UNews - Elaine Carlson

People Plan an investment in U of L's greatest resource - its people

trevor.kenney — Thu, 10 Dec 2015 22:31:57 +0000

More than three years in the making, the People Plan has been approved by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Board of Governors, creating a unique institutional framework designed to support faculty and staff in creating an enriched campus experience that makes the U of L an even more desirable place to work.

With strategic priorities ranging from the establishment of strong communicative channels to training and development initiatives, and a focus on attaining an ideal work-life balance, the People Plan embraces workplace wellness.

Elaine Carlson, Chair of the People Plan Committee and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s associate vice-president (HR & Administration), says the words of founding President Emeritus, Dr. W.A. Sam Smith, served as inspiration throughout the People Plan process.

“Our people define our university and are our greatest strength,” Smith is quoted as saying.

“The People Plan is dedicated to the people who work at the U of L, and it serves as a foundational voice from which community well-being initiatives will evolve and be developed,” says Carlson. “It is now our responsibility as a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, faculty, department, unit, committee or individual to breathe life into the People Plan by creating opportunities to think, create and explore together.”

The plan grew out of work from an Initial Steps Committee, formed in 2012, which examined the need for a specific People Plan. The committee concluded that, while the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ had created visionary plans with respect to the Strategic, Academic, Research, Business and Campus Master components, more could be done to specifically address the largest and most significant resource of the institution, its people.

“The process of creating this plan was extensive and throughout its development, we tried to include as many voices as possible and represent every corner of our university,” explains Carlson.

World Cafés were informed by an employee survey as the committee sought to capture what priorities should be addressed by the plan. The following six areas were identified for the three-year plan:

• Collaboration and Cohesiveness
• Communication
• Orientation/On-Boarding
• Supervision and Leadership
• Training and Development
• Work-Life Balance

“As a destination university for students, faculty and staff, it’s extremely important for us to maintain an environment that is diverse, welcoming and supportive,” says U of L President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Mike Mahon. “We will achieve our aspirational goals as an institution because our people are engaged and empowered. The People Plan demonstrates how the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is committed to creating a positive work environment where people want to work, educate, learn, conduct research and engage in creative activity.”

A living document, the plan calls for an employee survey every three years, the organization of World Cafés every year and the creation of a representative committee to prepare an annual progress report for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community.

To learn more about the People Plan, visit the Human Resources website.

People Plan taking shape at U of L

trevor.kenney — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:32:55 +0000

In the last two years, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has developed both an Academic Plan and a Research Plan that, together with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Business Plan, serve to shape and support the actions of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Strategic Plan.

But the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ can only succeed through its people. Several members of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community recently gathered to talk through the feasibility of creating a People Plan and how best to go about it.

"As we begin work on the next five-year iteration of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Strategic Plan, it appears that a bridging document speaking to the needs of faculty, support staff, APOs, senior administration and other groups is missing from our framework of support," says Elaine Carlson, associate vice-president, Human Resources. "A People Plan must align with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's fundamental principles of a commitment to society; creativity, inquiry and discovery; students; inspiration; and responsible action, among other attributes."

Carlson says the People Plan is intended to link all employees to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's chosen direction, regardless of the focus of their work.

"As a growing comprehensive academic and research institution with an increasing campus footprint and several campus locations, we are concerned about losing the sense of connection and community that has been a feature, if not a hallmark, of our development since the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's inception in 1967," says Carlson. "By bringing this initial group together, we were able to do a lot of brainstorming and direction-setting that will move us forward, so that we can encourage all members of the U of L Community to participate in future planning sessions."

Carlson says that with the assistance of Vic Shewchuk from VisionWorks Consulting (who is also the senior advisor, Organizational Planning and Development at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta), the group was able to take dozens of ideas and focus them into a narrative from which a report to the president will be prepared.

As of now, the group has not confirmed how it will be engaging with different groups, but expect to hear from them before Christmas.

"This preliminary planning group is open to hearing ideas from everyone on campus," says Carlson. "This group is highly motivated to provide the groundwork for the creation of a People Plan – a living document that will hopefully enhance the way we at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ feel about our workplace and our roles within it."

To learn more about this Strategic Planning process, please visit this website: www.uleth.ca/strategic-plan/people-plan

This story first appeared in the November 2012 issue of the Legend. To view the full issue online, follow this link.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ welcomes senior managers

trevor.kenney — Fri, 13 May 2011 15:53:53 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is pleased to welcome Elaine Carlson and Chris Eagan to the U of L family as they assume roles on campus left by longtime senior managers Don MacDonald and Doug Parker.

Carlson joins the senior administration team as the associate vice-president, Human Resources, following MacDonald, who is retiring after 13 years of service to the U of L. Carlson was most recently the manager of Employee Relations & HR Consulting and acting director, Support Staff Human Resources at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta.

She led a team of human resource consultants who managed investigations, layoffs, performance management issues and discrimination & harassment complaints, lead bargaining for support staff, and developed HR procedures and processes, among other duties.

Eagan is the new executive director of Facilities, following Doug Parker, who is retiring after almost 30 years of service to the U of L.

Eagan was most recently the director of Facilities Management at Lethbridge College, and in that role was responsible for the day-to-day operation of the facilities, utilities, grounds and other components of the College's campus infrastructure, worked with cross-campus teams to implement several capital planning projects, as well as the development of a campus master plan, among other duties.

UNews - Elaine Carlson

People Plan an investment in U of L's greatest resource - its people

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