Guest columnist – Cori Bossenberry

School of Medicine on the Move
Leadership, Planning and Engagement: Making Transitions Work Effectively

As the Stanford Campus was developing “Work Anywhere” strategies, the School of Medicine’s leadership created a year-long project to move 200 administrative positions from the Dean’s Office on the Medical Center campus to Menlo Park, by December, 2007. This provided space that is critically needed for faculty and their research. While the off campus move was necessary, logical and vital, nevertheless, many were affected: staff moving, staff remaining behind, faculty, colleagues at the university, and clients and customers at the School of Medicine and Stanford hospitals and clinics. This administrative move would be only the first – University plans were already underway for administrative staff to relocate and consolidate at the yet-to-be-built Stanford Campus in Redwood City by 2012.

Immediate questions came from our employees – Who will move? How will I get to and from campus? What about our sense of belonging to the university – will it be lost? What will the office space be like? How am I going to be able to serve my customers? What about all my campus relationships?

Managing the people issues was key to a smooth and effective organizational relocation and transition. This requires strong and compassionate leadership, exquisite planning, and offering multiple avenues for sustained employee engagement. The move was a complex change management project requiring HR professionals to work closely with key management to anticipate and resolve a broad array of issues.

One year later, the move to Stanford, Menlo Park (SMP), is complete. Employees are established in new routines. Customers are being served. Now we can step back and ask ourselves: “What made this work so well, and what do we want to do differently when we move again in 2012?”

One of our key beliefs is that employees need to feel in control of their work and work environment to be highly engaged and productive. They need a way to influence the organizational events that impact them. They need their voices heard in visible, guaranteed ways. They know management can’t meet every wish, but expect and appreciate being heard and having some of their ideas put into practice. For example, focusing efforts on reducing the anxiety of the unknown, offering power and decision-making in as many areas as possible, and allowing freedom and fun in the process set the stage for a relatively pain-free employee transition. Further, our mantra became: Communicate, communicate, communicate.

Many of the engagement and communication strategies used will not surprise HR professionals. Staff was engaged via newsletters, Town Hall meetings with senior leadership, retreats, relocation-related training, frequently-updated web site on the move status, and team staff meetings. We also had staff participate on topic-focused subcommittees convened specifically to make recommendations directly to decision-makers regarding amenities, interior office design, art, food, transportation and technology.

Staff input was also sought concerning other, smaller items – gym access, shuttle schedules, and coffee service. These multiple opportunities tapped the creativity and energy of staff and kept them engaged. Nothing is more powerful than employees feeling heard and seeing action taken in response to their input. A highly collaborative process bought out highly collaborative employees as management continually earned and enhanced trust. What may surprise HR professionals is that the process used in this move strengthened the administrative community by breaking down departmental silos and developing a new community.

What else did we learn to prepare for the expected 2012 move? In addition to repeating successful strategies such as intensive staff engagement, we need to:

1. Review and look for ways to change work processes in advance of the move. This includes getting the technology in place and conducting solid “work anywhere” training.
2. Address the realities of commuting between campus and off-campus early on in the process. Employees-spend a lot of time going back and forth - can it be reduced? How do we manage the loss of productivity and fatigue factors where employees unavoidably make the round trip multiple times a week? Can we do this “green”? Structure new ways to meet? What innovative approaches are other organizations using?
3. Manage expectations. Acknowledge what employees will lose in moving offsite while focusing on what may be gained. We learned from another campus group that recently moved: Provide full information about downsides (such as smaller workspaces) as well as the benefits (on-site exercise, food, and amenities).
4. Do a better job managing the expectations of people remaining on campus, especially functional teams split by the move. Processes will change, how services are delivered will change, all will need to be flexible and adjust somewhat. The emotional sense of loss during a move away from campus isn’t carried only by the employees who move – all are affected.

Organizations will continue to be affected by market demands and external circumstances beyond their control. What employees want are ways to engage, be heard, and actively participate in organizational changes – contributing factors to an organization’s productivity and success!

Tips & Tricks

Here’s how to stop receiving candidate alerts when the job is no longer posted on jobs.stanford.edu

Step 1:
Click on the Post tab of the job requisition and change the External link to Do not Post and save the transaction.

Step 2:
Modify the Job Watch List located on the lower left hand corner of the job’s Activity tab. Uncheck the New Applicants boxes for Hiring Manager and HR Representative and save your work. This will stop the alerts from coming to your email and the Hiring Manager’s email accounts.

Step 3:
Create a Note in the Activity tab that the job posting has been removed and the resume email alerts are turned off. Bajobs.com will automatically remove the posting from their website. However, candidate alerts may still come through the system if there are “live” job links left anywhere on the internet, or if a candidate saved a copy of the job link. If a resume comes through once the alerts have been removed, the date-stamped Note is a record that the team stopped receiving and reviewing resumes on a specific date. Also, remove outside website postings if applicable (i.e. diversity sites, craigslist.org, higheredjobs.com, etc.).

Note: Do not use On-Hold in the Status field on the Requisition tab to remove the job posting.

Vicky Tran
HR Data Services Analyst/Campus Readiness

What’s a Relocation Specialist Doing in HR?

So you think Bay Area real estate is a bit daunting? Imagine what a faculty or staff recruit must think when they are considering relocation to Stanford University.

My name is Ken Jenkins and I hold a rather unique role in the School of Medicine as a Relocation Specialist. In addition to being a licensed Realtor I sometimes feel like I am a bit of a therapist.

Let’s start from the beginning. While reviewing recruitment several years ago, the housing component turned out to be one of the critical pieces of the process that needed attention. Many talented recruits were immediately apprehensive when they became aware of home prices in the areas surrounding Stanford.

Of course the Faculty and Staff Housing Offices were in place, but their main concern is administration of the Housing Assistance Programs. Thus my position was created to focus on the personal aspects – specifically, to provide an overview of housing available in the area and to paint a more realistic picture of neighborhoods and homes. Frequently, a recruit has little to no knowledge of all the wonderful offerings we have available in the Bay Area and this can lead to sticker shock.

Typically my first meeting with a recruit is to share information on the local housing market and answer questions relating to schools, rental options, the eclectic mix of neighborhoods up and down the Peninsula, and to address any other relocation-related questions they may have.

On second visits I usually create a custom home tour. This involves driving through neighborhoods to help familiarize them with the area and show them homes that match their needs and interests. This process provides a realistic picture of what they can expect if they receive an offer to join the School of Medicine.

Once the recruit receives a final offer, I work with them throughout the move to ensure a smooth arrival to California. This includes coordinating relocation vendors to help move their personal belongings.

There are many things for a faculty recruit to learn about a transition to the Bay Area, about the relocation process, housing, schools, neighborhoods, etc. And while I am working with a recruit I get to hear many interesting stories, get the opportunity to guide them through many important pieces of information as they and their family ponder life changing decisions, and most importantly I get to experience their excitement as they work their way through the recruitment process. That is why at the end of the day, after helping another potential faculty member through this aspect of the recruitment process, I can be proud that through my efforts I am helping these individuals decide that Stanford School of Medicine is a place they can call home.

Ken Jenkins
School of Medicine, Relocation Specialist

HR Staff Takes on Teaching Roles

Many HR staff – not just those of us in Learning and Development – have become involved in training. Some of us, along with our Help Center colleagues, are expanding our roles by instructing people in group classes (most of them brand new). These new learning opportunities for you will be announced in the Winter Training Opportunities Guide (TOG), due out December 10.

Learn more about these classes in the TOG or on Learning and Development’s Web site. Find a class that fits your interest, sign up on STARS, and enjoy a few hours with colleagues in their training role!

*Part of the new Compensation Education Initiative.

Judith Moss
Learning and Development Specialist

HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS

Worried about your gift list this year? Here’s a unique and fun solution Monica Valerio, Staffing Consultant, discovered last year …
My boyfriend and I love giving gifts to both of our families for the holidays, but with a gift list of 35, we’re always looking for cost effective ways to give a great gift.

Last year, three months before Christmas, we saw an ad for an “Unclaimed Storage Auction.” We thought it might be fun, so we attended. When we got there, the rules were: You bid on a storage unit (which was the size of a large closet) but you can’t view the contents unless you are the confirmed highest bidder. Then, you must take EVERYTHING in the unit (good or bad). THAT'S CRAZY!

But we got caught up in all the hype of the spirited bidding process, and found ourselves as the highest bidder on one of these storage units. We were DELIGHTED when we finally saw the contents of our unit. Every item in this unit was brand new, unopened and still in the original packaging. I ended up with a large collection of new, expensive French perfumes, boxes of new DVDs, several sets of brand name cookware, lots of collectables, and much, much more. I gave my family great gifts. With all the items we didn't give as gifts, I sold on Craigslist, and made back TWICE the money we paid for the storage unit!

Looking for something to do during the winter closure? Take some tips from the Compensation Department …
During the holidays, we will take a much needed break from market analysis, surveys and other compensation work to do a number of community and family-oriented activities – such as having a leisurely fondue dinner with a fire roaring and Christmas music, and going on a mini-vacation to San Diego and to
South Dakota.

As a group and individually we are looking into volunteer activities. Some of us will donate time to InnVision, a housing service for homeless and low-income families in Silicon Valley, Second Harvest Food Bank, and other local charities.

The break will also be a time for us to relax with one of the books from the Twilight series [girl meets Vampire meets werewolf], go the movies in the middle of the day, and visit with friends we have not seen all year.

Susan Nakamura
Compensation Analyst

Want to feel good about the holidays? Here’s a meaningful option for you …

This is traditionally a season of giving, and the difficult economy is already slowing the rate of charitable donations. As we brace ourselves for rough economic times ahead, we also know that it’s likely to be an even tougher road for people who are already struggling – which could make this a more meaningful time to give to others, whether in the form of money or something else such as food, clothing, or volunteer time.

One option some of us are planning for this year is to adopt a family for holiday giving through InnVision. By adopting a family, we receive information about the family, its members and their needs. We’ll buy and wrap gifts for each member and for the family as a whole, and we’ll provide gift cards for a holiday meal. For families who currently have no housing or who are struggling to keep shelter, this can be a wonderful way to share the spirit of the season with them. This is also a great activity for a group because we can share the cost and the gift-wrapping time. It costs between $200 and $500 to adopt a family (depending on size of family). If anyone in the HR community would like to contribute, shop, or participate in any way, please send me email (lizd@stanford) this week. We’ll get information about the family soon and deliver our gifts to InnVision by December 16.

Liz Douthitt
Compensation Specialist

Meet Nancy Duncan
Manager STANFORDTEMPS

Nancy Duncan, who came on board mid-July as Manager of StanfordTemps, is no stranger to the temp industry. Nancy spent 16 years at Adecco, rising from a recruiter and account manager through the ranks to Regional Manager. One of the reasons she is excited about StanfordTemps is that it is a unique internal staffing organization and will give her an opportunity to work in a similar, yet distinctly different, kind of temporary organization.

Nancy grew up in Santa Clara and is the youngest of five children – two boys and three girls. She is still very close to her family and they visit and talk daily. A graduate of San Jose State University, Nancy earned a business degree with a concentration in HR. She also has an HR certification through NCHA, with an employment/staffing focus.

Nancy’s family has always been connected to Stanford through the University’s athletic programs, and she is also diehard fan of professional sports. Growing up, Nancy and her family attended Stanford football games together, and believe me, she knows football! Which leads into another of Nancy’s passions – Fantasy Football. She must be a trailblazer as a woman in this incredibly complicated hobby which she was nice enough to explain to me. Although immediately lost, even I was able to see that Fantasy Football ties in very well with her other great skill – matching the best candidates with the right jobs!

On a more serious note, Nancy asked that I share that she has lived with Type I diabetes (Juvenile Diabetes) for 16 years. The reason this is important to share is that she volunteers with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the American Diabetes Association to help raise awareness and money for research. If you are interested in learning more about this condition and what you could do to help, Nancy has generously offered to share more with you.

Although concerned about mentioning these two things in the same sentence, Nancy is single and the owner of a cat. A cat named Skitters…you can guess why. Nancy owns a home in Santa Clara and is an avid gardener. (Hear that, Emery?)

She also likes to vacation in tropical venues and has been to Mexico, Jamaica and Hawaii, to name a few (tropical venues, that is). In an untropical moment, Nancy recently took a Northeastern/ Canadian cruise to see the fall colors. She liked that too.

Although she was reluctant to admit it to the world’s biggest mystery fan, Nancy likes reading suspense novel and thrillers. For movies, she likes a light romantic comedy…well, don’t we all.

Nancy is thrilled to be at Stanford and have the opportunity to be a part of all the wonderful opportunities available here – not the least of which may be being a part of the home team!