9/26/2011: Let’s just say the irony of this email invitation is not lost on those classified staff who have worked with Vice President Dyke:
An Invitation to Two Focus Groups for Classified Employees:
RESPECTFUL WORKPLACE: HOW ARE WE DOING?
The University of Oregon distributes a memo to the Campus Community each year reiterating our commitment to ensuring a respectful and inclusive working and learning environment http://hr.uoregon.edu/policy/RespectfulWorkplaceMemo2011.pdf . It has been some time since we have taken the opportunity to consider in a practical way what the memo means.
Frances Dyke, VP for Finance & Administration, has initiated a series of focus groups that will inform how we can best operationalize the contents of the Respectful Workplace memo. The goal of these focus groups is to learn from campus constituents and examine current thinking on the issue. Input will be gathered and integrated into next steps to grow our capacity to be a respectful, inclusive and welcoming place to work.
These two focus groups are intended for classified employees only. Each focus group will have a maximum of 12 participants.
DATE: Monday, October 24, 2011
TIME: 1:00-3:00pm
LOCATION: EMU, Ben Linder RoomDATE: Wednesday, October 26th, 2011
TIME: 8:30-10:30am
LOCATION: EMU Board Room (4th Floor)Facilitated by: Annie Bentz from the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity.
If you are interested in attending, please express your interest to Kelly Zimmerman at [email protected] or 346-6995 stating that you would like to participate in the Classified Employee Respectful Workplace Focus Group on [Date]. If you are able to attend either date, please indicate that. Responses must be received no later than Friday, October 7th at 5:00pm.
Please note that we will strive to have a representative mix of classified employees (i.e. job type, department) from across campus. We will get back to you with the final list of participants no later than October 14th.
Participation in this focus group should be considered release time, but please check with your supervisor to make sure that your absence will not interfere with unit operations. If you have related questions or need assistance, please contact Randy Wardlow at [email protected] or 346-2965.
As a classified employee, ok an OA I find this statement from Dyke to be completely outrageous. She literally kisses the ass** of her subordinates and kisses the ass** of her superiors. Such hypocrisy! Shame on UOMatters for circulating this crap.
Her email reads like part of an out of court settlement.
Kicks the asses of her *superiors*? Her bosses? Do you have that backwards??
I am a 21 year classified employee who has witnessed first hand some supreme examples of what disrespect on the job looks and feels like. And having sat at the bargaining table years back when management chose not to acknowledge “hostile work environment” and/or “bully bosses”, I welcomed this opportunity. Call it crap if you wish, but now that I have participated in a two hour focus group meeting, I say bring more of this “crap” on. I rather enjoyed being free to reflect and brainstorm on what makes for a respectful work environment in a safe meeting led by Annie Bentz. Francis only stayed for the intro, then she turned it over to Annie. I do not think change is possible without talking about that change.
Star Holmberg