University News

Modern Workplace Initiative: Listening Sessions for Staff

In an email on Thursday, co-chairs of the Modern Workplace Initiative working group, Norma Nunnally and Susan Weldon, announced listening sessions for both staff and supervisors to gather their feedback on a flexible workplace. 

That email is as follows:

Good Afternoon,

The Modern Workplace Initiative Working Group, formed in July of 2021, has been meeting over the last several months in order to explore how a more flexible workplace can be formally implemented. Our goal is to improve and modernize the work experience of university employees while continuing to provide an exceptional educational experience to our students. Part of this process includes gathering feedback from the UMass Amherst campus community.

In the fall we surveyed all staff who had worked remotely on their experiences. Topics covered included the benefits and challenges of flexible work, adapting to remote work, and what types of work are conducive to working remotely. The data we collected will inform our discussions regarding the benefits and impacts of flexible work at the university.

At this point, we believe it would be helpful to supplement that information by hearing directly from different groups on campus. We are scheduling small-scale listening sessions with faculty, staff, supervisors, and students to better understand community members’ individual experiences in a flexible work environment. We would very much appreciate learning about your experiences working in a flexible work environment, whether you are someone who has a flexible work arrangement, is interested in flexible work, or works with those in flexible, hybrid, or remote work arrangements.

We have scheduled two listening sessions for staff and one for supervisors. If you are interested in signing up, the links are below. Participation is limited to the first 40 people to register for each session. After registering, participants will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Thank you on behalf of the MWI Working Group,

Norma Nunnally and Susan Weldon, co-chairs