As 2022 draws to a close, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on this past year.
What has our team been up to?!
The UWSA operations team and board of directors started the year strong with a strategic visioning exercise and governance training. We’ve been meeting with our governance expert throughout the year to discuss what the UWSA will look like in the coming years and have been planning for a successful future.
This has been our first full year under our new by-law and we’ve been able to implement improved governance approaches across the board.
We placed ten new members on eight UWSA standing committees and working groups.
Our new president-elect, Yessenia Guerrero, and our new directors have all been successfully onboarded.
Our advocacy work has continued to grow with staff coming forward confidentially when they’re in need of advice, guidance or help with policy interpretation.
Read on for more 2022 highlights!
An amazing opportunity for staff
We’re very grateful to the staff members who stepped up and put in proposals to the benefit of their colleagues through the Staff Excellence Fund (SEF). Through this project, our SEF committee evaluates applications that staff members put forward for engagement and leadership development as well as healthy workplace initiatives. This year, successful applicants have offered programs to our campus community including activities such as yoga and board foundations training. Please consider applying for this amazing opportunity!
Planning for our upcoming salary discussions
In May, we formally established the Staff Compensation Strategy Committee in preparation for our next salary conversations which are set to begin in fall 2023. Staff salary agreements affect all staff, not just our members, and we’re taking our time to carefully consider all aspects of our next agreement. This includes both monetary compensation and non-monetary items. We sent out a survey in December asking our members “In terms of staff compensation, what is something that you would like to see in the next salary agreement.” We’ve been reviewing the responses that we received at every meeting and strategizing on how we can incorporate them into our salary discussions.
After two years of consultation and advocating on behalf of staff, Flexible Work Guidelines were introduced at UW this year. There are many ongoing topics of discussion that occur behind the scenes and with our most recent survey from December 2022, much time and consideration will be given to the answers that we received to the question: “In terms of staff working conditions, what is the number one thing that you think could be improved?”
Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the survey and share their thoughts.
Thank you!
A special thank you to staff members who have served on our committees and working groups this past year. These colleagues have taken time out of their schedules to help us in our mission and advocacy work. Your time and commitment are greatly appreciated and valued.
From the annual craft show, to Winterfest, Hudson Bay shopping events, to our trip to Wonderland and even some cooking classes, this year, our members enjoyed getting to know each other and their families while participating in fun activities. And we enjoyed getting to know all of them!
Thank you to all our members for your support of the staff association. We appreciate hearing from all of you and advocating on your behalf. We are looking forward to a new year with new challenges and successes! Please do not hesitate to reach out to us, or to me personally, at agata.jagielska@uwaterloo.ca.
I wish you all a wonderful holiday break. I hope you get to enjoy time with loved ones, in-person or virtually! I look forward to a brand-new year.