Yale Finance: Employer of Choice

    Taking steps as an organization to become “the employer of choice in finance and higher education,” Yale Finance has announced three initiatives to help its professionals learn, grow and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with supporting Yale’s mission. These include flexible work arrangements, a peer recognition program, and a forum for finance professionals. 

    Read a staff announcement from Yale’s vice president for finance. 

    “Learning and growing as professionals is important, fun, and fulfilling – and one more way we can connect to the mission of a place dedicated to helping people to learn and grow.” 

    – Stephen C. Murphy, Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer

    Flexible Work Arrangements

    As an employer of choice, Yale Finance supports flexible work arrangements. These arrangements are one way to offer creative approaches to meet the operational needs of the University and promote work-life balance for Yale staff.

    Employees who wish to explore flexible work arrangements are encouraged to meet with their supervisors to discuss the policy and assess individual and unit needs. Successful arrangements must work for both the manager and staff member while meeting the operational needs of the work unit. 

    Training for Finance managers and staff members

    Training will be offered to prepare Finance managers, supervisors and M&P employees to think about, manage, and request flexible work arrangements.

    Details on the training are available at TMS, Yale’s training and certification website.

    Please note, this training is currently designated for M&P employees. Finance C&T employees who are interested in flexibility in their work schedules should work directly with their supervisor, with consultation from their HR Generalist.

    Additional Resources

    To learn more, supervisors and employees may access the following forms, guidelines and training:

    Contact

    For more information, contact your HR Generalist to discuss flexible scheduling options. Staff may also contact the Yale WorkLife program manager, Susan Abramson, via email at worklife@yale.edu or by phone at 203-432-8069.

    You Are a Star 2.0!

    (Yale Finance & Auditing Peer-to-Peer Recognition Program)

    Version 2.0 of the “Star” program emulates the current program except that electronic cards replace a nomination form; paper stars are replaced with paper cards.

    Have you noticed a colleague or a team member demonstrating excellence lately? Let them know how much you appreciate their effort by sending them a Y-Card! A custom gallery of Y-cards has been created just for Finance & Auditing to recognize outstanding performance in Communications, Collaboration, Initiative, Inspiration, and Integrity. This enhancement to our STAR program takes the place of sending in a nomination form. If you receive one of these new cards, you’ve received a star!

    How it works

    Central Finance and Auditing staff will see the recognition cards along with greeting cards when they access Y-Cards (a.k.a. the Yale Greeting Card system). The process for sending a recognition card is the same as sending a greeting card. Peer-to-peer recognition -Staff members can send an electronic card to one another at any time. Supervisors will be copied so they are aware of the details of exemplary performance. Version 2.0 of the “Star” program emulates the current program except that electronic cards replace a nomination form; paper stars are replaced with paper cards. The Finance recognition team will monitor cards sent and follow-up with giving a paper card to the honoree for display purposes.

    To begin, go to Y-cards (a.k.a. Yale Greeting Card system) and Log in. If it’s your first time, join as a NotesPlus member. This will allow you to access all the features including seeing the Finance & Auditing recognition card gallery.

    1. To send a card, click on an image to select.
    2. When the editor opens, type in the recipient’s first name. Search the list to select the recipient’s email address. *If you don’t see the person’s name, click on the small envelope above the name search field then manually enter the recipient’s email address.
    3. Type your message in the editor box in the middle of the window.2) Click the ‘Send’ button. The system will let you know that you were successful in sending the card.

    The recipient receives the card via email. Finance & Auditing team members that receive cards have the option of sending a reply card. They can also view the card in their online notebook if they are a NotesPlus member. 

    Who can participate?

    Any employee at Yale Finance & Auditing can send a card, even across units, teams and departments. There are no guidelines as to how often you can send a recognition card. In practice, Yale Finance employees may find that recognizing others’ contributions and achievements becomes a new and frequent habit.

    Contact

    For additional information or to volunteer as a committee member, please contact Anat Yogev, Grace Frith, or Connie Emond.

    Finance Professionals Forum

    Yale Finance employees are an essential and outstanding source of knowledge and expertise. The goal of the Finance Professionals Forum is to leverage this knowledge and capabilities to help staff meet everyday challenges, opportunities, and strengthen networks.

    As part of Yale Finance’s Employer of Choice initiative, the forum creates a setting where finance professionals—new, seasoned and aspiring—can learn from one another, share best practices, and solve problems on a regular basis.

    How it works

    The Finance Professionals Forum is different from a Community of Practice in that it serves only Yale Finance employees, although it will draw on resources and networks from across the University, including trainings, workshops and guest speakers.

    The forum meets at least quarterly, though brownbags and other get-togethers may occur more frequently. A volunteer committee plans activities and informs participants via email and the Finance website. Based on an initial survey, topics of interest so far include management best practices, mentors, flexible work arrangements, training, and career tracks.

    Events

    The next quarterly meeting will take place in Fall 2017, after Workday Financials goes live.

    Contact

    For more information on the Finance Professionals Forum, please contact Mike DellaBianca.

    Staff Announcement from Yale’s Vice President for Finance

    In a letter to Yale Finance staff, Stephen C. Murphy, Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer, introduced the Employer of Choice initiatives on September 15, 2016. The text of that letter follows. 

    Dear Colleagues:

    I am writing to announce three new initiatives that are being put in place for the Finance Division to help foster a culture that provides opportunities for financial professionals to learn, grow, and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with the positive impact you have on supporting Yale’s mission.

    Last year I asked a committee of leaders from across the Finance Division to develop recommendations on concrete steps we could take as an organization to advance toward our goal of being “the employer of choice in finance and higher education.” In June the Employer of Choice committee made their final recommendations, these three initiatives, and presented them to my senior team and me. I am very pleased to announce them to you today.

    The three initiatives, which are described more fully on the newly created EOC webpage, are the following:

    1. You Are a Star! Program – The committee felt strongly about our need to do more to recognize each other for the wonderful things we see people do each day. I wholeheartedly agree!

    You Are a Star! is our new peer recognition program, designed by the committee, which is now available to all employees in the Finance Division. You Are a Star! is a simple way you can recognize colleagues who have made a difference – for a job well done, an act of kindness, or any other notable deed. All you need to do is submit a nomination and soon your nominee will receive a star-shaped certificate of appreciation (custom-designed for Finance by some talented artists among us). Who do you think has been a Star today?

    2. Flexible Work Arrangements – As an Employer of Choice, Yale Finance supports flexible work arrangements as one way to offer creative approaches to meet the operational needs of the University and promote work-life balance for Yale staff. Employees who wish to explore flexible work arrangements are encouraged to meet with their supervisors to discuss the policy and assess individual and unit needs. Successful arrangements must work for both the manager and staff member while meeting the operational needs of the work unit.

    In the upcoming weeks we will be offering training on flexible work arrangements and the policies, procedures, tools and best practices to support successful arrangements. For more information, please see the EOC webpage.

    3. Finance Professionals Forum – Yale Finance employees are an essential and outstanding source of knowledge and expertise. The Finance Professionals Forum is a new group, open to all employees in the Finance Division. Its goal is to leverage the knowledge and expertise of our staff to help meet everyday challenges, share opportunities, and strengthen networks. Activities will include informal get-togethers to share information as well as training, workshops, and guest speakers. The forum is initially slated to meet quarterly, and contact information is available on the EOC webpage.

    I am thrilled to announce these programs which are the result of outstanding work by the Employer of Choice committee. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Employer of Choice committee, with a special note of thanks to Liz Burnell for chairing the committee, and the rest of the committee members - Deb Armitage, Stephanie Avallone, Rob Bores, Shirley Chock, Mike DellaBianca, Connie Emond, Steve Fielding, Karen Harris, Bob Herr, Bremen Leak, Anne Navin, Lauren Slater, Deirdre Stowe, Tracy Strickland and Sue Whitty. The work of the committee and these exciting programs are a testament to their leadership, innovation, and teamwork – as well as their commitment to supporting your professional development.

    I hope you are as excited about these initiatives as I am, and I hope you will explore any and all that interest you. Learning and growing as professionals is important, fun, and fulfilling – and one more way we can connect to the mission of a place dedicated to helping people to learn and grow.

    Best Regards,

    Steve