Additional UF Faculty and Staff Climate Initiative action items announced

In February, the UF Faculty and Staff Climate Survey Working Group announced three areas on which it would focus to begin to address responses to the Fall 2015 Faculty-Staff Climate Survey and subsequent discussions held throughout 2016.  The action items fell under the categories of Inclusiveness, Professional Advancement and Respect. This spring, a second wave of action items are being introduced to address issues of work-life integration and to provide the university community with examples of best practices to create a more inclusive environment.

In April, the University announced it would be expanding its lactation room offerings to better accommodate nursing mothers.  In addition, UFHR has introduced a new WorkLife at UF website to increase awareness of and access to the many wellness, family and community resources available to faculty and staff.

Beginning in May, the university will begin to share best practices and provide more information about resources related to diversity and inclusion via the Climate Initiative section of the President’s website. Already this site contains detailed information about the Climate Survey and the Climate Initiative action items as well as links to presentations given by a series of speakers who have visited campus in 2017.

In February, the Climate Survey Working Group announced that Ron Anderson, university ombuds, would be expanding his role to serve the needs of UF staff. And in March, the College of Medicine announced the appointment of Keith Stone as its faculty ombuds.  These new roles supplement the services provided by the Faculty Ombuds, Ken Gerhardt.

Those wishing to learn more about the new staff ombuds role and to meet Ron Anderson may wish to attend the UF Academic and Professional Assembly’s May 3 “Meet the Ombuds” event.  For more information, please visit the APA website.

For more information about these and future action items, please watch for the May issue of UF at Work.  Do you have questions or feedback for us?  We encourage you to email us at human-resources@ufl.edu.