Notes from THM 2011 breakout group on improving the staff and board experience

Improving the Staff and Board Experience

Report to the Free Geek Board of Directors
1st Annual Town Hall Meeting, Sunday, October 2, 2011

The small group discussion on improving the staff and board experience generated lots of great ideas, which have been clustered into three main themes: 1.) Improve communication within and between all Free Geek entities; 2.) Improve conditions for the staff so that turnover is reduced; and 3.) Utilize outside expertise. Details from these themes are listed below.

Improve communication within and between all Free Geek entities

• Improve communication between collective and non-collective—institute regular all-staff meetings
• Support the union workers—bargaining unit needs time and space to make changes and ensure that the union contract is being followed
• Allow on-the-clock time for bargaining unit/non-collective staff meetings
• Create a way for people to communicate with the board (website?)
• Liaison between staff and board [already exists]
• Open directors’ list to all paid staff (if not public) except for executive session topics
• Increase involvement in board activities, like we’re doing at this THM

Improve conditions for the staff so that turnover is reduced

• Make Free Geek a better place to work
• Keep improving physical space
• Improve morale
• Allow employees to grow—already true informally, provide a formalized professional way to do this
• Allow promotion from within (especially in collective hirings)
• Observation: there has been a lack of basic HR policies, and the “organic” versions of these policies that have grown over time have caused problems; there is a need for clarity and formal HR procedures
• Observation: FG has changed such that the majority of staff is no longer on the collective
• Recollectivize regular full-time workers
• Improve benefits (bus passes, gym membership)
• We should take advantage of all the “fresh blood”—lots of new staff members mean we can move beyond problems of the past and focus on making FG work
• Pay the staff better!
• Create new positions: Development/grants, dedicated PR person, more drivers

Utilize outside expertise

• Observation: FG doesn't hire people for managerial skills, but they are expected to be managers
• Hire an outside consultant/conversant with experience in collectives and labor relations that can act as a regular helping hand to Board and collective and union reps through the overhaul/rebuilding process