Office of the President

Employee Engagement Workshop Outcomes

Faculty, staff and colleagues from around campus came together for workshops following the release of results for the 2022 Employee Engagement Survey. Across three sessions, employees shared their ideas for improving the campus culture and amplifying the employee voice. 

Office of the President
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5202 USA
(269) 387-2351

Workshops

In response to Universitywide invitations, Western employees gathered in three workshops from Oct. 24 to Nov. 1 to help guide senior leadership in the next steps of the University's Employee Engagement effort. Attendees advanced the work of the Survey Action Team, which distilled the results of the Employee Engagement Survey into three focus areas: appreciation, communication and transparency. After reviewing the survey results and hearing the Survey Action Team’s presentation, the President’s Cabinet also added a fourth focus area, value and support, for consideration and exploration.

At the workshops, attendees worked together in teams at individual tables. Teams at each table held lively discussions about the actions and behaviors that could result in improved employee engagement and morale for their focus area. Approximately 200 participants generated more than 300 ideas, which were created through a three-step process:

  1. Individual idea brainstorming.
  2. Sorting individual ideas into themes as a team.
  3. Prioritizing the ideas by voting.

The insight provided by the attendees was invaluable. Thank you to everyone who participated.

All the recommendations for action and behaviors generated by each team at the workshops have been organized into a workbook, organized by the four focus areas. The workbook also contains a link to a photo of each team’s original work for easy cross-referencing.

Each team’s work can be found below. 

With the assistance of three members of the Survey Action Team,  the recommendations for action and behaviors are now being organized into targeted action areas. This is an organization effort, with no ideas being eliminated. The next steps will be:

  1. With all of the input from the workshops organized into action areas, the Cabinet will fully consider the ideas, which will inform potential initiatives.

  2. The potential initiatives will be shared with the campus for feedback and prioritization. 

  3. The initiatives will be finalized into committed actions and outcomes and communicated to employees.

Oct. 24, 10 a.m. session

Table 1 (COMMUNICATION), Behaviors, Post Its: Get out of the Ad building Display true empathy to everyone, Know people personally, Take an interest, Equal voice at the table, Treat all employees equally, Break down silos, Ask for more feedback, Are you ready to give/receive feedback?, Put things into action instead of only receiving, Communication loop/feedback. Knowing you've been heard, Earlier input before decisions, Leadership in divisions and departments must share information.
Communication: behaviors
Table 1
Table 1 (COMMUNICATION), Recommendations, Post Its: Empathetic, Timely (3), Relevant, Proactive not reactive, Communicate with action, Straight Forward, Direct, From the top, Strategic, Shorter emails (2), Precise (2), Being condense, Concise, Just the Facts, Clear/Clarity, Listen to what campus/employees are saying, More listening to campus, New forms of communication, Truthful (2), Candid, Open, Genuine, Honesty (2), Appropriate.
Communication: recommendations
Table 1
Table 2 (VALUE), Behaviors, Post Its: Giving Opportunities, Benefits, Compensation, Proper Staffing, Fair wages, Flexibility, Equal Treatment, Recognition, Compliments, Positive Reinforcement, Showcase good work, Caring, Recognition, Know the needs of your team, Ask and listen.
Value and support: behaviors
Table 2
Table 2 (VALUES), Recommendations, Post Its: Open communication, Reduce reliance on technology, Open communication amougst all, Have enough staff for all departments, Personal interaction, More social opportunities "Staff Bash", Action team focused on recognition (changing the ethos on campus), Be willing to invest in people, Be positive, Compassion based decisions verses money based decisions, Fair and equal treatment for all departments, Fair competitive wages.
Value and support: recommendations
Table 2
Table 3 (SUPPORT), Behaviors, Post Its: Employee advisors, Phone Calls, Support groups, Solicit ideas for improving units regularly, Hold listening sessions, Hold preventative and educational opportunities on mental health, Online chat groups for staff and faculty mental health, Job tool to assist staff with personal growth, Daily flexibility of work hours (use of lunch time) to compensate for appointments or emergencies, HR policy for flexible daily hours, Employee of the month in units, Recognition on a s
Value and support: behaviors
Table 3
Table 3 (SUPPORT), Recommendations, Post Its: Meetings (Support groups), Phone calls (reach out), Opportunites for growth and advancement, Offering training when needed, Assistance with building on individual strengths, Acknowledge a job well done, Value all aspects of faculty role, recognition, teaching and service, Compassionate response to mental health challenges, More staff. Don't say "Do more with less", Flexible daily hours, Understanding of life circumstances, Supervisors who care about employees' w
Value and support: recommendations
Table 3
Table 4 (COMMUNICATION), Behaviors, Post Its: Delivery Thorough Digital Verbal Patience, Professional (2) Humor Tone Two-way Honest (4) Empathetic (2), Relatable Clarity (3) Concise (2) Understandable, Acknowledging difficult topics Recognize the good and the bad Open Transparant (2) Candor, Frequent Timely (3)
Communication: behaviors
Table 4
Table 4 (COMMUNICATION), Recommendations, Post Its: Daily emails on upcoming events on campus to staff, Quick response to events, Efficient communication, Targeted communication for various employee groups, Regular divisional news, Daily checkpoints, Scheduled communication to target audiences, Updates from upper admin on projects/ funds/ goals, Clear policy change updates, Cross-divisional communications. (Breakdown the silos), Break down institutional classes, Employee engagement, Quick and Clear feedback
Communication: recommendations
Table 4
Table 5 (SUPPORT), Behaviors, Post Its: Mental Health (2), Expand community benefits, Providing staff resources, Learning Opportunities, Ask employees what they need for success, Provide autonomy in decision-making, Positive reinforcement from supervisor, One on Ones, Leadership commits time to employee, Encouragement, Conversation, Asking questions (2), Listening, University recognition, Encourage collaboration, Find decompress time, Acknowledge work ethic, Inclusive, Positivity role setting, Engaging, Car
Value and support: behaviors
Table 5
Table 5 (SUPPORT), Recommendations, Post Its: Fill vacant Staff Positions, Approval for remote work positions with VP to improve ability to attract new hires, Organized "thank you" events, Celebrate success publically, Allow employees to create their own schedules, Reduced Friday hours, Increase vacation days, Allow for more flexible hours, Allow more remote work (2), Invest in hybrid work technology, Keep Fridays off in Summer, Department mixers, Office trips, Themed/ fun staff engagement events, Create d
Value and support: recommendations
Table 5
Table 6 (VALUE), Behaviors, Post Its: Being compensated justly, Fair pay (3), Benefits that align with needs, Comparable pay to external, Being utilized for your skill set, Assist others, Completing a specific task that few others know how to do, Think outside the box, Spending break hours to get to know the crew, Respect, Be positive, Be upfront if the decision has already been made, Transparant communication, Not identifying people/work as not important, Communicate with supervisors if there are any issu
Value and support: behaviors
Table 6
Table 6 (VALUE), Solutions, Post Its: Production Value Compensation, Equal pay for work done (3), Benefits increased not decreased, Pay market value for labor done (3), Pay equal to market value (3), Raises that reflect todays inflation and cost of living rate, Awards, Input from all team members, Individual Supervisor Recognition, Reconozing Senior Leadership, Listen to and act on needs, Open door policy, Asking Questions is ok, Learn from mistakes so changes can be made.
Value and support: recommendations
Table 6
Table 7 (TRANSPARENCY), Behaviors: Post Its Explain why, Tell people why, Openess RE: Decision Maing, Show data, Objective Data, Accesssibility, Making Info easy to obtain, Addressing problems openly, Don't bury lead, Communicate across platforms, Communicate more, Frequent Communication, Tell people what is going to happen (before), Admit Errors, Willingness to answer questions, Visibility & Presence, Accesssibility.
Transparency: behaviors
Table 7
Table 7 (TRANSPARENCY), Solutions, Post Its: Talk about where the Univ. is going, Tell us the goal/objective, Show data, Objective Data, Accesssibility, Making Info easy to obtain, Addressing problems openly, Don't bury lead, Centralized Data hub website, Keep Data Log ava. to interested readers.
Transparency: recommendations
Table 7
Table 8 (TRANSPARENCY), Behaviors, Post Its: Did we meet our goals? Held accountable?, Accountability reports on IRS website, Accesibility of reports/financial reports, Internal Comms board-ticker, Town hall meetings, Quarterly/Periodically Campus Meetings, Meeting hour on campus, Standard weekly update+campus community, Allow ongoing quick voting via email, Templates talking points, talking points training, Marcom template on info sharing, Explain why when you can't openly say things, Actionable policy o
Transparency: behaviors
Table 8
Table 8 (TRANSPARENCY), Solutions, Post Its: Did we meet our goals? Held accountable?, Accountability reports on IRS website, Accesibility of reports/financial reports, Internal Comms board-ticker, Town hall meetings, Quarterly/Periodically Campus Meetings, Meeting hour on campus, Standard weekly update+campus community, Allow ongoing quick voting via email, Templates talking points, talking points training, Marcom template on info sharing, Explain why when you can't openly say things, Actionable policy o
Transparency: recommendations
Table 8
Table 9 (COMMUNICATIONS), Behaviors, Post Its: University well being w/illness on campus, Secrecy: The secrecy we feel campus keeps from staff, Money, Being able to pick equipment, Sending us equipment we know works best, more custodial input on closet space, lunch rooms, Open door policy, Input to safety committee no followed thru, Be included on decisions on job uniform, HR processing needs to be faster, Job evaluations, Boost wifi to connect to wmu, Better communication between Union & it's team member
Communication: behaviors
Table 9
Table 9 (COMMUNICATIONS), Solutions Post Its: Boost Wifi, Union & it's members could do T/F meetings like in the past, Consistent Comms for all new workers, Willingness to listen & hear suggestions without rebuttal, Transparency with Comms: you tell us only what you want us to know, Custodial mgmt could visit bldgs once in a while, Comms with overtime, Being open to suggestions.
Communication: recommendations
Table 9
Table 10 (SUPPORT), Behaviors, Post Its: Align wage scales to living wage index for Kzoo, Merit raises, paid lunch, paid maternity & parenting leave, Supervisor training for supervisors (new+ongoing) better support for employees, Training required to supervise, Reviews of supervisors from supervisees, Competency based on Superviosr Eval, Evaluate people for supervisory qualities before promoting people to supervisor, Do not promote people to leadership w/o proper vetting, Safe reporting process about toxic
Value and support: behaviors
Table 10
To do.
Value and support: recommendations
Table 10
Table 11 (Transparency), Behavior, Post-Its: Inclusive, Able to provide performance feedback to supervisors, Inviting campus stakeholders to decision- making plans, Open input, Rationale for large decisions, Intentional, Plan, Focus objective (2), Ask for input before a plan is set, More in-person updates, Sharing plans to the campus community, Timely campus updates, Open/clear communication (2), Thoughtful communication, Active listening, Empathy, Meaningful performance management system.
Transparency: behaviors
Table 11
Table 11 (Transparency), Recommendations, Post-Its: More in-person updates, Full staff at town hall, More Systemized communication, Various ways to communicate information, Figure out who is in the room before staring a project, Everyone has a stake, More survey feedback, Explain variables when considering a decision (2), Give the why, Common mission thoughts, Hold everyone accountable, More timely campus updates on critical issues (2), Accountability follow through.
Transparency: recommendations
Table 11
Table 12 (Support), Behaviors, Post-Its: Increase remote work options, Compromise and flexibility (3), Clear obstacles, Technology and software, Resource availability and distribution (2), Acting on simple ideas first, Recognition of regional locations, Participation (2), Unity, Value diversity, Being approachable and open, Creating environment of trust (2), Empathy, Equality, Recognizing strengths and weaknesses (2), Acknowledgement, Encourage new ideas, Communication, Survey of employees, Responsive, List
Value and support: behaviors
Table 12
Table 12 (Support), Recommendations, Post-Its: Develop series for professional development for employees at all levels, Increase professional funds, Remove advancement barriers, Online trainings for all university software and processes, Increase remote work flexibility for employees, Remote work options (2), Update outdated policies, Open office times, Individual meetings (2), Flexible open hours (2), Shaving tips, Daily scrums, Team building activities (3), Social activities (2), Work buddy day, Activitie
Value and support: recommendations
Table 12
Table 13 (Value), Behavior, Post-Its: Increased pay/salary (4), Pay equity, Appreciation, Give raises based on experience, More benefits (2), Parental leave, Positive work environment, Be honest (2), Listen (2), Respect, Support POC, Improve diversity among faculty, Diversity in senior leadership, Diversity award recipients.
Value and support: behaviors
Table 13
Table 13 (Value), Recommendations, Post-Its: Acknowledgement, Accolades, Recognition, Celebrate, Appreciation (3), More than surface level, Positive reinforcement, Invest in others, Empower, Equity (2), Professional, Respect, Dignity, Support, Sense of unity, Honesty, Transparency, Compensation (4), Funding for professional development, Benefits, Increased pay, Encouragement (2), Complements.
Value and support: recommendations
Table 13
Table 14 (Communication), Behavior, Post-Its: Unique to WMU, Good for WMU, Good system for everyone, Newsletters, Open door, Communication flows, Everyone is on the same page, Interdepartmental socials, Talk about good things and concerns, Communication across departments, Know everything happening at the university, Intentional, Timely, Consistent, Ask for thoughts from faculty and students more often, Be honest, Be clear/concise (3), Respectful, Empathetic, Willing, Logical, Data driven, Good talker (2),
Communication: behaviors
Table 14
Table 14 (COMMUNICATION), Recommendations, Post Its: 1 communication tool for WMU, Communication plan and expectations for WMU, Deadlines for communication, Put the names of the deceased back into WMU news, Newletters/department values, Acknowledgement of DEI issues, More accountability for failinh to uphold communication standards, Leadership more visible, Leadership office hours (2), Consistent messaging, More upper admin transparency, Training: Listening, Emotional intelligence, Promote more cross team i
Communication: recommendations
Table 14
Table 15 (VALUE), Behaviors, Post Its: Competitive market-based pay, Identify if compenstaion is equitable for each individual, Pay, Merit-based pay, Offering competitive pay, Aligning pay with employee value, Provide everyone with ways to advance and grow in their careers, Promotions tied to work and not tenure, Recognition for good work, Paths for advancement in career, Raises or paths for promotion, Define what value means for each role, Meaningful performance reviews, Create objective measurements of va
Value and support: behaviors
Table 15
Table 15 (VALUE), Recommendations, Post Its: Have performance reviews, Staff controlled manager reviews into performance, Thorough performance reviews with clear & objective measurements that then tie to pay/pay increase, Awards & raises based on activities outside your "job role", Staff values statement by staff, Staff recognize other staff with award and other things independent of management, Be clear about what is valued, Faster tracked advancement, Give merit-based raises, Allow supervisor to give rai
Value and support: recommendations
Table 15
Table 16 (COMMUNICATION), Behaviors, Post Its: Transparency (2), Honesty (2), Multiple channels (3), Make a single user-friendly point, Concise, Personal, Relevant, Timely (2), Clear (3), Frequent (2). Consistent in messaging, Progress updates, Respect, Include wide audience.
Communication: behaviors
Table 16
Table 16 (COMMUNICATION), Recommendations, Post Its: Be honest in all communication, Trusting employees, Don't try to influence outcome, Make sure all VP areas are delivering consistent messaging, Single communication tool (2), Central source of messaging to improve consistency, Opt in/out, Multiple channels of messaging, Awareness, Branding or familiar format, Scheduled messages.
Communication: recommendations
Table 16

Oct. 25 session, 7 a.m.

Table 1 (APPRECIATION), Behaviors, Post Its: time off (2), Vacation time, Food, Motivation, Generosity, Recognition (4), Nomination for committee work, Celebrating, Awards, Authentic, Smile/positivity, Recommend actions to share expertise, Awareness, Good job, Giving thanks (3), Giving credit, Compliments, Notes from senior leaders, Good job, Verbal, Inspiring, Thank you, Money (3), Equity, Raises (2), Promotion (3), Earned raises.
Appreciation: behaviors
Table 1
Table 1 (APPRECIATION), Recommendations, Post Its: Group outings (2), More social opportunities, More flexibility in job operation, Parental leave policy, 4 hour work days on Friday, Ability to gift/purchase leave time, Employee of the month (2), More systematic approach to recognize accomplishments, Free dining hall passes, Designate fund for monetary award. Annual, Merit raises (2).
Appreciation: recommendations
Table 1
Table 2 (COMMUNICATION), Behaviors, Post Its: Active listening (4), Asking questions, Observation, Listen to feedback, Honest (2), Honest feedback, Transparency, Meetings (2), Apply feedback, Timely response, Clear, articulated goals, Follow through with info, Kindness, Smile, Comfort, Positivity, Nonjudgmental, Collaboration, Shared ideas, Shared information, Everyone at the "table" (2), Checking in with collaborators, Being open (3), Approachable.
Communication: behaviors
Table 2
Table 2 (COMMUNICATION), Recommendations, Post Its: Admit when wrong, Accept responsibility, Think about the answer before giving it, Make your own decisions, Follow through, Explain decision making, Continually seek feedback from all (2), Accept input from "lower" levels, Ask intentional questions, Meet with others not usually in your group, No question is bad, Share good and bad, Transparent communication plan, Flexibility, Be supportive, Trust exercises, Don't judge, Show compassion, Be available, I
Communication: recommendations
Table 2
Table 3 (TRANSPARENCY), Behaviors, Post Its Honesty, Positive intent, Own errors and commit to fixing things, Admit when there is uncertainty or ignorance, Admit errors, Visibility of decision makers, Not misrepresenting self or others, Clear expectations of each other, Resolution/rejection of ideas in a timely manner, Walk your talk, Information given more frequently, People do what they say and say what they do, Commitment, Communication via surveys, Open communication, Standard operating procedure, Avo
Transparency: behaviors
Table 3
Table 3 (TRANSPARENCY), Recommendations, Post Its: Disaggregate budgets at each level, New hire checklist, More training (2), Departmental packet stating expectations and what is needed to thrive in a position, Regular, predictable, frequent communications about workplace issues that affect people, Give updates on progress, Timely communication, Texts, Emails (3), Physical suggestion box, Consistent topics, Input meetings, Staff/office time together, Variety of communication methods, Decision makers ho
Transparency: recommendations
Table 3
Table 4 (APPRECIATION), Behaviors, Post Its Deans properly handling associate dean bullying Free gym membership One hour to do physical activity in day Flexible work day Half day Fridays in summer or all year Smiles Less hours for full time = appreciate work done Listening Quality of work Opportunity for opinion (2) Taking action from feedback Values and understanding Response to feedback Adoption of relevant/qualified opinions Valuing input Working together Ongoing feedback Being paid for worth P
Appreciation: behaviors
Table 4
Table 4 (APPRECIATION), Recommendations, Post Its: Less hours for full time, Free Gym Membership, Day Fridays (2), Job Duty Tracking/Quarterly Recognition (2), 1 hour for physical activity, Departmental Equity/Access to Benefits, Merit Based Compensation (2), Clear Obstacles, Understanding of work hour vs benefits, Raises to Meet Inflation, Cabinet Visit Area Staff Meetings, Stop by to Say "Hello", More Centralized Input, Follow through on Feedback, Ongoing feedback, Work on Efficiency, Timely ackno
Appreciation: recommendations
Table 4
Table 5 (TRANSPARENCY), Behaviors, Post-Its: Budget, Impact on Students, Honest (2), Humility, Good and bad, Understanding, Listening, Clarity, Clear, Communication (2), Dissemination, Demonstrate, Translatable, Accessibility, Debate, Modes of communication, Understanding.
Transpareny: behaviors
Table 5
Table 5 (TRANSPARENCY), Recommendations, Post-Its: Consistent (2), Regular communication (3), Timely (3), Flexibility, Alternate Modes, Easier access to email (2), Point Person, Budget, Events, Feedback opportunities, “Crickets", Balance.
Transparency: recommendations
Table 5
Table 6 (VALUE & SUPPORT), Behaviors, Post-Its: Listen to suggestions, Feedback, Listen, Open communication (2), Understanding of temporary circumstances, Senior leaders are approachable, Advocate for staff, Ask for input, Inviting me to participate, Inclusiveness, Respect ideas, Allow people to use outside talents, Saying thank you, Acknowledge (2).
Value and support: behaviors
Table 6
Table 6 (VALUE & SUPPORT), Recommendations, Post-Its: Incentive pay, Merit pay, Allocate resources, Market value, Appreciate how one would like to be celebrated, Equity, Prioritize what is needed, Do something positive, Kudos program, Smile, Job shadows, Catch-up meetings, Schedule times for admin. to interact with staff, More employees, Create training and certificate Programs, Merit-based evaluation, Train managers, Admin. Assistants train dept. leaders, Have apprenticeships.
Value and support: recommendations
Table 6
Table 7 (VALUE & SUPPORT), Behaviors, Post-Its: Face-to-face interaction, Don't pick EOM, Listen to concerns and provide avenue for answers, Allow desired time off, Celebrate and reinforce/reward meeting goals, Hire workers where understaffed, Allow flexibility, Revisit daycare, Acknowledge individual achievement, Action, Appreciation, Access to outside vendors/tech support, Informal Recognition, Formal Recognition, Smile, Helpful, Laugh, Sad, Demonstrate caring and inclusive behaviors, Caring.
Value and support: behaviors
Table 7
Table 7 (VALUE & SUPPORT), Recommendations, Post-Its: Proper tools, Training, End performance appraisals, Evaluate performance incentive, Clear path to success, Chain of command, Rethink appreciation, Every department has a voice on union board, Utilize international student talents, Explain financial model, Stop saying you have no money, Higher wages for dining employees, Increase employee benefits, Change Severance policy to three months regardless of length of employment, Offer academic year at other
Value and suppport: recommendations
Table 7

Nov. 1 session, 3 p.m.

Table 1 (Communication), Behaviors, Post-Its: Be timely (5), Provide relevant information, Be consistent, Repetition, Frequency, No spamming, When you cannot share, say so, Let those directly impacted know first, Let the appropriate people know when messages are coming, Seek feedback, Accept feedback, Be clear when asking for feedback, Be available, Request input from stakeholders, Be honest (2), Genuine, Mean what you say, Tell the truth, Be authentic, Be intentional, Providing rationale for decisions (2)
Communication: behaviors
Table 1
Table 1 (Communication), Solutions, Post-Its: Have a panel of devil’s advocates for important messages, Seek input ahead of major decisions, Create and use employees advisory groups, Seek input before sending messages, Be visible to build trust and relationships, Include feedback option/form for all messages (2), Hold each other accountable, Better segment audiences to ensure relevancy, Tag/flag messages with different purposes, Create template for types of communication most effective for given audiences,
Communication: recommendations
Table 1
Table 2 (Value and Support), Behavior, Post-Its: Funding professional development (2), Finding time for professional development, Allow people to attend professional development meetings, Provide promotional opportunities (3), Ask for ideas/input (2), Ask for feedback and share experiences, Active listening, Compensation, Offering fair, market compensation as a baseline, Rewarding high performance, Ask “How are you?, Ask how to help/support, Ask about needs, Active listening, Recognizing unique skills/talen
Value and support: behaviors
Table 2
Table 2 (Value and Support), Solutions, Post-Its: Campus wide team-building monthly, Meet and greet sessions with WMU staff, Networking events with WMU employees (2), Monthly options for employees to meet, More meaningful yearly reviews, Implement an effective talent management cycle for everyone, More input than yearly survey, Create feedback boxes around campus, Safe space for feedback, Don’t ask staff to fundraise when outside of job space, Project-specific bonuses, Structure a pay-increase process, Meri
Value and support: recommendations
Table 2
Table 3 (Communication), Behaviors, Post-Its: Consistent format, Timing, Timely push comms., Proactive vs. reactive, Offer feedback options, Timely update to contact information, Clear messaging to all departments, Clear expectations, Training/SOP, Differing voices/sources, Understand your audience. Table 3 (Communication), Solutions, Post-Its: Timely, Concise (2), Consistent, Clarity, Effective, Repetition, Patience, Two-way, Email (2), Announcements, Department-wide, Purposeful, Proactive messaging, Help
Communication: behavors
Table 3
Table 3 (Communication), Solutions, Post-Its: Timely, Concise (2), Consistent, Clarity, Effective, Repetition, Patience, Two-way, Email (2), Announcements, Department-wide, Purposeful, Proactive messaging, Helpful, Correct audience, Inclusive, Action-oriented, Positive, Transparent (2).
Communication: recommendations
Table 3
Table 4 (Communication), Behaviors, Post-Its: Honest (2), Open, Transparent (3), Direct, Respectful, Clear and concise (2), Active listening, Fast, Replying, Clarity, Listen, Timely, Acknowledge one another, Two-way, Updated organization charts, Updated directories, Direction on who does what, Easy to find email updates, Hierarchy of employees, Awareness of employees who left, Information, What you communicate shows your values, Humor, Sharing pertinent information, Follow-up, Memes, Good news, Helpful, Gif
Communication: behaviors
Table 4
Table 4 (Communication), Solutions, Post-Its: Direct, Be honest, No secrets, Consistent, Planned, Provide details in messages, Send out info in a timely manner, Trust, All communications accessible, Respond within 24 hours, 000 reply to employees who have left, Workday software (3), Event board where people can post events on campus, Information on websites, Robust website, Fully utilize sales, Organizational charts, Timelines for updated directory charts, Updated directories, Share changes in staff, All ev
Communication: recommendations
Table 4
Table 5 (VALUE & SUPPORT), Behaviors, Post-Its: Open door poicy, Responsive to requests, Feeling support makes you feel valued, Happy to help, not a nuisance, Reminded of value, Listen, Engage, Transparency, Communication (2), Asking for input/feedback, Communicate more often, Equity, Fairness, Equal treatment regardless of position/department, Recruit more staff (2), Retention, Get raise, Give flexible schedule, Providing help/resources when needed (2), Things or people needed for support, Increase wages t
Value and support: behaviors
Table 5
Table 5 (VALUE & SUPPORT), Solutions, Post-Its: Growth opportunities, Employee onboarding in department, New employee traaining as well as ongoing training, More training, Hire adequate staffing (2), X amount of dollars per year for training/conference, Provide time for training, Training sessions, Wage increase at a minimum to cost of living, Go back to getting shoe inserts every year, especially for dining, Merit raises (2), Better wages to bring in people, Competitive wage, Benefits reviewed/enhanced, Ex
Value and support: recommendations
Table 5
Table 6 (APPRECIATION), Behaviors, Post-Its: Recognition, Handwritten notes from senior management, Value years of service, Acknowledge others- presence, work absence, etc, Staff verbal and written recognition of others' achievements, Luncheons with president's cabinet, Thank you (3), Performance review linked to preformance metrics, Fair/market compensation, Merit increases, Professional development opportunities, Performance merit increase, Encourage and allow for professional development opportunities, P
Appreciation: behaviors
Table 6
Table 6 (APPRECIATION), Solutions, Post-Its: Smile, Make time to get to know your team and what they call "team building", Value for longevity, Daily/regular and intentional acts of courtesy, recognition, greeting, kindness, Recognize and leverage strength of others, Fairness across al VP units, fair and consistent, Be intentional with creating an inclusive environment, Cultivate inclusiveness- environment/culture, Plan for succession, Midpoint salaries to represent salaries at market, Reinstate merit raise
Appreciation: recommendations
Table 6
Table 7 (TRANSPARENCY), Behaviors, Post-Its: Respect, Personal check-ins, Understood values, Open door policy, Clarity, Clear communication, Expectation, Clear policies, Pull back curtain, Improve training protocol, Open, Open door policy, Less "I can't talk about it now", Communication (3), Admitting when you don't know, Decision thought process, Posted information, More communication between similar positions in different colleges, Frequent emails, Tell exactly why, Staff meetings, Social media, Honest co
Transparency: behaviors
Table 7
Table 7 (TRANSPARENCY), Solutions, Post-Its: True open door policy, Valued employees/leadership, Opportunities for staff feedback more often, Share whether or not info can be shared, Written values are actually real values, Leadership communication, Information sharing- updates/changes, Weekly state of the university emails, social media posts, post on webpage, Set universal training for the same staff positions across colleges, Centralized location for campus-wide communication, No retaliation, Safe space
Transparency: recommendations
Table 7
Table 8 (VALUE & SUPPORT), Behaviors, Post-Its: No union-busting lawyers at negotiatiing tables, Previous intend experience valued in hiring, Opportunities for advancement across units, Pausing to say hi, Rewards, Thanks, Offers of assistance, Checking in, Being there, Acknowledge achievements, Better student support networks so burden of support does not fall on one office/division, Glad I was assigned a bussy when I started working my job a day ago. Had a lot of questions, Mentorship programs, Collaborati
Value and support: behaviors
Table 8
Table 8 (VALUE & SUPPORT), Solutions, Post-Its: Continued telecommuting options, Increase hours that were decreased if employee wants, Put students first, Voice purpose ad values, Merit pay increases (2), Provide professional development opportunities, Transparent, open merit system for all employee groups, Incentive programs for high performance, Pay people a livable wage the acknowledges their education level and expertise, Incentive program for additional money or time to achievements and quality work, U
Value and support: recommendations
Table 8
Table 9 (APPRECIATION), Behaviors, Post-Its: Award (3), Perks, Free event tickets, Dinner on us/gift card (2), Special events, Token for coffee/food, Student recognition, Peer-to-peer praise, Verbal recognition, Spoken, Written, Friendly hello, Thanks on notes or verbally, Bonuses, Raises (2), Promotion, More staff, Adequate compensation, Merit increase/pay (2), Comp time, Additional time off, Time off, Work from home, Flexible schedules, Take the next day off, Fair/equitable benefits/pay- staff vs faculty,
Appreciation: behaviors
Table 9
Table 9 (APPRECIATION), Solutions, Post-Its: Being engaged, Approachability, Give WMU staff merch/shirts, Low-cost university perks- president's box football game, Creative peer-to-peer recognition program, Peer recognition system for submitting, One-time appreciation bonus pool, not ATB, System for implementing merit increase, Progress reports for promotions, One time bonus, Merit increase pay, Leadership training for promotions, Institute merit increase policy, Benefits review- what is most important to f
Appreciation: recommendations
Table 9
Table 10 (TRANSPARENCY), Behaviors, Post-Its: Open to scrutiny/feedback, More partnerships, More feedback loops, Ask our opinion, Explain changes, Ask instead of dictating, Shrink line of access, Give more processing time in between changes, Communicate directly with those implementing new procedures, Share info about change, Better communication, Seek input before change is implemented, Easily understood communication actions etc, Timely communication, Involve us in timing deadlines, Involve in all decisio
Transparency: behaviors
Table 10
Table 10 (TRANSPARENCY), Solutions, Post-Its: Value perspective, Seek feedback, Listen to those who are in the day to day, Be fair, equal is not equitable, Staff at table with all, We can help so be __, Work together to resolve issues, Fair and equitable, Honesty (2) , Communicate the truth, Don't withold information when possible, Being truthful, High level of integrity, Accurate report out to state of WMU, Can't be successful without, Truth, Walk the talk, Holding selves accountables for actions, Commit,
Transparency: recommendations
Table 10