Month: May 2017

Thank you to all those who came out and participated in the activities for Employee Appreciation Week. Here are some photos from Team Building Thursday where we had fun Minute to Win It games and lots of other activities. Friday was Pickleball for all to enjoy. Please stop by our HR Facebook page to read the shoutouts that have been submitted throughout the week. Who knows, maybe there was one submitted about you! Thank you for making UWGB the best place to work. There is no UWGB without U!

A good leader creates a work environment in which people feel appreciated and motivated.  When you recognize people effectively, you reinforce the actions and behaviors you want to see employees repeat, and promote an energized productive team!  During Employee Appreciation Week, we encourage you take a moment and show your appreciation towards a fellow co-worker, supervisor, or other staff member. Here are some ideas:

For Employee Appreciation Week:

• Encourage all of your employees to take part in Employee Appreciation Week activities, including “Team Building Thursday”.
• Send an e-mail, give a card, or post a note on the door of your employees thanking them for their hard work and contributions to UW-Green Bay.
• Recognize employee achievements publicly, at a team meeting or on your department website.
• Call an employee to your office to thank them (don’t discuss any other issue).
• Bring treats or take your team out to lunch.
• Make a banner to hang in your office or decorate an office bulletin board in recognition of your employees.

All year:

• When you hear a positive remark about someone, repeat it to that person as soon as possible (Face-to-face is best, e-mail or voice mail are good in a pinch).
• Hold monthly team meetings to discuss ‘big-picture’ goals and ‘day-to-day’ projects.  Evaluate a completed project and share what went well and what can be improved on.  Acknowledge individual and team accomplishments.
• Empower your employees – ask them to lead a project, run a meeting, and represent your team on a committee or at an event.  Give special assignments to people who show initiative.
• Look for opportunities for your employees to benefit from cross-training and professional development.
• Establish a place to display memos, posters, photos and so on, recognizing progress towards goals and thanking individuals for their help.
• Write a letter of praise recognizing specific contributions and accomplishments of your employees.  Share it with their next level supervisor.
• Set achievable yet challenging goals for your team, measure progress, report results, and recognize their success.
• Listen.  Great communicators listen more than they speak.  They ask questions to draw out the knowledge and opinions of their team, and team members feel affirmed that their opinion matters and they are valued.
• Ask for employee’s ideas – even “pie in the sky” ideas.  Instead of rejecting a new idea or approach, pause and consider the possibilities. Consider what might work rather than what won’t.
• Practice positive nonverbal behaviors that demonstrate appreciation, such as smiles or a handshake.

The University of Wisconsin System recently adopted UWS Administrative Policy 1032: Information Security: Awareness. This policy requires all employees to complete information security awareness training yearly. University employees have access to medium and high-risk data for themselves as well as others. Maintaining the security of that data from the continuous attack by hackers is a constant threat facing our employees.

As communicated via e-mail on 5/3/17, all Faculty and Staff are required to complete online training on Information Security Awareness by May 31, 2017. This training will provide employees with best practices on their role in protecting the university’s systems and data, and information on how to recognize the methods employed by hackers. The training will also provide information related to the UW-System information technology acceptable use policies. Training will take approximately ninety minutes and is self-paced, allowing you to come and go as you please until course completion.

Login information will be included in an e-mail from “University of Wisconsin-Green Bay” titled “UW-Green Bay Required Training: Information Security Awareness”.

Please contact Human Resources at hr@uwgb.edu or (920) 465-2390 with any questions and/or to request a reasonable accommodation.

Name: Jay Rickaby

Position at UWGB: Facilities Maintenance Supervisor

How long have you been employed: Five + years

Brief history of employment with UWGB: I started in February 2012 as a Facilities Repair Worker-Advanced, and in 2015, I became the Supervisor.

Three words that describe you: Hard-worker, Creative, Dependable

Personal Interests: Playing with tools, building things, fixing things, gardening, fishing, movies, eating, being outdoors.

Random Facts/Interests: I live in an old granary barn with my wife, son, three dogs and 3 cats. We bought a 10 acre property in Brussels in November 2013 and moved into the barn. We been converting this barn into a home and are getting close to completion. On the property is an old log barn built around 1860 that we restored. Our next project is restoring the old Belgian 3 room stone house on the property. We also have a very large garden, grapes, berries, apple trees and other assorted fruit trees. We grow much of our own food and make apple cider.

– Are you messy or organized? Typically I am pretty organized.

– Describe what you were like at age 10? I liked to learn how things worked and liked watching builders. We were taught to work hard and I helped with building and chores around the home. I liked to fish and camp.

– If you could witness any historical event, what would you want to see? I would like to see what Green Bay looked like from the beginning of time every thousand years until the 1700’s and then see the changes every 10 years.

– If your house was burning down, what’s the one-non living thing you would save? Pictures.

– Least favorite food? Asparagus.

– Tell us a little bit about your family. I am married, 2 adult sons, 3 dogs and 3 cats. I am lucky to have my father yet and 2 brothers and 2 sisters.

– What advice would you give to recent new hires? Learn your way around. Ask questions and learn from experienced employees. Don’t be afraid to share ideas and offer suggestions. Be friendly.

– What are three career lessons you’ve learned thus far? Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Be honest. Be dependable and helpful.

– What aspect of your role do you enjoy the most? Great coworkers, good working conditions, weekends off (typically).

– What celebrity do people think you look like? We had an “old-time” picture taken once and I looked exactly like W.C. Fields.

– What did you want to be growing up? A heavy equipment operator. I would go and watch them work as a kid. My dad also worked on them and I got to ride on some.

– What is the first thing you would buy if you won the lottery? A vacation home in a warmer climate.

– What is your favorite meal? Buffets with a huge variety. Pizza.

– What one food do you wish had zero calories? Desserts!!

– What phobias do you have? Snakes.

– What is on your bucket list? Travel abroad.