We had nearly 300 OAs attend our Fall Open Meeting with Jamie Moffitt, Vice President for Finance and Administration, and Mark Schmelz, Chief Human Resource Officer, to discuss paid leave, pay increases, and flexible work arrangements. Below is a link to the recording and summary of issues currently affecting OAs.
You can view the meeting recording by following this link:
Access Passcode: OAC2021!
OA Feedback Themes:
OA Paid Leave
- Appreciation for extra days off at the end of term
- Concern around the extra days off related to Christian holiday; would like an option to have floating holidays for flexibility
- Desire to allow OAs to cash out unused vacation time
- Desire to for equitable departmental policy and support for OAs to take well-earned leave especially in lieu of having a large vacation accrual
OA Pay Increases
- General appreciation for a salary increase
- Concern that merit and cost of living increases do not keep up with inflation
- Questions about hazard pay for folks who have been working on campus throughout pandemic
- Desire for equitable and consistent evaluation process to determine merit increase
- Request that routine cost of living should be given across the board with an additional merit increase for lower salary OAs (non-executive)
- After a year of salary reductions and freeze, combined with the increase in cost of living, retention of talented OAs is an issue across campus
- Frustration with inequitable salaries and titles for similar duties across campus
- Loss of OAs and slow hiring process creating increased workload and stress on remaining employees
- Concern expressed about salaries at the UO not aligning with the increased housing costs in the area—affecting retention at UO
Flexible/Remote Work Options
- Many departments are short staffed and there is a desire to provide additional flexibility and support from leadership to retain current employees
- Concern and questions about GE positions returning. There’s a lack of understanding about if/when this will happen
- Talented employees are leaving the University for more desirable remote positions
- Remote work should not be viewed as a perk, work should be evaluated based on performance and student needs, regardless of work location
- Unequitable roll out of flexible work arrangements across divisions and departments affecting morale and retention
- Allowing flexible work options will help retain employees and support their wellness, health and performance
- A recognition that a lot of jobs, tasks, projects, and work were performed well while employees were working remotely during COVID. These roles should be considered for remote and flex work as we progress out of pandemic restrictions
- Vivian Olum Child Care Center is experiencing employee retention issues, impacting child care issues for UO’s staff and faculty
OA Professional Advancement
- OAs approaching retirement need to be encouraged to cross train and encourage development opportunities for mid- and early career OAs
- Policies that allow retirees to return part-time are a disincentive for future growth of emerging OA leaders
- Professional development needs to be planned for, prioritized, and consistent within departments and divisions
- OAs need central HR to provide clear and equitable policies and understanding of what “expansion of duties” means and how to proceed
- UO needs to consider its employee experience strategy. Employee satisfaction and wellness directly impact every area of our institution; ultimately, it will trickle into the student experience. If we want to create positive, meaningful, and transformative student experiences, we must offer the same experiences for employees.