New General Topic about “Walking Our Talk in The Workplace” NMHEP workshop

Engage in dialogue about practical solutions for how we can make our work environments work more effectively for use. Often there is a disconnect between our non-profit values and the way we operate and relate to one another in our organizations. In this workshop, we will discuss how we are walking the talk in our workplaces (or not) and creating environments that reflect our visions for a better world.

Presented by the New Mexico Health Equity Partnership – Yolanda Cruz (facilitator) and panelists (Jinelle Scully, David Gaussoin, and Jessica Jensen).

Notes:

What is one word or phrase which reflects what you’d like to see in the workplace?

CANDOR * COMPASSION * CREATIVITY * HONESTY * FLEXIBILITY * IMPACT * VALUE * RESPONSIVENESS LEGITIMACY *ROOM FOR HUMOR * CREATIVE * COMMUNICATIONS * PRESENCE * UNITY * COLLABORATION * INNOVATIVE * NON-JUDGMENTAL * LEARNING ENVIRONMENT * BRINGING WHOLE-SELF * CONSISTENT INTEGRITY * HUMAN-NESS “BRING OUR WHOLE SELVES” * EMPOWERED – “I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE” * AUTHENTIC HUMAN INTERACTIONS * OPPORTUNITIES TO REFLECT AND MAKE MEANING * ACTIVE MENTORING – MILLENNIALS MENTORING OLDER WORKERS

Shared Example HEP practices

• Flexible schedules (i.e. to attend school)
• Team days (hikes)
• Having walking meetings or meeting offsite in the plaza or parks
• Using values to develop criteria to guide decision making in the team budgeting process
• Practices participants have personally implemented in your workplace or would like to in the future.
• Trivia night
• Staff BBQs
• Work from home day
• Paint
• Team cooking
• Canning
• Apple orchard picking
• Clarity and training
• Clear vision
• Chiseled intent
• Fire in the belly
• Time value for building relationships
• Giving reasons for behavior and protocol.
• Keep passion in the work.
• Clear policies related to personal vs work (e.g. cell phones).
• Open-ended non-judgmental Q & A w/supervisees.
• Acceptance of different work leadership styles.
• Efficiency
• Clear expectations
• Asking Q’s instead of making assumptions
• Disagree respectfully
• Getting rid of the time clock
• Each part is important for the healthy / life of the hole.
• Respectful communication.
• Clear goals and direction.
• Buy-in for clear mission and vision.
• Togetherness – Values – Empowerment – No Fear – Dreams
• Cooking together
• Eat Together – staff meal out + birthdays monthly
• Staff check-in on personal life + values / mission
• Hiring people to do what they are good at – focused roles = more people AND more= more
• Time off = rest
• Holidays – birthdays
• Hiring anniversary*
• + 3 weeks off + 1 week / year
• + share PTO
• Family friendly biz award
• Staff retreats 2* year 1 for big picture / 1 for fun
• Meeting people where they are
• Difference between the person and position
• Responsibility + authority = empowerment
• Being nice
• No fear
• Compassion
• But not letting compassion overwhelm us so much we aren’t doing work
• Self-care (meditation, hiking, yoga, reducing amount of media intake, not taking laptop home)
• Sunshine committee – celebrate things! Cards to acknowledge think in life
• Addressing racial bias in hiring practices
• Professional development for all
• Every 6 months full-day staff meeting
• Understand we are all coming from different places
• Weekly client need meetings
• Focus on clients and selves
• Open communication
• Respect
• Art
• Dancing
• Student organization for men to talk about masculinity
• Community speak outs
• Phantom feedback – identify something we appreciate about someone else
• Authentic systems of accountability
• Opportunities to vent (within reason) before problem solving
• Spiritual orientation
• Widen/diversify the net of vendors to be reflective of communities
• Recognize and respect different communication styles
• Work from home days
• Group agreements to be emotionally safe and respectful
• Communication – buy in
• Evaluating processes and procedures to ensure they are fair
• Clear expectations in structures but not so rigid there is not flexibility