Susan Krauss, Treasurer, UK Office of the Treasurer
Susan Krauss, Treasurer in the UK Office of the Treasurer, says a work-life committee established in 2009 has been a successful initiative in her division.
Six staff members from the Office of the Treasurer meet regularly to plan activities that the entire division can participate in. These activities include an annual summer picnic, a holiday party and other events through the year to mark special occasions or celebrate employee successes.
The division-wide get-togethers have two positive effects, Krauss says. First, it allows staff to socialize with their colleagues and feel recognized. It also creates camaraderie throughout the division, which can help increase trust.
“We have received a lot of positive feedback about our work-life committee and plan to expand the purpose of the committee and create two-year terms to allow more opportunity for employees to get involved. We also want to charge the committee with serving as a liaison with HR to help disseminate information about the University’s work-life resources. Additionally, the committee recently reviewed the UK@Work survey results and made several recommendations for improvement which were incorporated into the formal action plan. ”
Krauss says that as her division sets goals, they try to tie them to the University’s mission. For example, while staff members in the Office of the Treasurer might not normally have much interaction with undergraduate education, Krauss says the department has established a strategic goal to develop an internship program to involve undergraduate students in the division’s activities, which is directly aligned to the University’s strategic initiative to support undergraduate student success.
“We are currently working to establish strategic goals that are aligned with the various things the University is trying to do,” Krauss says. A small work group within the Office of the Treasurer is drafting the division’s strategic plan based on the mission, values and strategic initiatives developed by the division’s management team. The plan will be finalized in the near future and communicated division-wide. “I think our senior administration has done a good job of communicating the mission and now we must make sure that information reaches all levels of our division."