Managing Diversity Success Stories: Staff Meetings & Retreats

The format and five-part structure of all Staff Meetings & Retreats is designed to keep recognition & appreciation as a cornerstone at each meeting. Individual and staff groups receive "props" that are written anonymously and read aloud at the meetings. Also, employees publicly recognize accomplishments and achievements by staff. Employees feel that these meetings & retreats are necessary, purposeful, and desired.

As recently as two years ago, staff meetings and retreats were considered irrelevant, dreadful, inappropriate, and "a waste of time." Today, it is a staff-wide consensus that staff meetings and retreats are necessary, purposeful, and desired. Staff meetings and retreats are necessary because they bring the entire office together for cultivating a supportive office culture. Each meeting has an agenda that follows the prescribed structure, so staff know beforehand what they can expect. They have developed a "scholar-practitioner" work ethic in which staff express their desire for on-going development and dialogue. This practice cultivates a supportive office culture, motivates enthusiasm, and builds community. Staff are better informed with broader perspectives. This practice meets the needs of a diverse workforce in the following ways: There is employee input in the process. Staff have opportunities to express individual needs and request support based on those needs. Meetings/retreats are designed to meet diverse learning needs of various individuals.

The five-part structure for each staff meeting and retreat is as follows:

• Show & Tell: Staff members share what they would like the greater staff to know at whatever level is comfortable and appropriate(i.e., personal, program-specific, professionally). Occasionally there is a theme for the show and tell (e.g., during Women's History Month, they asked folks to check in by sharing "a woman who has inspired you and why" and in January we asked folks to share "a highlight from fall that they never would have expected").
• Seasonal Happenings: This portion of the meeting acknowledges the time of the year. It serves to connect individuals to the broader purposes of the office as well as acknowledge their departmental position within the division and campus.
• Professional Development: Cover a professional development topic germane to staff at all levels and functions (time management, student development theory, performance management plan, etc.).
• Questions & Answers: This is for the questions that staff members have that are unclear as to who does or should know the answer. This is when those questions can be asked, answered, or designated for someone to research.
• Celebration: This is a significant part of the meeting to appreciate, celebrate, recognize and honor staff individuals, groups, and/or the entire office. This can include birthdays, service awards, and "props"--anonymous notes from staff to staff acknowledging accomplishments or support.

Form a committee to establish norms and experiment with format and structure of meetings. Query staff about professional development.

Establish a consistent staff meeting agenda with clear expectations and relevance. Have recognition and appreciation as a cornerstone of each meeting. Use the five-part meeting structure. Have the committee serve as the entity responsible for planning monthly staff development meetings.

Improves norms at monthly staff meetings, gives public recognition/celebration of staff accomplishments, builds community, improves designs/safe/inclusive meeting structures, builds enthusiasm for the work, meetings are meaningful and refreshing and offer a chance for self-renewal. It improves relationships, provides clearer expectations, gives broader perspectives; there is less stress and employees feel acknowledged.

The structural design and development of the staff meetings and retreats have been based on regularly solicited feedback and evaluations. The development of the staff meeting structure was based on continuous review of processes by asking "what worked?" and "what could change?" integrated with their findings about "what's the goal?" and "were they met?" They also compared best practices of meetings and retreats to their meeting purposes. The specific aspects of the meetings and retreats have been deliberate and intentional.