HR Transitions
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From the desk of |
We have entered a period of unprecedented economic turmoil which shows no sign of ending in the near future. This economic crisis is affecting even the strongest institutions, including Stanford. Our leaders have taken proactive steps to minimize the impact on our core mission and to prepare us to weather this difficult time. Unfortunately, these steps include the most difficult of all – staff reductions – which are always painful. This is especially true now since those people being laid off are looking for new jobs in one of the poorest labor markets in recent memory.
Compounding the issues in our work environment are personal issues many of us are grappling with – family or close friends who have lost jobs, the decline of our retirement accounts, the stress of living with so much uncertainty. In the face of these challenges, it has been inspiring to see that the HR team has played a key leadership role in navigating these uncharted waters.
We will soon begin offering workshops to help managers and staff members deal effectively with personal and professional change. I hope that each of you will sign up for one of these workshops. I believe they will help you personally and will help you provide support and advice to staff members who may seek your guidance in the coming months.
As the President and Provost have pointed out in recent messages about our budget challenges, we will emerge from this crisis a stronger and more vibrant institution with our mission and values intact. We must keep that in mind as we work out way through the coming months. Thank you for all you have done and continue to do to support Stanford.
If you said something like “are planning to change jobs,” you might want to review the scope of the Career Counseling Network (CCN). This program, administered through Learning & Development, makes available the services of career counselors for a much broader range of life and career objectives.
CCN counselors certainly can focus on networking, job hunting, resumes, interviewing, and identifying job options (particularly at Stanford), and conducting assessment testing to support career decision making. But they can also help clients clarify life goals in general, work through personal challenges with a boss or colleague, and consider their retirement options.
CCN counselors can assist staff across Stanford with a range of career factors: stress, conflict on the job, job enrichment, and professional growth. Check out the CCN website and keep it in mind as you work with employees who would benefit from any of its services. STAP funds may be used to pay for the first four sessions.
Judith Moss
Learning & Development Specialist
Updated Sexual Harassment Prevention Training to Start in April
Updated Sexual Harassment Prevention Training to Start in April
Both online and live training programs have been updated for 2009. Ten sessions will be offered starting in the Spring, with completion required by all supervisors in early December.
The Sexual Harassment Policy Office is asking all HRMs to encourage their staff to enroll and complete a training session. More information will be available in the April newsletter. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please call Virginia Pollard or Robbie Fanning at 725-0646 or email them at shpo-training@stanford.edu.
Faculty and Staff Help Center
Have you ever had an employee come to you with concerns about a family member’s or friend’s substance abuse problem? If that problem starts to affect the employee’s work life or home life, feel free to suggest they join the newly formed monthly support group – Family Members & Friends of Anyone with a Substance Abuse Problem. The next meetings will be held at noon March 3 and April 7 at the Faculty & Staff Help Center, Mariposa House, 2nd floor.
Attendance is open to all faculty and staff. For more information or to register to attend, call 723-4577 or email them at helpcenter@lists.stanford.edu.
WorkLife Office Helps You Get Ready for Summer
If you have children at home and wonder what they’ll do during the summer, the WorkLife Office can help.
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Save the Date The 5th annual Wellness Fair has been scheduled for Wednesday, April 29 in the Arrillaga Family Recreation Center. Save the date for a cholesterol test, other wellness checkups, food demonstrations, and more. |
Robbie DeBastiani
Benefits Communications Manager
BIO
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Meet Sharys Wheeler |
Sharys Wheeler is the Human Resources Manager for the School of Education and works with the Dean of Research office handling all ER issues and disability management. In addition, she supports the Freeman Spogli Institute, the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, and the Sexual Harassment Policy Office. You can find her supporting these various entities from her office in Cubberley at the top of Lasuen Mall.
Sharys offered this about Stanford: She said, “One of the best things about being at Stanford is the number of cultural events that are available to the community such as Stanford Drama and Stanford Spring Quarter concerts.” An avid theater-goer, she has season tickets to TheatreWorks (Palo Alto) and Cal Shakes (California Shakespeare Theater in Orinda). Sharys has also performed as part of a community choir.
Perhaps 10 is an auspicious number for Sharys, because before coming to Stanford 10 years ago, she was a HR Consultant at Apple for 10 years. She claims to have fallen into HR as opposed to choosing it as a career. Sharys’ first full-time job was as a secretary to the VP of HR at KLA Tencor. While there, she had the opportunity to learn about training and other HR functions. Later at Apple, she further expanded her experience as an HR Liaison. The title was changed to HR Consultant, which is like a HR generalist doing the full array of HR work.
Sharys was born in Nevada City, which is in northern California – not Nevada. At a young age her family moved to Berkeley where she graduated from Berkeley High. She had a lot of fun growing up in a small town environment before U.C. Berkeley became so well known for their student protests and demonstrations in the 60’s. Sharys obtained her college degree in Political Science from San Francisco State which prepared her for her first career as a full-time stay-at-home mother. Her two sons are now grown and her two grandchildren are ages 16 and 10. And, a third grandchild is on the way!
Sharys loves to travel. Her current travel plans include a trip to Mexico in June, where she and seven friends have rented a villa in Puerto Vallarta. iQue mucho bueno! She has vacationed in New York City the past two years and she plans to return as soon as she can save some money.
For Sharys, spare time leisure activities (the stuff you do when not at work) include playing bridge three times a month with three different bridge groups. She also enjoys knitting. Her current project is a baby blanket with a complicated shark tooth fringe for grandchild #3 (a very auspicious number since it is mentioned 3 times!).
While commuting by train from San Jose, Sharys partakes in another one of her favorite things to do – reading. English murder mysteries are her usual book choice, although she is currently reading Tolstoy’s War and Peace, which was a gift from her son…in 2007.
The interviewer notes that these spare time activities have a very calming and relaxing affect which is a good thing to have for HR work.
Lastly I had to ask Sharys about her name. She said there really is no story, but believes that being the fifth daughter her mother ran out of ideas and made up the name. Her older sisters’ names are Ardyce, Joyce, Iris and Janice.
Susan Nakamura
Compensation Analyst
