All FCC Employees,
I am delighted to share with you all that I have received a number of Speak Out Submissions recently. Many are filled with new ideas, questions and expressed concerns.
This has given me an opportunity to reflect on a few items, address a few concerns and implement new ideas. Because many are anonymous and I want to do my best to openly communicate and respond to the Speak Outs, I have chosen to post this on the Depot. The responses are meant as an overview only and where procedures/practices change; those will be distributed accordingly with more specificity. Know that when somebody identifies themselves in their Speak Out I am handling them directly.
“Working from Home”
A concern was raised requesting me to review both the Work from Home Procedure and the Procedure related to the Borrowing of Vacation and Sick time. The expressed concern was related to whether or not Family & Children’s Center should engage in these practices. The Senior Leadership Team recently reviewed the procedures and changes will be forthcoming. Specifically, the Work from Home procedure will continue to be allowed but staff must understand this is an EXCEPTION and will require CEO approval and prior approval. The procedure will be edited to better reflect the expectations and underscore that this is the practice. Additionally, the borrowing of vacation/sick time as a practice will no longer exist. In cases where it is necessary to be off, employees will not be paid if there is not a positive sick time or vacation balance.
“Parking Lots and Hunger Task Force”
A request for better signage in the parking lot was made in this Speak Out, citing concern for the lack of clarity to entrances and exits and indicating the difficulty in parking in the small lot at GVC. With that in mind we will have the facilities crew repaint the entrances and exits this summer. Additionally, I would respectfully ask that all staff follow parking lot etiquette by using proper entrances and exits so that safety in our parking lots improve.
A question was raised related to the Hunger Task Force, the writer asked a question about who would be taking this task over due to staff turnover as the person previously responsible no longer is employed by FCC. First, I would like to extend my apology for the delay in fully addressing this issue as soon as we knew there would be this opening. At this time, know that Mary Jacobson, the Director of Wisconsin Youth & Family Programs is taking the lead on this and a meeting has been scheduled to address this. The plan will include shared ownership between programs as use of the Hunger Task Force pantry is seen as being valuable to the clients of FCC.
“Religious Memorabilia”
A statement was made related to employee’s display of religious memorabilia. We do not have a specific policy on this topic, and I tend to see it in the category where there’s room for compromise and tolerance. Most employees at FCC have their own offices and decorations in one’s own office is a personal choice. However, it is not usual for any public or shared spaces to be covered in religious memorabilia. For one employee the display of religious memorabilia is a reflection of who they are and what they believe in and for another they might find that display inappropriate. My hope is to avoid having to take it to the extreme with a policy that prohibits any and all things with religious connotations. To do this I believe we need to do three (3) things. First, I ask that we all increase our awareness of how our behaviors/practices impact others or have the possibility of impacting others. Secondly, I ask that we all demonstrate tolerance of others on this issue. Tolerance goes both ways. Thirdly, if a situation is truly creating an adverse situation/work environment, please say something. If you are the source, please be considerate if another employee brings this to your attention. It doesn’t necessarily have to end in an all or nothing scenario. If any assistance is needed in addressing this situation, please see your supervisor.
“Social Media”
In this Speak Out, the writer made observations related to the FCC Facebook page and a recent post. Know that we utilize an expert consultant and these concerns will be shared, especially related to the use of images and various taglines.
“Communication”
Finally, there was a request for FCC to better communicate arrivals, departures and transfers of employees. This communication does exist monthly to a limited audience. We will resurrect the practice of sharing this information monthly via the Depot to all employees. The Depot will remain the method by which FCC communicates to all employees. It remains incumbent upon staff to visit the Depot daily/whenever you work. I have attached the means by which you can receive alerts in your email to signal when there are new posts. Click on the link to download instructions. This should help all be attuned to the latest news from FCC.
Instructions on how to get email notifications when we publish new posts in the Depot
Thanks to all for the effort made to reach out and ask questions that were of concern. I appreciate the dialog!
Best,
Tita