No Routine Meetings on Friday Afternoons
Dear Colleagues,
congratulations on reaching the end of the semester! Although our work continues, this is a significant milestone for us as well. Your perseverance in these difficult times has made a tremendous difference for our students. However, this has come at a price. Many of us have experienced an explosion in the amount of work that we are expected to do, while at the same time the expectations of many of us at home have dramatically increased as well. We can’t expect to continue to work in the same ways we did, or be as productive as we were, prior to COVID-19.
In light of this, beginning next Friday, May 22, 2020, routine work meetings should not be scheduled on Friday afternoons between 1 pm and 5 pm. This change was prompted by the feedback we received from you in our first Employee Morale Survey, and we committed to several action items. We do realize there will be exceptions to this practice due to emergency meetings or the operating schedules for some units, but such exceptions should be rare.
All of us share in the responsibility to support our colleagues as we each do our best to meet the often overwhelming demands on our time and energy. Whether you need to refocus on your self-care or receive support while caring for others - children, family, or elders, the Be Well at Work and Employee Assistance programs have resources that may help to relieve stress, anxiety, and allow you to breathe a little deeper. You can also find the latest staff-specific coronavirus information from People & Culture on our website.
I appreciate you and the work you do every day to help our community.
Eugene
Eugene Whitlock, Chief People & Culture Officer
If you are a manager who supervises UC Berkeley employees without email access, please circulate this information to all.
