Staff Newsletter | Tuesday, January 25, 2022
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.” – Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
I receive a weekly report from human resources and operations; the status of our team is part of that report. Last week, Michelle Rose reported there were over 200 positions vacant throughout our association due either to recent resignations or to COVID exposures/ infections. This is a critical issue for us, not only threatening our ability to offer services, but also dealing with the strain it has on our team. In 50 days, we will have reached the two-year mark of the pandemic. It has challenged us in ways we never could have imagined, but the challenges we have faced have forced us to think differently. Yes, this has been a violent disruption in our lives, but I am convinced we will look back one day and have a deep sense of fulfillment, knowing we persevered through this storm and discovered new ways to serve our communities and each other.
As painful as these past two years have been, many positive things have occurred. When Brian Flattum rallied us together – to work as One Y – it drew us together in a powerful and more effective way. As strong as we were prior to the pandemic, in many ways we worked in silos. The pandemic forced us to draw closer, relying on each other in a way we never before experienced, and it has opened our eyes to how much better we can work closer together. Last week, the HR team traveled to each community center to roll out the new Employee Bonus Referral program. Michelle and her team introduced this strategy to help our organization address the urgency of filling open positions that currently exist throughout our association. This is an innovative strategy to recruit new employees by utilizing our strongest advocates – you! If you recruit a person for a part-time position and this person stays with us for 90 days, you will earn $100. If you recruit a person for a full-time position and the person stays for 90 days, you will earn $200.
The HR team was excited to roll out the new program, and they had a great time visiting with the staff and sharing the program; the entire team was thrilled to be in the centers getting to know staff. Carla Gianini, Human Resources Generalist, who is relatively new to our Y, shared that being out in the centers gave her a deeper understanding of our Y and a deeper appreciation for being part of the larger team. Michelle and her team are working hard to make the employee experience a richer one for all of us, but as they experienced themselves, they are part of the experience themselves, not just facilitating the experience for everyone else. We are all members of this team and are critical to lifting up our Y through this storm. How well we work together not only brings us a greater degree of success, but also a richer experience in realizing the feeling of being part of One Y.
In last Friday’s Staying Connected call, Michelle also reported on the work being done to strengthen the overall recruiting process. In the past, positions were posted for a month, and then we would spend weeks interviewing candidates. By the time we completed interviews and checked references, it would be about three months before we even hired a person. The pandemic has completely changed that. Candidates are applying for multiple jobs and are being hired in a matter of days. Brian shared that we started interviewing people as soon as we receive applications from qualified candidates, which greatly expedited the process. Michelle has already changed the reference check process in an effort to streamline the process further. HR has worked closely with every department in order to review job descriptions, adjust minimum requirements wherever necessary, and remove barriers when appropriate. Last week, Jessie Palmer assembled a group of key volunteers and staff to interview a candidate to replace Carol Kowalski for the Planned Giving/Endowment position. The candidate was highly qualified and Jessie moved quickly to evaluate whether she was a fit in our Y. Our entire team is needing to evolve on the fly in order to adapt to these extremely volatile conditions, but as we have done throughout these past two years, we have met the challenge and we are better for it.
Last week, our Y successfully completed a January promotion. No, we CRUSHED it!!! It felt so good to have a win like this. It was emotional for me listening to Emily Morisawa, Tiffany Stewart-Harris, Kim Schulz, and Megan Sala highlight the work of each center on Friday’s Staying Connected call. Everyone was part of this achievement, and from what I saw in the chat, clearly, it felt good to everyone. Scott Smith, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, shared with me later on Friday how good it felt to have a successful campaign (being his first one), but even better than the achievement itself was the feeling that the success was achieved through the collaborative work of the entire organization. When I spoke to Scott, he and his team were meeting with the association health and well-being team, strategizing for the next campaign effort. He did not want to miss the chance to capitalize on the success and excitement our entire team was feeling.
We are a strong Y. We are strong because we have a great team, committed to working as One Y. Being part of this team is such a privilege for me; there is nothing we can’t do together. Thank you all for your continued devotion to making our Y great.
#OneY #StayStrong #StayWithUs