It isn't just the immediate professional staff who benefit from kind gestures by managers.  If I may, I'll mention something that my late sister Eva Krusten did.  She worked at NARA as you all know.  

During the mid-1990s, Eva was the coordinator for the massive move of national security classified records from Archives I to Archives II.  (This is the move mentioned in passing in the notice at
http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/bulletins/1996/96-02.html )

Coordinating the move was a new experience for Eva, as she then was a Supervisory Archivist who until then had spent most of her time sitting at her desk reading records and managing professional staff.  Or digging around in the stacks for records.  The move from Archiveds I to Archives II lasted many months.  Eva spent a lot of time with and got along very well with the contract laborers who were working the move.  They chatted about all kinds of things, it helped the boring and arduous work the men did go more smoothly.  Around Christmas, she reached "in to her own pocket" and gave each of the men a very generous cash bonus, on her own, not on behalf of NARA.  I think she also made sure that there was a small holiday party to which the laborers were invited.  One of them was so touched, he actually bought a little clock for her and gave it to her for Christmas.  It was relatively inexpensive but the value goes beyond what he paid for it; I make sure it runs properly and still display it in my living room. 

Eva also took her professional staff out to lunch often, sometimes paying for everyone, of course.  She really enjoyed the people she worked with in "Declass."

It's always worth being kind to people, and not just to the ones from whom you can benefit professionally, most everyone you see in your building each work day is worth a nod or a smile and a "how's it going," sez I....

Of course, Andrea is correct in noting of office social functions, these things cannot be forced, they have to flow naturally.

Maarja

>>> Charlene Ryan <[log in to unmask]> 7/13/2006 12:29 PM >>>
When I had student employees working for me at the University there was a Ma and Pop bakery that I would order a small individual birthday cake.  .  I always made holiday treat bags for the student staff during the year too.

At the end of the year I would also take the entire student staff out for dinner.  Most of my student staff worked at least two years for me and I had a few that worked four years while others were elevated into Resident Hall staff.

In my present job I still take staff out for lunch and happy to say the gesture has been returned.


Charlene Ryan
Cultural Program Director
Cham-Mix Poki' (House of Our Culture)
Soboba Band of Luiseņo Indians
23904 Soboba Road, PO Box 487
San Jacinto  California 92581
951-487-8251 office       951-487-2339 fax
[log in to unmask] 
 
 

-----Original Message-----
From: Adriana Cuervo [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2006 7:02 AM
To: [log in to unmask] 
Subject: Re: Improving staff morale

Talking about staff morale, while still going to school I worked at an
institution where they would celebrate employees' birthdays on the week t=
hey
fell on. The person with the previous birthday would always make/buy a ca=
ke,
a card was criculated for all of us to sign, and we all gathered in the
break room at a designated time to sing happy birthday and cut the cake.
When my birthday was next in line I made a comment to one of my coworkers=

about looking forward to cake and she replied "Oh, well, we only do this =
for
full-time staff members. Students are part time, you never know what thei=
r
schedule is going to be like, and they are always busy, so that's why we
don't bother". Nice, huh?

Adriana

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