OHR recognizes collaborative responses to campus challenges

In December 2022, three campus teams received 2022 HR Partner Team Awards for their accomplishments in addressing operational challenges related to the pandemic. The awards were presented by Chief Human Resources Office Patrick Sheehan at the HR@UW Conference on Dec. 13, 2022. This is the fourth year that OHR has conveyed the award, but the first year that the award has been granted to teams versus individuals.

Sheehan cited the increasing speed of change in human resources and noted that successful change efforts are the result of individuals collaborating in community versus going it alone.

The 2022 awards were granted to three teams who exemplified partnership in human resources.

Cross-unit team of nine worked to ensure campus safety during COVID

Nominators cited Liz Valentine, Lynn Sullivan, and Lili Gagliano in human resources at University Health Services for scaling up staffing to meet testing, tracing and vaccination needs in order to allow students and staff to return to in-person instruction. The team hired more than 230 people from July to December 2020 — but quickly recognized that they needed to increase testing, tracing and vaccinating capabilities. They subsequently partnered with colleagues in the Administrative Services Unit and OHR to amplify the response effort.

Anne Yorde of ASU, and Anna Vembu Julian, Erica Fini-Marten, Lauren Bowers, Leanne Morris and Marci Birkes of OHR conducted interviews and background checks, while UHS managed orientation and training. With volunteers among the HR community, they successfully screened 1,586 applicants and conducted 789 interviews in time for the 2020‒2021 spring semester.

The team built a custom job application that featured an intentionally straightforward process, which was critical because of the competition for testers and vaccinators across Wisconsin. The team also streamlined training and the verification of employment eligibility documents, and quickly developed alternatives when bottlenecks arose.

Nominators of this team exemplified what can be accomplished when cross-unit relationships use a collaborative approach in challenging times.

UWPD helps staff adapt to change

Nominators cited Tracey Berman and Mark Silbernagel for having earned the trust of UW Police Department employees across 24/7 work shifts. This trust was critical to successful staffing during the pandemic and to the implementation of the Title and Total Compensation project at UWPD.

The typical workload of UWPD’s Divisional Disability Representatives — between work injuries, Family Medical Leave Act certifications, and accommodations — is always fairly steady. During the pandemic, however, the demand on DDRs skyrocketed. Nominators noted that Berman and Silbernagel, who also serve as DDRs, were able to sustain essential staffing throughout the pandemic because of the quality of their relationships with UWPD employees.

Simultaneously, many UWPD staff who had been hourly due to mandatory overtime were transitioned from hourly to salaried as part of the TTC Project. Nominators affirmed Berman and Silbernagel’s recognition that TTC was a significant culture shift for UWPD. Berman and Silbernagel proactively communicated with affected employees one-on-one as well as through department notifications; and they prepared supervisors, managers, and leadership for the change.

According to the UWPD leaders who nominated them, the care and compassion that Berman and Silbernagel extended to UWPD employees was herculean: They did it as if UWPD employees were family members.

Student-facing unit fosters organizational effectiveness

Nominators of Ann Bradshaw, Paula Gates and Kelly Layton of the Department of Enrollment Management’s human resources team cited the success of the team’s intervention to ensure the development of consistent guidelines for — and support of — remote work, consistent with UW‒Madison’s remote work policy.

Bradshaw, Gates and Layton engaged DEM units to discern remote work needs, ordered necessary equipment and set up multiple video conference rooms, which prepared DEM for a smooth and stable transition to remote and hybrid work. In hindsight, according to their nominators, their proactivity proved critical when later supply chain issues eventually resulted in delays that could have had a significant negative impact on DEM’s work.

During phase one of TTC, the team proactively developed and executed a DEM-specific compensation study and subsequently developed a comprehensive rubric to assess knowledge, skills and abilities; independence in relation to responsibilities; performance; and years in role. This resulted in a more holistic assessment and made it possible for supervisors and employees to have better informed conversations on fair compensation.

Director of Student Financial Aid Helen Faith, one of the DEM leaders to nominate this team, said, “[DEM HR was] kind, professional, knowledgeable and objective throughout the process of guiding our team through the TTC implementation.” Nominators cited the reputation DEM HR has gained as an approachable and trusted resource.

The jury for the 2022 HR Partner Awards included Sheehan and OHR’s HR Communities of Practice Team, along with former award winners: DEM’s Ann Bradshaw (recused because she was nominated again), Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education’s Julie Karpelenia, International Division’s Kristine Schutte and School of Medicine and Public Health’s Kim McFarlane. Thirteen award nominations were received from divisional leaders and project partners across campus.

The 2023 HR@UW Conference and award ceremony will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023.

The UW–Madison community is invited to watch for 2023 award criteria on the HR@UW Conference website and to nominate standouts for the 2023 awards.