Two pressing employee issues-the University's grievance policy and Latino employee concerns-will now receive special consideration as Myrna Adams, former vice president for institutional equity, takes on her new position as special assistant to Executive Vice President Tallman Trask.
"I don't think there's anybody better at getting parties to have difficult conversations," said Mindy Kornberg, director of staff and labor relations. "She's incredibly skilled and tactful at helping parties to have these very difficult conversations."
The University's grievance policy currently focuses on formal disputes, Kornberg said. With Adams' leadership, administrators hope to change that focus by training supervisors and employees to resolve their conflicts among themselves.
"We have never been quite satisfied with our grievances policy," Trask said. "The whole issue is complicated and one we want to take a look at."
Adams will serve as a mediator between supervisors and employees.
"Most people would like to have the capability of resolving a dispute early on before it grows and festers," Adams said. "I hope that we will assist both employees and managers in developing competence in handling conflict."
Right now, employees must take their grievances to their department heads, and if this results in termination or there is a discrimination issue at hand, the complaint is heard by an arbiter.
If a conflict cannot be resolved under the new system, a three-person panel composed of peers will hear the grievance. Human Resources hopes to have the system in place by January or February of 2001.
Adams will also address Latino employee issues, which she said became an issue of particular concern after a critical external review of the Office of Institutional Equity was released last year, when she was still heading the office.
Adams will focus at first on identifying the most pressing issues for Latino employees, a growing population at the University. The language barrier will be one of those issues.
"I get asked often enough by Spanish-speaking employees around campus questions related to medical benefits that I think there is a need to have a closer look," said Director of the Office of Intercultural Affairs Julian Sanchez, who will work closely with Adams. "Ideally, you'd have people that were fluent in Spanish and could assist with translation."
Sanchez said he is thankful that Adams, who is fluent in Spanish and has an extensive knowledge of Latin American studies, will work on Latino employee issues.
Adams stressed that the University is not shifting its focus away from other minority employees.
"We still have issues that affect African-American employees and we don't want to give the impression that we're not continuing to be sensitive to those issues as well," Adams said. "It's necessary that we be inclusive and responsive to the reality of an increasingly multicultural workforce."
In addition to working on these two initiatives, Adams will continue her involvement with the Samuel DuBois Cook Society, a black honor society she helped found, and with planning the campus' Martin Luther King, Jr. Day activities.
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