“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up.” – Thessalonians 5:11
I was hoping we would quietly finish the final few days of 2021 and be poised to tackle 2022 with renewed exuberance, but I guess I just need to focus on the renewed exuberance, as a quiet finish is not in the cards.
A cybersecurity incident affecting our payroll vendor disrupted our timekeeping and payroll system, shutting it down completely. Fortunately, we have an amazing team, who responded immediately and put in a new (albeit manual) system. Deena Wallis, Dianna Martin, Justin Zyla, Kathleen Bell, Dorita Rogers, and Michelle Rose have been working furiously over the past week to ensure everyone is paid on time. Last week, Deena announced that the checks would be available for pick up at 10am on December 29 by various designees from the Association Office, who will then deliver the checks to each center where you will be able to pick up yours. If you cannot pick up your check by 5pm on December 30, it will be mailed to your home address. Please note that the checks will look different and they will not have a pay stub. This was an extremely labor-intensive effort to ensure everyone was paid, taking a great deal of coordination between the finance, human resources, and operations teams to make this all come to fruition. Thank you, team finance and team HR, for this extraordinary effort.
A cybersecurity incident is not something you think will happen, but as Bruce Caudill continually reminds me, it is certainly becoming more of a probability in the current climate. In fact, Bruce has strongly recommended we become more prepared and take the necessary precautions to prevent something like this happening to our organization; fortunately, Bruce and his team are experienced and have kept us safe from attacks up to this point. Both Bruce and Toko have concluded that, as a result of the current cyber incident, we will create a crisis management plan to be best prepared for any future incidents we may encounter. As we have throughout the pandemic, we will seize the moment and adapt to the adversity. Adaptation has been, and will continue to be, how we navigate the challenges we continue to face.
Last week, Brian Flattum reported to our board of directors that the number of open positions in our association remains over 100. Attracting staff has posed a new challenge for us, but once again, we are adapting and finding new ways to attract staff so we can operate effectively. Michelle Rose (our new Chief Human Resources Officer) has been working with Holly Tedford and Tara Bywater to implement a strategy to help recruit Child Care staff from our internal audience (our own staff), offering a $350 incentive for working two or more shifts for at least a 90-day timeframe. The strategy has already produced two candidates from our part-time staff team! It is a good strategy to invest in our existing team, offering opportunities to grow your own career and develop new skills. We are a big organization and can offer you a variety of ways to seek development opportunities. Child Care is a vital program in youth development; plus, it is a critical service to the community, without which parents would be unable to go to work and provide for their families.
Addressing the challenges posed by a different labor market is something Michelle is embracing with a fresh approach. She is looking to implement an employee referral program in January, a strategy that will reward you when you help recruit new staff to our organization. This is a strategy other companies are using successfully to help their own recruitment efforts. We believe it takes a special person to pursue a career in the Y, someone who is selfless and is fulfilled by a deep desire to make a difference in someone else’s life. We have recently established two platforms to highlight these qualities and celebrate the work of our team.
One is highlighting different staff stories during our Staying Connected calls, where staff share what it has meant to have a career in the Y (“Why the Y?”). During our last call, Diane Jackson shared how powerful it has been for her to have worked over 20 years in the Y Movement – she met her husband, raised her daughters, and had life-changing experiences with people she has met and by seeing lives transformed through the camping experience.
The other is having different staff share, in this newsletter, how it has been for them to work through the pandemic. I have found it to be very insightful to read and learn from our own staff how it has felt to work through this challenging time. It has not been easy, but in each story, staff share a deep commitment and sense of fulfillment from the work they do at the Y. It is inspiring to hear from our team, and I am constantly reminded of our team’s devotion and dedication.
In January, Michelle will introduce our new human resources director and will hopefully be able to add a talent acquisition director, who will help develop new pathways to attract staff to our team. The labor market has been disrupted and presents a new landscape from which to operate. Having new HR leadership brings new ideas and abilities that will help our Y operate effectively in this different and challenging climate. In addition, Curt Archambault, Director of Learning and Development, will work to equip our own team so we are better able to adapt to the challenges we face. Our association is having to adapt in a variety of ways – some will prove to be effective and some will need to be modified as we learn what works and what doesn’t. I have heard it said many times over the past 21 months: “The only thing we can count on is change” – to which I will add: “I can also count on the fortitude and commitment from our team.” Thank you for your commitment and deep devotion to make a difference in the world. You are giving our communities hope that we all desperately need.
#OneY #StayStrong #StayWithUs