Civil Service Committee

Introductions

Mary Jane Towle, Chair, welcomed new members to the Civil Service Committee. All members present introduced themselves, including the new members, and identified their department affiliations.

Approval of Minutes

The minutes prepared from the June 18, 1998 meeting of the Civil Service Committee were approved as written.

Parliamentarian

Blake Downes agreed to be the parliamentarian for this meeting.

Overview of Civil Service Committee

A brief orientation and review of the CSC operations manual were held. The manual includes important committee information such as the 1998-99 member list, officer duties, retreat objectives, and information about the various subcommittees. Mary Jane Towle, Chair, asked members present at the meeting to think about which subcommittees they would like to serve on throughout the 1998-99 academic year and noted that subcommittee assignments will be discussed further at the August retreat. A copy of next year's meeting schedule listing dates, times, and locations was also distributed to committee members at the meeting for their information.

Chair's Report

• Mary Jane Towle, Chair, was pleased to report that Stephanie Dilworth has agreed to serve as the Vice Chair throughout the 1998-99 academic year, and that Debra Melander has agreed to serve as Treasurer.
• A list of members who are planning to travel to the Crookston Campus for the September meeting of the Civil Service Committee will be requested shortly.
• The annual retreat is scheduled for 9-4PM on Wednesday, August 26, 1998 at the Como Pavillion in St. Paul.
• Subcommittees to be discussed at the retreat include the addition of an employee benefit subcommittee and issues related to the work of the Legislative Subcommittee; it was also noted that the Strategic Planning Subcommittee will not meet until October, 1998.

Treasurers Report

Debra Melander stated that she met recently with Stephanie Dilworth, last year's treasurer, to review and discuss the responsibilities of the position. Treasurer duties include verification of all charges processed against the budget, preparation of monthly financial statements, work with the finance subcommittee as well as the University Senate Finance Committee, and preparation of the budget request for the following fiscal year. She will also be meeting with Ms. Martha Kvanbeck, University Senate, in the near future to clarify process and procedural issues for the year. Ms. Melander asked that committee members notify her when expenses are incurred in securing rooms, ITV hook-ups, and teleconferencing, and that travel and professional development should be sent to her for approval at which point she will forward it on to Ms. Kvanbeck for payment. She agreed that it is important to monitor expenses to ensure the Civil Service Committee stays on track with its budget.

Carol Carrier, Vice President of Human Resources

• Vice President for Human Resources Carol Carrier reported that a luncheon was held last week sponsored by the Regents and that employees were randomly selected to attend.
• Overall, she added that the Regents are very supportive of the changes to the sexual harassment and consensual relationship policies. The Regents' only concern at this point seems to involve the consulting process surrounding the policies.
• The biennial budget request will focus on six major themes: 1) increased compensation; 2) improved undergraduate academic experience; 3) expanded technology; 4) improved outreach; 5) increased building maintenance and operations; and 6) improved health education.
• In order to have a competitive faculty and staff, VP Carrier stated that it is necessary to maximize employee compensation. She noted that three themes speak to this statement: 1) living wage increase; 2) market study; and 3) professional development.
• VP Carrier noted that approximately half of the biennial budget is planned for compensation.
• VP Carrier asked committee members to provide her with anecdotal information on tough retention and recruitment issues to bring a more personal perspective to the legislative request.
• The Center for Human Resources Development is now in place and the Office of Human Resources is working on an agenda for the next 12 months. VP Carrier noted that student training, grants management, and the enterprise system are all a big piece of this center.
• VP Carrier recommended that members of the Civil Service Committee become informed about the work of the state health plan task force. George Hoh, committee member, mentioned that he has attended one meeting to date and agreed to continue to update the committee on its progress. It was also noted that Bob Fahnhorst, Employee Benefits Operations Manager, is also willing to update the committee on the health plans and other issues related to employee benefits.
• The CSC asked that the subject of performance appraisals and merit salary increases be kept in mind for future discussion with the VP for Human Resources.

Kaye Aho, Human Resources

• Kaye Aho, HR, reported that the PeopleSoft system is now coming on-line for human resource applications; an ambitious training schedule is underway between hands-on training and gathering information.
• Although PeopleSoft will not have access to the historical data that Civil Service Committee has requested in the past, it will be a valuable tool for current statistical information.
• The HR central team is in the process of restructuring job responsibilities throughout July and August. Ms. Aho added that she will relay an update on training from Nan Wilhelmson, Human Resources, in August or September on this process.
• Kaye Aho was pleased to announce that Pat Snodgrass from the Academic Health Center has joined the compensation staff. Ms. Snodgrass will research database requests for market studies on all employee groups except for faculty on an ongoing basis, as well as trying to increase the efficiency of this process.

  Review of New Performance Appraisal Form: School of Public Health. Karla Wright, Judy Peterson, and Mary Beth Percy from Human Resources in the Academic Health Center (AHC) attended the meeting to present and discuss the new performance appraisal form proposed for the School of Public Health. A copy of the form was distributed by fax prior to the meeting to committee members for their review and copies were available at the meeting as well; a copy of a letter to the committee from Jeanette Louden, Director of HR in the AHC, was also distributed to committee members re: performance management initiatives at the Academic Health Center. The performance appraisal form identified performance factors and expected standards that are important to the success of the AHC. The use of this form also encourages supervisors to de-emphasize "rating" people and emphasize communication, understanding, and development. In addition to the form, the HR office will provide "A Management Guide" for the improved process, and will continue to provide training about the importance of the performance management process, setting goals and objectives, and supervisory communication skill development. Although it was noted that compliance issues need to be addressed, ownership and understanding by the units is what will make this new form valuable.

  One member of the Civil Service Committee requested that an indication of whether job duties have changed from year to year be included on the form. It was added that the form was well-defined and that it is a fundamental tool for communication and conversation between supervisor and employee. Committee members recognized that it may be a challenge to encourage consistent use of the form across all units of the AHC. Overall, however, the CSC felt the new performance appraisal form was valuable and asked for feedback on its effectiveness.

Subcommittee Reports

Communications/PR Subcommittee

George Hoh has written an article about the Civil Service day for the August issue of the Kiosk, and Wendy Williamson asked committee members to submit additional ideas for articles in the next few months. It was recommended that an article on the salary principles can be written for the October issue, but that civil service visibility should be maintained in the Kiosk until then. It was also suggested that articles be written about the Center for Human Resources Development, professional development, and an overview of the goals established at next month's retreat. Meanwhile, George Hoh continues to work on the committee's new web page format incorporating the new logo: "Civil Service--The Backbone of a World Class University."

The PR Subcommittee has also drafted a proposal for a Civil Service Theme Day at the University. A draft proposal was written by George Hoh and distributed to committee members at the meeting. The following recommendations were made by CSC members about the event: 1) gain support of the CSBU; 2) sponsor an event such as raising money for a cause; 3) promote the event by painting a panel on the bridge during the September bridge painting. Mr. Hoh added that he is looking for civil service employees with musical talent to form a CS musical group for the event. Overall, the committee supported the proposal and asked that it be submitted as is to VP Carol Carrier, Human Resources, for further discussion.

Compensation Subcommittee

Mary Berg reported that the Compensation Subcommittee met last week to discuss the salary principles, and will be meeting again on August 4 to continue discussion and working on the draft for distribution to committee members before the retreat. Ms. Berg added that contributions from members of the Civil Service Committee are welcome.

Kaye Aho noted that there has been no update on the compensation survey at this point. She added that the Survey Research Center is currently working on compiling the data, and that she hopes to give the CSC an update on the timeframe of this project at the August retreat. FYI: Ms. Aho pointed out that approximately 2,000 employees responded to the survey request, and nearly 1,500 of those were submitted electronically.

Professional Development

Wendy Williamson is currently compiling a list of information related to professional development recipients since January 1996. The professional development subcommittee will meet to talk about how to present this information to VP Carol Carrier in the near future as a means to educate employees about classes available at the University. It was also noted that dialogue should be continued about the time off for professional development allotted to civil service employees.

Civil Service Rules

Mary Jane Towle reported that the rules revisions are currently being forwarded to Carol Carrier, VP for Human Resources. A discussion was held regarding layoffs and bumping rights, and the issue regarding time off for personal health maintenance programs has not yet been agreed upon.

Search Committee

John Felipe distributed a copy of a memo stating that the Search Committee is in the process of recruiting three or four additional alternates to fill unexpected openings during the 1998-99 academic year and to serve, with a vote, in the absence of a regular committee member. He also distributed a copy of a notice that was sent to all employees on the list serve and e-mail lists to HR professionals and others. Applications are being accepted until July 24th, with interviews with a slate of candidates by Friday, August 7.

Senate and Assembly Subcommittee

Dick Haney distributed an e-mail to committee members of a copy of the memo to Martha Kvanbeck, University Senate. The memo outlined the CSC recommendations which need to be forwarded to the President for approval. Positions to be filled are those on the Disabilities Issues Committee, the U Grievance Board, the Recreational Sports Advisory Committee, and Occupational Health and Safety Committee. Mr. Haney noted that there have been applications for these positions, and that he will make recommendations to the CSC at the August meeting.

The meeting adjourned at 12:00 Noon.