Xchange: Staff morale

In an attempt to identify some activities that will help address the morale issues identified by staff across the system, the members of the XChange group (all library supervisors) met on July 19th and came up with action lists that they would discuss with their colleagues back in their departments and libraries.  Those action lists (in all of their varied forms) are listed below, as is a MASTER LIST that combines all of the individual documents (for your reading ease!).

To create the action lists, we asked XChange members to break into 12 pre-assigned groups that included 5 or 6 people from a variety of libraries and departments -- we tried to diversify the groups as much as possible.  We then ask each group to answer the following:

1. Describe three issues/behaviors you and your staff feel are positively impacting staff morale
2. Describe three issues/behaviors you and your staff feel are negatively impacting staff morale
3. In your group, discuss the issues/behaviors each of you listed. Identify the three (positive or negative) that you all agree should be resolved or enhanced. Within each of those three, we asked them to describe at least two actions that you, your staff, or your supervisor/Library administration should take to resolve or enhance the issue/behavior you mentioned:    

• Your Action that could resolve or enhance the issue/behavior
• Your Staff’s Action that could resolve or enhance the issue/behavior
• Your Supervisor/Library Administration’s Actions that could resolve or enhance the issue/behavior

The idea behind this process was to ask supervisors to identify things that they, their staff, and we (their supervisors and administrators) could and would implement. We asked supervisors to talk with their staff members about morale before the meeting, and use that information to shape their answers in the XChange meeting.  We also asked them to take the results -- the process and the action lists -- back to their work groups and teams to talk them over and implement what works, and eject what doesn’t.

As I said in the Ask Tim question about this issue, "Ultimately, this is an US issue -- and while I know you can't solve it alone, neither can supervisors or administrators. Talking and working together is the only real answer."

I believe that this process gave, and will continue to give, folks an opportunity to see what others are thinking, and how they are planning to help Metro Library evolve as we grow. Enjoy the action lists ... they are listed below by location and then by supervisor's last name (except one group, listed last, who submitted a group form). If you don't see your supervisor's name, it's because s/he was not at the meeting.