Responses | EA Staff Feedback Forum #5: Virtual Community
What are you most concerned about as some of us are working remotely and others are on campus?
Potential outbreak from individuals being on campus. Mental health of staff who have been working remotely for the better part of 4 months with very little social interaction.
What has been working well throughout the current situation that we should continue?
Continue the community chats/webinars from HR and/or Organizational Development. Informal unit/division brown bag or happy hour chats just for a temp check on staff well-being.
What ideas and suggestions do you have to improve our sense of community during this time?
Continue to check in with staff - maybe a virtual scavenger hunt with a nominal prize or award?
What are you most concerned about as some of us are working remotely and others are on campus?
Health safety for my colleagues on campus and those who have small children who may still be "home-schooled" depending on public school plans. Adding so much stress to family dynamics. What has been working well throughout the current situation that we should continue? Communication for EA as well as Sr. Leadership by the University has been very helpful!! What ideas and suggestions do you have to improve our sense of community during this time? Continuing the webinars will be and is appreciated to help keep us connected.What are you most concerned about as some of us are working remotely and others are on campus?
Not creating a sense of “us vs. them” where those who are working on campus either feel resentful of those who continue to work remotely, or conversely, feel superior to those working remotely. What has been working well throughout the current situation that we should continue? There seems to be a sense of “we’re all in this together,” and an acknowledgement that it’s not an easy situation, but it is what is necessary, and we need to pull together to do our best work on behalf of Cornell. There seems to be a heightened sense of commitment among many different areas of the university, because of the demonstration of caring that was exhibited when we went to nearly all remote work, with the exception of essential workers. This clearly cut down on COVID-19 cases in our area. What ideas and suggestions do you have to improve our sense of community during this time? Those who must return to campus to do their jobs need to be assured that those of us who are not returning to campus, are working remotely to help ensure their safety. We need to have very clear communication about the numbers on campus and off campus, in terms of workforce, and how this should help mitigate risk factors related to the COVID-19 virus.What are you most concerned about as some of us are working remotely and others are on campus?
I am concerned that as campus operations resume, employees who CAN continue to do their jobs remotely will be expected to return to campus by their supervisors, directors and units anyway. At the same time, I feel concerned about the safety and wellbeing of employees who must be on campus to complete their daily work. What has been working well throughout the current situation that we should continue? I appreciate the frequent communications and updates from University leadership keeping employees in the loop about what's going on. What ideas and suggestions do you have to improve our sense of community during this time? I would like to see more of the Community Chats that were offered by Workforce development through CU Learn. Regardless of the topic, these opportunities to connect directly with other employees from Cornell Ithaca as well as Geneva and Tech have been invaluable. I really appreciate the interactive nature of those talks as opposed to Webinars where participation is limited. In addition, I would love to see some activities to boost morale. We have had many talks and discussions, but what about FUN? While we are unable to return to normalcy, we still need some positive stimulation to remind us why we love our Cornell community! Some ideas to throw out there: virtual spirit week, virtual scavenger hunt, virtual trivia, virtual employee appreciation day. Employees both on and off campus would be able to participate.What are you most concerned about as some of us are working remotely and others are on campus?
How is it decided who is going to start going to campus? What if someone is told they need to go back to the office, but has fears about this or medical issues? What if someone just really likes to work remotely and doesn't want to go back to campus? What has been working well throughout the current situation that we should continue? Some would say working remote has gone well and should continue. I agree that maybe it could be figured in as a part of an employee's normal schedule (work from home one or two days each week). What ideas and suggestions do you have to improve our sense of community during this time? This is so hard...Honestly, these EA forums have really helped. It reassures me that I am not the only one feeling a certain way or having the same questions. So thank you!What are you most concerned about as some of us are working remotely and others are on campus?
We often do not even know when a coworker is "out" for the day. Definitely losing the "sense of community" feeling of working at Cornell. I have definitely noticed that some people seem to think that they don't need to work quite as hard or as much as they would be if they were working on campus. For example, instead of answering a question, this person forwards to me all of the emails that she has received that might pertain to the question being asked. Instead of getting a straight answer, I am being provided with many documents within which the answer is hidden. It is like putting together a 100-piece puzzle when the pieces have been spread out into 5 boxes full of other puzzle pieces and I have to find the correct 20 pieces from each box and then put them all together to make one puzzle. What has been working well throughout the current situation that we should continue? Not putting people together when not necessary. What ideas and suggestions do you have to improve our sense of community during this time? It is hard to feel safe when I know that some people don't take this virus seriously. I would suggest that everybody be educated about the facts of the virus and make everybody take the training and answer actual questions to prove that they paid attention. I happen to know that the person referenced above did not actually watch the information for the EHS 2019 Return to Work Health and Safety Training for COVID-19. She said that the question popped up right away asking if she watched it and she just clicked yes so she received the certification without viewing the information that was provided in that tutorial.What are you most concerned about as some of us are working remotely and others are on campus?
1. I feel disconnected from my team, my division, and Cornell in general. 2. I am incurring additional expenses (utilities, supplies, furniture) working at home.What are you most concerned about as some of us are working remotely and others are on campus?
While I can work remotely and not rely on having to be on campus to work, I worry about the ergonomics of my home office set up. Working at my make-shift desk/computer setup was ok for 3 months but is slowing becoming an ergonomic health issue. And cost to me personally is not an option to be purchasing office furniture. Will there be an option to get my adjustable computer table with keyboard on "loan" for my home? I have heard other discussions about this in earlier forums. What has been working well throughout the current situation that we should continue? Limiting on-campus to essential personnel and also the staggering of personnel to come in for short periods of time to either work or pick up supplies and mail. What ideas and suggestions do you have to improve our sense of community during this time? Continue communication and zoom meetings (with video on) at all levels of the university (Central Admin, college, and department/unit)What are you most concerned about as some of us are working remotely and others are on campus?
I have no concerns there. What has been working well throughout the current situation that we should continue? I have really enjoyed all the communication from Cornell- about everything- the Covid-19 situation, the stance on anti-racism, ICE issues, the handling of everything- it makes me really proud to work for Cornell and I think the communication has been excellent and made me feel very well informed. What ideas and suggestions do you have to improve our sense of community during this time? My biggest issue is the limitations of our Zoom webinar capacity, as an event manager a few times a year I need Webinar capabilities of more than 1,000 but the only way to get the 3,000 and up licenses are to hire Matt Gorney's team. Currently we apply to get access to the webinar capabilities of 100, 500, and 1,000 (which is great). I just wish we could also apply to get a one license for capabilities over 1,000. If Weill is a partner on the event, we can use their Zoom license which goes up to 10,000. That's my only qualm.What are you most concerned about as some of us are working remotely and others are on campus?
My most significant concern is knowing more about the actual implementation of some of the parameters around the campus reactivation. Questions like: Who is going to be monitoring the testing of students (and faculty/staff if they are back on campus) and how quickly is follow up going to happen? Are students/faculty/staff going to have ID swiping into only specific buildings that they access because of their program/schedule or are all buildings going to be accessible to any student with an ID card? When is a Cornell testing site going to be up and running? (We have students who have already started arriving to Ithaca) What has been working well throughout the current situation that we should continue? Good communication is very helpful. I appreciate the different town halls and forums to hear from a variety of people. It has been a bit challenging to keep track of them all since they are posted in different areas or sent in different types of emails, but I appreciate recently the increasing opportunities to hear what is going on. What ideas and suggestions do you have to improve our sense of community during this time? I think it would be very helpful to have a voluntary opt-in program to connect with colleagues outside of our departments/divisions. They could be similar type of roles (i.e. Student Service staff from different departments) to get ideas on how to support students more effectively or more general (i.e. topic driven like a book discussion, a shared interest in the outdoors, etc). These would be ways to broaden our virtual community with minimal amounts of efforts since it would not be required of all staff/faculty. Additionally, I think it would be very helpful for opportunities for employees that may be single or living alone to be able to connect. Many people discuss the realities of trying to manage childcare or two people working remotely from the same shared wifi (which I totally acknowledge that these are very real concerns), but as someone without kids and living alone, there is also the challenge of not having the same level of human-interaction that in-person work once provided. Maybe a buddy system people could opt into?What are you most concerned about as some of us are working remotely and others are on campus?
Concerned with returning to campus in the Spring Semester due to having all the students return to campus in the Fall. It seems rather too soon to open for the Fall. The cases are still on the rise. What has been working well throughout the current situation that we should continue? Remote Work/Working from home has allowed me to concentrate without distractions, saves on gas, and mileage since my commute is an hour long. People who have long commutes like me should be able to set up a regular telework schedule for the Spring going forward. What ideas and suggestions do you have to improve our sense of community during this time? If possible, have various events on campus throughout the Fall with a max sign up of 15-20 staff members. I would like to come to campus at least once for a meet and greet.What are you most concerned about as some of us are working remotely and others are on campus?
When we might get called back to campus. What has been working well throughout the current situation that we should continue? Working at home has worked well for me. I'm not hearing any negative feedback from my people. I feel that if positions can allow work at home, then they should/could continue into the future. Or until there is a vaccine for Covid. Working at home is much less stressful than having to wear a mask, work with people that travel and have a constant worry/stress of contracting Covid. Or taking it home to others. What ideas and suggestions do you have to improve our sense of community during this time? I think continue with zoom meetings and newsletters is good. I'm not sure if there are other ways to improve.What are you most concerned about as some of us are working remotely and others are on campus?
That information won't be shared with all and that just our general sense of togetherness as an office will be lost. What has been working well throughout the current situation that we should continue? I feel like there have been more chances to learn what the university is doing, more town halls and opportunities like this one for input, which is great! What ideas and suggestions do you have to improve our sense of community during this time? Our office has set up a weekly happy hour lunch where we gather on Zoom and catch up, not talking about work. I miss seeing people and just running into people on campus so some opportunities to do that virtually would be nice, just not sure how successful they would be.What are you most concerned about as some of us are working remotely and others are on campus?
I am not so much concerned about all of us being divided as I am about all the students coming together from all around the world during this pandemic. What has been working well throughout the current situation that we should continue? I absolutely love working from home; I am happy & therefore, most proficient. What ideas and suggestions do you have to improve our sense of community during this time? Keep up the Zoom meetings; they keep us connected & safe!!What are you most concerned about as some of us are working remotely and others are on campus?
The work I do can easily stay remote. I don't need to be in an office. My position is different because I'm on a contract but if I was a FTE I would have the same question of, will this remote work be more permanent. I think others must have this question, if their job is easily done remotely. Should I stay in Ithaca? I'm part of the LGBT community which is on it's own a very isolating group to be part of since it's a small percentage of the population, even smaller if you're a gay woman. It's very important for me to be surrounded by others "like me". I need it to feel connected and a sense of community. So where I live is extremely important to me feeling a sense of community and connection. It will always be a significant factor in my life. I live in Horseheads so I miss seeing the LGBTQ population in Ithaca because I'm just not there often during COVID. What has been working well throughout the current situation that we should continue? I have been extremely productive during this time. I believe part of it is a very solid working relationship with my supervisor who trusts my work ethic. I think ongoing support for managers to understand that working remotely can be a huge benefit and not something to be feared. What ideas and suggestions do you have to improve our sense of community during this time? The morning meeting with my HR team has been very helpful. Sometimes it's just 15 minutes These have been valuable to me feeling connected (not just to work but to the world) during this time. I'm fortunate because they are a fantastic group of people. I think supporting people to have a group to Zoom each day for 15 minutes is important. Maybe a group within the Cornell community if their work group isn't as fantastic as mine. People in marginalized groups often don't join groups. Sometimes they lived their lives feeling so uncomfortable in groups it's just hard to shake. But if they find a group that feels good they will really benefit from it. But they may not seek it out.What are you most concerned about as some of us are working remotely and others are on campus?
That there will be an expectation that non-essential workers need to return to physical campus to remain employed. I think many people (myself being one) that have really relished working remotely and want to have a permanent full-time remote work arrangement. What has been working well throughout the current situation that we should continue? I love the staff forums and zoom conversations with leadership. I feel the most connected and like I'm face to face with Mary Opperman instead of squinting from the back of an auditorium. I love having the captions option too. I appreciate the updates the leadership has been giving to have a sense of what's going on. I also appreciate the clear explicit communication that the university has given about working remotely. This helps eliminate confusion on the staff/department side since everything is run in its own way at Cornell. What ideas and suggestions do you have to improve our sense of community during this time? Wellness has done a particularly exceptional job providing programming and service continuity through their consultations and challenges. I did a 3-week challenge in June for stress management. Through this I've had my first few experiences with meditation and I'm seeing how wonderful it is in my life! The small group workshops are really helpful to actually talk to and "meet" people I never would have otherwise. In the past I would have had to factor the travel time to the workshop/back and that would have discouraged me. We are able to talk about "real topics" rather than feeling nervous in a room full of people we don't know and deferring to small talk. I also appreciate SCL's workshops and how we watched the 13th documentary together and have the campus book read which is setting the foundation for the racial justice conversations that have been happening since. It has been helpful to have all of this scheduled during the workday. I think it gets tough for employers to schedule community things outside of standard working hours and it's beneficial to have a break during the day. I would suggest that these activities be encouraged on a regular basis so that employees are able to detach from the direct job stress and still be able to connect with colleagues and Cornellians.What are you most concerned about as some of us are working remotely and others are on campus?
How do you see the university supporting staff that continue to work remotely with regards to office supply needs (ie printer paper and toner); currently using personal printer for work related printing needs, using personal cell phone for office calls? Can old office furniture currently in storage be made available to staff in order to create more ergonomic work spaces at home? Some of us working from home are doing things like putting four tables of various sizes together to “make it work.”