Organizational Complexity Overwhelms Many HR Leaders

Inability to cope with compliance, new technologies can undermine daily operations
Online Staff, Society for Human Resourch Managment (SHRM)

More than half of HR leaders responding to a recent survey strongly agreed that their role has required them to manage increasing levels of complexity in recent years, and that they feel ill-equipped to cope, according to results released July 18, 2013, by global talent management firm Lumesse.
In an independent survey of 1,293 HR leaders from across the globe, 52 percent of respondents strongly agreed that the complexity of their jobs has grown significantly. The survey, conducted by Survey Shack for Lumesse, a developer of talent management software, also found that 61 percent reported feeling overwhelmed by it and that 52 percent said they did not have the ability to fully cope with it. Read More.

Ramadan 2013 Celebrated During July and August

Arwa Naji

Human Resource Assistant Manager

Pablo Rajczyk

Business Administrative Associate

Every year, 1.5 billion Muslims around the world celebrate Ramadan (رمضان‎ in Arabic), which is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar, called the Hijri calendar. For Muslims, the month is spent as a time of spiritual reflection, self-improvement and increased devotion and worship.

Like all Islamic months, Ramadan begins after sighting the crescent moon. Unlike the Gregorian calendar, which is based on the Earth’s movement around the sun, the Islamic calendar is lunar based. In a lunar cycle months drift each year by 11 to 12 days, explaining why Ramadan is celebrated at different times every year. In 2013 Ramadan began at sunset on July 8^th and will end on the evening of August 7^th. In 2014 observances begin on June 28^th and end July 27^th.

How Human Resources can Ease Leadership Changes

Smooth onboarding by Human Resources gets incoming campus leadership off to good start

Carol Patton .University Business, June 2013

Chances are, your institution is or may soon be recruiting for leadership positions, such as president, chancellor, or vice president. At Alfred University (N.Y.), for example, the search is underway for a new provost, and within the next five years, the institution plans to recruit two vice presidents and a president, says Mark Guinan, HR director at the private university, which supports approximately 1,000 employees and 2,300 students.

Retirements are a big factor to consider. The 2012 American Council on Education study of American college presidents covered the gradual rise of presidents’ ages over the years. In 1986, 42 percent were 50 years of age or younger while 14 percent were 61 or older. But in 2011, 10 percent were 50 or younger and 58 percent were 61 or older. The report noted that the anticipated wave of retirements could even cause a temporary leadership shortage.

Are Policies Limiting UIC's Success?

Adapted from Higher Ed Impact

March 15, 2013

Kim Morris Lee, Director Organizational Effectiveness  

“An institution’s organizational memory might be holding it back,” business professors, Vijay Govindarajan and Srikanth Srinivas offered this point for consideration in a recent Harvard Business Review article.   

According to Govindarajan and Srinivas, “organizational memory” – the way we have always done things – can include “obsolete policies and practices, outdated assumptions and mind-sets, and underperforming products and services. This organizational memory creates biases that are embedded in planning processes, performance evaluation systems, organizational structures, and human resource policies. This becomes a big burden when non-linear shifts occur.” 

Understanding UIC's Employment Accommodation Policy

Samantha Hare, Office for Access and Equity

The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) “Requests for Reasonable Accommodations Based upon a Medical Condition” Policy ensures that individuals receive appropriate accommodations for an equitable academic and professional environment at UIC. The policy is consistent with state and federal regulations and when followed properly, protects the interests of those who need accommodations while protecting the University from potential legal action. The policy explains the procedure for those who wish to request accommodations; it also explains the procedure for employers to deny or grant the request. This policy is applicable for employment applicants/candidates and current employees. Students wishing to request an accommodation should contact the Disability Resource Center. By considering or granting a request for an accommodation, UIC is not considering or regarding the individual as having a disability (as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act) or a handicap (as defined by the Illinois Human Rights Act).

Certified Research Administrator Review Session at UIC Friday, February 22, 2013

Albert Schorsch III, PhD, CRA

Associate Dean, College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs

 

At the request of a number of colleagues, we have again scheduled a review session dated Friday, 2/22/13 at the UIC campus for those preparing for the nationally-administered May, 2013 Certified Research Administrator exams. The registration deadline for the 2/22/13 CRA review session at UIC is 2/1/13.

For the past several years, a number of us on the UIC campus have been working to advance the professional training and recognition of research administrative staff through the national certification offered by the Research Administrators Certification Council (RACC)--

http://www.cra-cert.org/whatiscertification.html

Meet Eva Mecic, Organizational Effectiveness

Eva Mecic joined the Organizational Effectiveness team last June as a training specialist and got right to work, supporting the June UIC Human Resources All Staff meeting and developing content for the newly designed MyCareer site. More recently, she completed the first of a series of Civil Service awareness sessions. This series of training sessions will touch all Civil Service employees, and she continues to support this initiative reaching out in order to meet the needs of a variety of audiences. In addition, she is looking forward to producing custom online training for UIC processes.

Getting to Know the Organizational Effectiveness Team

The Organizational Effectiveness (OE) area has primary responsibility for campus-wide professional development programs, employee performance management process, human capital strategic communication, and workplace diversity and inclusion programs. This is the UIC HR area focused on creating and delivering strategies that align people with the university’s mission. The team designs and delivers tools, and programs to support employees across colleges and units to meet job related goals. Its mission is to create opportunities that encourage workplace high performance. To that end, OE implements strategies and professional development programs to foster a high performing employee culture at UIC.

Coaching Optimism

From SmartBlog on Leadership
Jason Selk on November 14, 2012

It’s often said that optimistic people are born with the tendency to see the glass as half-full. That may be true. But there’s another truth that’s more important: Optimism isn’t just an innate temperament trait — it’s also a skill that can be learned. To read more http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2012/11/14/coaching-optimism-tips-st-louis-cardinals-mental-trainer/

Five Competencies for Culturally Competent Teaching and Learning

From Faculty Focus  http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/

By Cheryl Irish, EdD and Monica Scrubb, EdD in Teaching and Learning

Today's classrooms require that instructors possess competencies for teaching all students. Robust instructional strategies and culturally sensitive curricula are critical, but more important is an instructor who is sensitive and responsive to the unique differences of each student. Recognizing the need to strengthen specific competencies to reach and teach all students requires an understanding of new ideas and a willingness to view instruction through varied cultural lenses.

Getting to Know the Labor and Employee Relations Department and What They Do

The UIC Labor and Employee Relations Department (L&ER) engages in activities and services in the area of labor/management relations, counseling, employee relations and associated support to managers and employees.   

L&ER operates on behalf of and provides assistance to every unit administratively reporting to UIC, including the 16 colleges, the hospital and health science system, administrative and auxiliary units, and UIC operations in Rockford, Peoria, and Springfield.  

Create High Performing Teams by Guiding and Coaching Staff

Kim Morris Lee

At UIC and all organizations, workplace results are achieved by teams. Across multiple work environments, evidence points to high performing teams delivering more meaningful, value add results. Well, how are high performing teams created? What is the high performing team’s secret ingredient?

Jump Toward Emotional Intelligence

HR Magazine (10/12) Vol. 57, No. 10, P. 87 Wirth, Gabrielle; Gansle, Gary

Leadership development consultants are increasingly focusing on emotional intelligence (EI) as a key factor in a manager's importance, and are turning to assessment tools to gauge a job candidate's EI. But EI assessments fall under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 along with other anti-discrimination and privacy laws that prohibit employers from using employment practices that cause a disparate impact on the basis of race, sex, age, or other protected categories.

Learn About the HR Business Services Team

By Liz Budzik

The Business Services team in HR consists of Liz Budzik, director; Elba Quezada, Nelly Crespo and Marilyn Sommer.  We provide administrative support to UIC HR. Such activities as budget and finance management, leave of absence coordination, academic professional search coordination, UIC HR operations management, oversight of special programs for campus, and University of Illinois Hospital metrics reporting are among the many things we do! 

I am in charge of creating the unit budgets and the overall budget.  There are 26 different accounts in HR such as the unit state accounts, temporary services, fingerprinting, and charitable fund drive.  Elba reconciles all these accounts, and makes sure the charges are in the correct account and are for the correct amount.  My office handles the contracts and 16 standing purchase orders each year. 

Meet Shannon McGinnis

“10 Questions with Shannon McGinnis”

1.    What is your name, title, and HR department? 

a.    Shannon McGinnis, HR Manager (soon to be Deputy Director) Human Resources, Extra Help, Temporary Services

2.    What is your role in Campus Human Resources? 

a.    My role is to manage the Extra Help process and provide Temporary Help temporaries to departments as needed

3.    How long have you been in this role?   

a.    HR Manager a little over a year, Deputy Director just recently

4.    How long have you been at UIC?   

a.    7 years

5.    Tell us about your job positions prior to your current role?

a.    I began at UIC in the Benefits Department as a Benefits Counselor.  I transferred to Employment in 2007 as a Human Resources Officer where I managed the Temporary Pool, outside agencies, and hired Status Civil Service Employees.  I was promoted to HR Manager in 2011 as I began managing the Extra Help processing in addition to my current role.

6.    What do you enjoy most about your role?

a.    Working with different people and helping them solve their problem.  I also enjoy making department’s jobs easier whenever possible.

7.    Who are the primary customers you serve? 

a.    My customers include all levels of employees on campus as well as applicants and outside vendors.

8.    What projects are you working on right now?

a.    I am now working on the RFP for the Background Checks, Civil Service and Extra Help processing and SUCCS audit.

9.    What services do you provide to customers at UIC? 

a.    We process the Extra Help paperwork, process payroll for employees in the Temporary Pool, and we contact the outside agencies when needed.

10.  What do you wish more employees knew about the services you provide in this role at UIC? 

a.    That our goal is to provide the best service possible and help departments in any way that we can.

11.  Bonus question: What do you do for fun and relaxation? 

a.     I love to read and watch football and baseball.

Introducing New Head of UIC Hospital Human Resources

By Pablo Rajczyk

As a lifelong Chicagoan working from a foundational knowledge base earned through nearly two decades of education and work experience, Mary Jo is a seasoned professional.

After graduating from UIC, Mary Jo earned a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Lewis University in suburban Romeoville. She arrived at UIC after spending the bulk of her career as the Human Resource Manager at Advocate Christ Medical Center.

As a mother of two young children, including a her son who has spent countless days in many hospitals in the Midwest, Mary Jo Smith has an intimate understanding of how quality care affects every patient and their family. It’s with that same resolve and determination to educate that she approaches her professional life.

Giving Praise - Recognizing Good Work

from Mindtools

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/giving-praise.htm#np

Even small gestures of praise have benefits.

© iStockphoto/Photoevent

Many of us are used to looking out for things that are going wrong. After all, if something's wrong, it needs to be fixed before it damages productivity, or affects the bottom line.
But do you actively look out for things that are going right?

Planning for Retirements and Operational Success

By Kim Morris Lee, Director Organizational Effectiveness

It is a reality that many employees are considering retiring in the near future. How will UIC respond to this fact?

Introducing Robert Crouch, Assistant Vice President for Human Resources

By Pablo Rajczyk, HR Business Administrative Associate

As the Assistant Vice President for Human Resources, Robert Crouch’s duties are numerous and wide-ranging in scope, from the specific to the over-arching. Whether it’s in a face-to-face meeting or developing campus-wide human resource strategies, he brings the same set of principles to bear: integrity, respect and fairness.

It becomes conspicuously obvious after only a few minutes of conversation that the two biggest influences in his life are his mother and father. “My parents instilled in me a strong work ethic and a positive moral character,” he says. This was more than just parental advice; they modeled this behavior in their interactions with those they just met and life-long friends.

Affirmative Action on the Docket

From Inside Higher Ed February 21, 2012

By Scott Jaschik

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court today agreed to consider whether the University of Texas at Austin has the right to consider race and ethnicity in admissions decisions. Those bringing the case hope the Supreme Court will restrict or even eliminate the right of colleges to consider race in admissions – a prerogative last affirmed by the Supreme Court in 2003 in a case involving the University of Michigan’s law school.

Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/02/21/supreme-court-takes-affirmative-action-case#ixzz1oNkHmGCG
Inside Higher Ed