On December 7, 2016, President Lorne Buchman and CFO Rich Haluschak joined a regular meeting of Staff Council to discuss questions posed to them regarding the impact of the College’s growth on staff. The resulting discussion was candid and informative. Lorne assured the group that the College is committed to increasing staff as necessary to accommodate growth and that staff should be compensated for increased workloads and/or new duties. In response to the questions, Rich informed the Council:
- A total of 23 staff positions have been added or upgraded as a direct response to enrollment growth since 2011.
- Certain departments, such as Facilities and Educational Media, have had a spike in overtime since 2011. The College is currently reviewing needs in those departments to make sure they are adequately staffed.
- Departmental budgets are automatically increased when a staff member receives a salary increase.
Both Lorne and Rich stressed that staff who have been shouldering increased workloads and/or responsibilities should be compensated for those increases and employees who believe their workloads or duties have increased beyond the scope of their job descriptions or expectations should be discussing these issues with their supervisors. In response to a question, Lorne acknowledged that the College doesn’t have a process for staff to present their concerns outside the normal departmental lines but he noted that staff can always reach out to Human Resources.
During the discussion it was also recognized that this is a small organization and there may not always be a pathway for promotion. So the question remains, how can the institution reward staff who are performing at an excellent level, given that the College currently has no merit increase program? Lorne reminded the group that, while there will always be room for improvement, the College has implemented a number of initiatives to promote a positive work environment and include staff in the conversation about where this College is going, such as: shared governance councils and committees; strategic planning and visioning workshops/events; conference and travel budgets; staff training seminars and in-house professional development; and a robust benefits package that includes a generous retirement contribution.
For details regarding these and other issues covered during the meeting, refer to the minutes posted on the Staff Council page under shared governance on Inside ArtCenter. Staff Council meets every second Wednesday at 11 am. All staff are invited and encouraged to attend and participate in the Council. For more information, contact Co-Chairs Jered Gold and Paul Brown.
