to talk about issues, so Debby and Karen Crowder facilitated a session to better understand the issues so action teams could be formed. Two teams emerged: the "Professionalism Team" which is charged with identifying a definition of professionalism, assessing the gaps, and recommending ways to improve it, and the "Cross-Unit Collaboration Team" which will work at improving relationships and support for each other and our customers.

The retreat also surfaced questions about UW Human Resources and SFS hiring and selection methods, about the new professional staff group of advisers and what it takes to get ahead. HR staff gave a presentation on this topic in early December. Coming in late January will be a discussion on preparing for the future as we move to more knowledge work and less transaction processing.

Making SFS a great working climate means all of us working together to make it happen. We have thirteen of our thirty staff on these new improvement teams; four others on the existing "Blockbuster" training team; and four others on FM/UW teams. With that commitment to improvement, we all expect to see significant improvements in the working together climate.