Three Questions to Help You Build a Better Workplace Culture — Annual Conference Takeaways

Culture was at the heart of the three keynote events at CUPA-HR’s 2023 national conference, which took place recently in New Orleans. Our keynote speakers asked thought-provoking questions that resonate with higher ed HR’s mission. Engaging with these questions can help you boost employee engagement, promote a culture of inclusivity and strengthen collaboration with your campus colleagues.

1. Are You Creating an Ecosystem of Opportunity?

Organizations with strong learning cultures tend to have significantly higher retention rates.

In her keynote presentation on employee retention, business strategist and author Erica Keswin pointed out that the days of climbing the same corporate ladder for 50 years are long gone. Organizations are flatter, which means you need to get creative to give people opportunities to move not only up, but sideways, helping them gain new skills and find new pathways for their careers. Instead of thinking “ladders,” Keswin said, think “lilypads.”

She also encouraged attendees to talk about employee learning opportunities early and often, beginning with their onboarding programs! Managers should be talking regularly with employees about what skills they want to learn and giving them the opportunity to learn with no strings attached.

The mission, values and priorities of higher education have learning at their core, and that culture of learning is a value proposition higher ed is uniquely positioned to provide as an employer. Make it work to your advantage by prioritizing learning and opportunity for all employees.

Another key takeaway from Keswin’s presentation was the importance of being a “human professional” and checking in with your team on a regular basis. She shared the story of a company that starts team meetings with a quick check-in called “Pick Your Nic.” Referring to a popular meme of Nicolas Cage images representing different feelings (happy, relaxed, excited, focused, stressed, meh, etc.), each person picks the Nic that represents how they’re feeling that day. The goal isn’t to address the responses in the meeting, but rather to give the team leader the opportunity to take a pulse and to give team members the opportunity to be seen and heard.

You’ll find more retention strategies in Keswin’s new book, The Retention Revolution: 7 Surprising (and Very Human!) Ways to Keep Employees Connected to Your Company. And be sure to check out the article “The Higher Ed Employee Retention Crisis — and What to Do About It” in the fall issue of Higher Ed HR Magazine.

2. Are You Treating Diversity as a Problem to Be Managed or a Value to Be Cherished?

When it comes to creating and sustaining a more inclusive culture, Princeton professor and religion scholar Dr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr. prompted attendees to consider a question: Do you view diversity as a problem to be managed or a value to be cherished?

Through a problem-solving lens, we might see diversity as a series of goals to be met and obstacles to be overcome. Through the lens of a cherished value, on the other hand, we are more likely to see every situation as an opportunity to expand and celebrate diversity of people and ideas. A problem-solving lens divides “us” from “others,” while a value-based lens sees diversity as constitutive of who we are, as a people, a country and an institution. Instead of envisioning inclusion as something undertaken in response to a mandate or in compliance with a law, what if diversity was seen as key metric of an institution’s success?

The data support the positive impact of diversity on metrics like productivity and creativity in the workplace, and Glaude urged higher education to also view diversity as an integral part of its core identity and a reflection of its regional or national reach.

To see how your institution compares to others when it comes to composition of your workforce and pay equity for employees, see the results of CUPA-HR’s signature surveys.

3. Are You Ramping Up Retention Efforts in Your Most Vulnerable Departments?

Retention and recruitment were on everyone’s mind at CUPA-HR’s annual conference. The closing panel discussion brought together leaders in student affairs, campus facilities and IT and provided insights on how HR can partner with these campus constituencies to support a culture of belonging. Here are a few of their recommendations:

Provide training opportunities.

John O’Brien, president of EDUCAUSE, which represents IT professionals in higher ed, stressed the importance of career pathways to support employees’ desire to grow in their careers.

Noting that “supervisors will make or break us,” Lander Medlin, president and CEO of APPA, which serves the needs of facilities professionals, stressed the critical role that supervisor training has on retention and workplace culture in facilities, where the aging of the skilled craft workforce has posed unique recruitment and retention challenges, and all areas.

Ensure employees feel they belong and are valued.

No matter their role on campus, employees want their opinions to be heard and valued.

Kevin Kruger, president of NASPA, the association for student affairs administrators in higher education, noted that millennial and Generation Z employees especially want to feel cared about at work and to believe their opinions matter. Today, as all student affairs professionals find themselves on the front lines of the mental health crisis, they need supervisors who have the skills to meet them where they are and to create a culture of belonging.

Medlin seconded the importance of feeling heard when it comes to job satisfaction. She would ask supervisors this question: Are you a coach and mentor, or are you a boss?

Offer job flexibility.

Some campus jobs don’t easily lend themselves to remote work, but that doesn’t mean institutions can’t build in flexibility, which CUPA-HR found is a key retention factor.

For example, facilities employees might take advantage of a compressed workweek, with employees having the option to work four 10-hour shifts.

Since student affairs professionals often work outside of a typical nine-to-five day, there’s room for remote work. In fact, students might prefer to meet with student affairs professionals remotely.

If year-round remote work isn’t a possibility, seasonal flexibility might be. When students are off campus during holiday and summer break, your staff might be able to work from home.

See employees as a strategic asset (and pay them accordingly).

The three areas represented by the panel — IT, facilities and student affairs — are among the most vulnerable to turnover and recruitment challenges on most campuses. How can HR lead the way in creating a culture that positions these employees as strategic assets? The panel offered these suggestions, based on their unique perspectives:

• O’Brien encouraged satisfaction surveys. Find what’s working well and replicate it.
• Kruger recommended streamlining job searches, posting salary ranges, and focusing on internal pay equity and livable wages.
• Medlin asked conference attendees to help us help you. How we treat people matters, and HR leads the way in building that culture of belonging.