Life in our region has changed dramatically in just a few weeks as the state has continued to ease COVID-19 restrictions. Many people have pent up energy and a desire to return to in-person activities as soon as possible. And while the college acknowledges the many benefits of face-to-face interactions, the pandemic has also forced a significant shift in how we work. We have an opportunity to continue to be leaders in our community, and in higher education, by embracing our NMC value of thoughtful risk taking and reimagining how we work together. While this will take time to get it right, it has the potential to be very beneficial in the long run for our co-workers and ultimately our learners.
In April, President Nissley promised we would not be returning to the old way of doing business and announced the “Reimagining Work” committee to lead this effort. He then shared the Flexible Work Guiding Principles document setting forth the vision of what work will look like at NMC in the future. Human Resources is currently updating the Flexible Work policies. We have also met with Staff Council, held a cross-campus listening session and surveyed departments on their work plans. As a result of that input we know there is wide support for continuing to embrace flexible work at NMC. Most departments plan to have a hybrid approach with meetings and independent work done remotely. Face-to-face is usually necessary only for some student needs, events, tours, and some advising. 42% of employees report they would work 3 or more days from home each week.
As promised in May, we have some additional tools to help you and your teams navigate this transition. We acknowledge there is still some uncertainty, but we will continue our long held commitment to Plan, Do, Check, Adjust for continuous improvement. Attached you will find the Guiding Principles document, discussion questions for managers, employees and teams to help guide your conversations and planning and a draft Reimagining Work Guidelines document with more details. This guidelines draft will evolve as we work together to clarify details and overcome potential pinch points in the process. To help identify and resolve those issues, the “Reimagining Work” committee will launch 4 teams to look for ways to improve in the areas of highest concern according to input from NMC employees:
- Policies, Procedures and Productivity
- Technology and Tools
- Communication and Coordination
- Culture and Connection
Please let us know if you are interested in serving on one of these work teams. We will also be recruiting members with unique expertise.
In regards to health and safety with the coronavirus, Northern Michigan continues to outpace the rest of the state in vaccinations. We will keep monitoring the information available. Here at NMC, 90% of the 315 employees who responded to a May survey indicated they were already fully or partially vaccinated. (575 employees received the survey). NMC has also signed the College COVID Pledge to encourage our communities to get vaccinated. The free vaccine is widely available for those over age 12. If you have not yet gotten vaccinated, please visit vaccine.gov to find a location near you.
Thank you for your help in building our future together at NMC so we can continue to model the kind of innovation and courageous creativity we want to encourage in our learners and our community.
The Reimagining Work Committee Co-Chairs
Mark Liebling & Diana Fairbanks