UMC management is working to implement new approaches and training this semester in an attempt to improve business as well as the working environment for staff.
Martha Perez, 52, a cashier in the Alferd Packer Grill, said that the CU Independent reported that some staff members in the UMC and the university at large said they felt that they lacked respect and communication on the job., This semester, however, the management seems to be making noticeable steps to try and remedy the situation.
Perez said these positive changes are reflected in an effort by the supervisors to treat the employees with respect, which is also a part of the new format for the mandatory training session that occurred this semester. Though Perez said there are always training sessions at the beginning of a new semester, this one was radically different because it incorporated communication and teamwork building exercises which were facilitated by a professional mediator from Human Resources and allowed each member of staff and management to express their feelings in a calm, collected manner.
The training involved first separating the staff and management into their own rooms so that they could discuss issues and fill out a form designed to provide insight into people’s emotions, stress levels and opinions. The two groups then reconvened and put the completed worksheets on the wall so that everyone could see what had been said.
“Everybody could express their feelings and see everybody’s feelings,” Perez said. “That way we could see how all of us see issues and make it better for everyone. In my seven years at the UMC, I’ve never seen this kind of training and communication.”
Perez’s positive comments reflect a change from last semester when she said that she felt a lack of respect, basic courtesy and communication on the part of the management. Though Perez said she was chastised for speaking out against the management because it could be “bad for business,” she said she believes that the changes implemented by the management are largely due to her courage to come forward and speak out.
Perez said she has seen increased flexibility and listening by her supervisors which has not gone unnoticed by the staff. She is now, for example, allowed to use the restroom when she needs to and is not forbidden from keeping a glass of water by her cashier stand, something she said she was not allowed last semester.
Carlos Garcia, director of the UMC, said that the UMC management is implementing a few different changes this semester to try and improve morale within the UMC and promote good business.
“The teambuilding meeting was implemented this semester to help employees and managers work together on the same team so that we can provide the best service possible,” Garcia said. “The Alferd Packer Grill is making a lot of changes, and we want to make sure that the staff understands these changes and knows that management is listening.”
Other changes that will take effect this semester in the UMC are an expansion of evening hours in the UMC, as well as a late-night delivery service to The Connection on campus. Garcia said he hopes these changes will improve business and allow the Alferd Packer Grill to better serve the students as well as staff on campus.
Staff Council, the elected board of representative staff members on campus, is also helping the staff. Larry Hill, co-chair of Staff Council, said that the council is also making an attempt to foster a safe, inclusive environment for staff workers on campus.
“This semester we want to see what we can do to make Staff Council more visible,” Hill said. “We want people to know that we’re here so that they can tell us what they want us to be. We’re here to help people get issues taken to the next level.”
Other than increasing awareness on campus, Hill said that one of Staff Council’s main goals this semester is to make sure that pamphlets and documents distributed to staff are translated into Spanish and Laotian. Hill said these documents are often distributed only in English, and ensuring that everyone can read the literature being distributed is a crucial part of creating a positive work environment for all staff. Hill also said he is interested in getting more diversity on Staff Council so that it serves as a more accurate representation of CU staff at large.
Hill said all these changes being made by management and Staff Council will take time to have their full effect, but that he felt encouraged by the effort being made by management.
“It means somebody’s paying attention, and that they want to know what’s going on and how people feel,” Hill said.
Hill also spoke highly of Perez, saying that it is employees like her that CU needs to attract and keep.
“Martha just has a fantastic attitude. She’s as good a representative as they could possibly ask for in there. Everybody who comes through her line sees it,” Hill said.
Though Perez said she feels optimistic about the changes being made by the management in the UMC, she said it will take time to see whether the management has earned back the trust of the staff. But she said she is willing to give them that trust, and to work to make the grill a successful business for everyone, if her trust is not abused again.
“We are human beings. We make mistakes,” Perez said. “But you have to fix them and not continue to make the same mistakes. They are trying though; for me that is good.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Hanna Johnson at Hanna.johnson@colorado.edu.
