Thursday, May 7, 2015




Virginia Tech's Service Recognition Program


15,670 years of service.  The employees being recognized through our Service Recognition Program have served this institution collectively a total of 15,670 years.  While those figures are staggering, the numbers that are most striking are that we have:
  • 111 employees with 25 years of service,
  • 85 employees with 30 years of service, 
  • 67 employees with 35 years of service, 
  • 25 employees with 40 years of service,
  • 7 employees with 45 years of service, and
  • 1 employee with 50 years of service.
It is fantastic that we take the time to recognize these individuals who have served this institution so long and so well.  We will gather for dinner on Monday, May 11 to celebrate employees who have served us for 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, and 50 years.  We already recognized our 10, 15, and 20 year honorees at a luncheon on April 23.

I spoke recently with one of the individuals who will be recognized for 45 years of service.  She told me that the "time had flown by".  Think about that for a little while - every work day this employee has gotten out of bed and gone to work devotedly for 45 years.  And to hear her tell it, coming to work each day wasn't a chore, but something she found enjoyable and fulfilling.  How else could the time have "flown by"?

Our community is blessed with individuals who are similarly dedicated.  At some point, they are no longer working here because they have to but because they want to...  And we want them to as well because they still bring value to the workplace - the value of experience, the value of commitment, the value of service, and the value of their example to others through their love of their job.  

And we are a better institution because of their many years of service.  I look forward to seeing them honored on Monday evening as we take time out from our busy schedules to thank them for all they have done to make this institution better - one day at a time, one week at a time, one month at a time, with the years of service accumulating.  They have honored this institution through the simple act of doing their jobs. 

For more information about our Service Recognition program and our honorees, please see:

http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2015/04/043015-hr-servicerecognition.html









Friday, March 13, 2015

I'm Upset - Now What?  Alternative Dispute Resolution Could Be Your Answer


By Hal Irvin and Dale Robinson, Assistant Director for Training, Education, and Outreach, Equity and Access, Virginia Tech Department of Human Resources

Many times in our careers we've been confronted by an upset colleague or campus employee who has come to us with a story to share.  The story goes something like this:  my supervisor, co-worker, subordinate (fill in the blank) was rude, mean, bossy, condescending (fill in the blank) and I feel disrespected, hurt, frustrated, powerless (fill in the blank).  These are important conversations and we are always happy to be of help... except when we can't.

A common theme in many of these conversations is how they end.  We ask the upset person how we can help them.  Often, we discuss strategies to resolve the situation. Just as often, the person tells us they won't be satisfied until other people hear how upset they are.  

They want to file a grievance, document their concern to others, meet with more people to let them know how they have been treated.  When we ask how involving more people will resolve the problem, they aren't sure.  They aren't even sure what they want to happen to the individual who upset them. What they are sure of is that the more people know how badly they have been treated, the better.  

We find - and we have spoken to colleagues here at Virginia Tech who have similar experiences and agree with us - that the individual who has been deeply hurt by a negative interaction at work is often the hardest to help. While they sincerely believe they have been mistreated, there is generally nothing in their situation that would rise to the level of discrimination, discriminatory harassment (Policy 1025), or a violation of some other Virginia Tech policy.  As a result, it is difficult to take an informal dispute and resolve it through a formal process.

When it comes to what they want, individuals in this situation most want for you to understand just how upset they are.  And going from office to office telling their story or taking their concerns forward through a formal process doesn't usually resolve the situation or make them feel any better. The root cause of the issue is not with any of the people listening to the issue or trying to review the complaint - it is between the two people that the problem started with in the first place.  

There are more constructive approaches to take.  When a colleague upsets you at work, ask yourself what resolution you want and whether anyone outside those immediately involved could make things better.  Four practical steps generally allow you to work through the matter before sharing the issue more broadly or taking a more formal approach:
  1. After you calm down, within a day or so, reach out to the other person to suggest you’d be interested in sitting down with them to discuss your concerns about some specific event or topic and that you’d be interested in hearing their view on that topic. Hopefully, they’ll agree to meet with you.  During the meeting, explain your perspective or point of view and invite theirs. Listen carefully and acknowledge both the information and the feelings each of you share with each other.  After you have each had an opportunity to express your concerns and your feelings about the situation, talk with each other about what options might be pursued so the situation and your work relationship could be improved. If it’s possible to reach an agreement, make sure you are both clear with what each of you will do going forward.
  2. If you are not satisfied with the results of that discussion and feel the situation is serious enough, don't stop there.  Speak to the next person up in your supervisory chain and see if he or she would be willing to meet with both of you to help clear the air.
  3. If that doesn't achieve the desired result, we have an excellent mediation and conflict resolution program on campus which can bring you and the other party together to mediate the conflict.  You and the other individual would agree to participate voluntarily, come up with your own solutions (with the help of the mediator), and abide by what you agree upon. In effect, you are both responsible for resolving your own issue - with the help of a trained professional.  You can skip 2 and go directly to this step if you are uncomfortable with involving others in your organization. If you participate in mediation, no record or mention of the mediation is placed in any personnel file.
  4. Another option would be to seek some one-to-one conflict management coaching to help you develop or improve your ability to handle or manage existing or anticipated conflicts more effectively.
You are not powerless when you have a dispute in the workplace.  There are mediation and coaching resources available to help you, alternative ways to resolve disputes: http://www.hr.vt.edu/oea/conflictresolution/index.html 

Professional development workshops on conflict management are available to individuals through UOPD and the Diversity Development Institute.  Workshops for departments or work groups can also be provided directly from the Conflict Resolution Program in the Office for Equity and Access.

The next time you are upset and wondering how to work through your concerns, see if you can work through the situation informally.  Alternative dispute resolution works and you may be pleasantly surprised how effective it is.  
  
Dale Robinson, Assistant Director for Training, Education, and Outreach, can be reached at 540-231-1824 or via dbr@vt.edu.



Thursday, December 11, 2014

Virginia Tech Employees in School


I so admire our Virginia Tech employees who seek a degree while working.  Today, December 11, 2014, is a reading day for Virginia Tech students.  Our students have one last day to prepare for exams and get ready for the final push of the semester. 

For those of you employed at Virginia Tech and attending school, this is likely just another day at work.  You probably don’t have the luxury of a reading day because you have bills to pay and work to do.  What you do have is the drive and ambition to improve yourself, to gain knowledge, and to add skills you know will benefit you in life and on the job.

It is wonderful that we belong to a learning community which values higher education.  We support employees who attend Virginia Tech through our tuition waiver program, and whenever financially possible, support our employees who attend other institutions through our tuition reimbursement program.  Our tuition policies are outlined here: http://www.hr.vt.edu/benefits/tuition/index.html.

So if you are one of our many, many employees who are preparing for final exams of your own, best wishes for a successful result.  Congratulations for your perseverance and commitment to learning.  As an institution, we are proud of what you are doing. 

And if you are thinking of going back to school, take a look at our policies, consider your options, and go for it!  It will take a great deal of work, but bring you so much satisfaction you will wonder why it took you so long to believe in yourself enough to take this big step…

 

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Fall HR Update

Virginia Tech is a hopping place right now as we push toward the last six weeks of a busy fall term.  Just as you are busy, there is a lot going on in the Department of Human Resources as well. This month's blog highlights a few of the main items on our agenda of general interest.  And introduces you to Bo…

Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign (CVC)
The CVC is in full swing and the generosity of the campus to date has been amazing.  We really do have a culture of giving here.  With six weeks to go in the CVC, we have already raised $172,000 toward our $300,000 goal.  You can fill out a paper form or give online.  Thanks to all who have given and all the many more employees who will contribute between now and Dec. 14.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Extraordinary Employees

Nothing reminds us of our mission of teaching and learning, research and discovery, and outreach and engagement more than the return of 31,000 students with the start of the new academic year!  Nothing could be more central to our mission than our impact, inside and outside the classroom, on the lives of those 31,000 students. 

We have such an opportunity in the development of our students that it makes working in higher education a privilege for us all.  While our thoughts jump first to the classroom and the lab and the interactions of our faculty and students, so many others behind the scenes support our students and the infrastructure that keeps Virginia Tech running.  Unfortunately, we don't often highlight their roles. 

Monday, August 13, 2012

Give women a chance, and they'll take the gold

What an amazing performance by America's Olympians!  The 2012 Olympics will be most remembered for the performance of America's female athletes.  Of the 46 gold medal winners from the United States, 29 of them were women.  Only two countries won as many gold medals as the women of the United States.

How wonderful that this tremendous success occurred on the 40th anniversary of Title IX.  The purpose of the 1972 federal law sponsored by Indiana Senator Birch Bayh was simple - Title IX bans sex discrimination of both men and women in programs receiving federal financial assistance. 


Monday, July 30, 2012

Do you take better care of your car than your body?

We love our cars. Even so, we worry about how much we spend on them - our gas, our repairs, keeping them looking clean and shiny… We know if we do a good job in maintaining our car, it will be less likely to break down and hit us in the wallet with a costly repair. It’s the old “pay me now or pay me later” idea. We get regular oil changes, check-ups at regular mileage intervals, even an annual inspection required by the state of Virginia.

Without you, the driver, the car isn’t going anywhere no matter how well you maintain it. The basic idea behind preventive maintenance for a car and preventive health care for its driver is similar – both the car and the driver need attention to keep running. And the driver of that car, you, is so much more important than any car will ever be and deserves the very best preventive care.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Welcome

Welcome to Hal’s HR Happenings, a bi-monthly blog written by Virginia Tech’s Associate Vice President of Human Resources, Hal Irvin.

In this bi-monthly blog, Hal will share HR-related information with Virginia Tech's employees. If you have suggestions for topics that you'd like to know more about, please comment below.

Click here to learn more about Hal.