Navigating budget cuts — especially when it comes to personnel decisions — is one of the most difficult challenges HR professionals can face, both professionally and emotionally. As payroll is often an institution’s biggest budget line item, it’s often one of the first places to be impacted by cuts. Whether HR is considering instituting hiring... View Article
As your institution processes its response to recent executive orders and the reactions of employees and students across campus, increasing workplace tensions may make it more challenging for your HR team to maintain a positive and collaborative environment. These challenges are not novel for higher ed HR, but they can be used as a springboard... View Article
Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and is now recognized as a federal holiday — Juneteenth National Independence Day. Observing Juneteenth’s historical significance is a meaningful step in understanding American history. But for its history to mean something in our present moment, its lessons must be translated into tangible action. CUPA-HR... View Article
New CUPA-HR data show some improvement in turnover in the higher ed workforce, but staffing hasn’t fully bounced back to pre-pandemic levels. Managers still face challenges filling positions and maintaining morale, while employees are seeking jobs where their satisfaction and well-being are prioritized. CUPA-HR’s recent webinar offers solutions that may move the needle on employee... View Article
From an HR perspective, faculty positions can often look very different from other professional and staff roles on campus, especially when it comes to those faculty on the tenure track. But as HR’s role in academic staffing expands, it’s critical to understand tenure and its role in supporting academic freedom, says Joerg Tiede, the director... View Article
Last year brought major changes to the higher education landscape. Turnover reached a peak, prompting more attention than ever to retention and recruitment, while looming policy changes in overtime pay and Title IX regulations further complicated long-term planning. And, though it may feel like unprecedented change is the new normal, timeless HR topics like onboarding... View Article
Think about a time you were recognized by a colleague for a job well done. Whether it was a grand gesture or a small act of recognition, chances are the personal shoutout put some pep in your step. Positive recognition in any form is a sure mood booster and helps move campus well-being in the... View Article
In the wake of the Great Resignation and talent recruitment challenges, heavy workloads have led to stress and burnout for some employees. One way higher ed HR pros can help identify sources of stress and mitigate burnout is by considering employees’ work environments. Are invisible pressures placed on employees, causing team members to downplay or... View Article
Onboarding programs consisting of a brief history lesson about the institution and instructions for how to get a parking pass aren’t likely to inspire new hires. Here are three elements of onboarding programs that go beyond the basics to create a deeper understanding of campus culture and a sense of belonging. Orient New Hires to... View Article
New research from CUPA-HR shows that higher education institutions are in the midst of a talent crisis, as many staff, professionals and administrators are considering other employment opportunities due to dissatisfaction with their pay, their opportunities for advancement, their institutions’ remote and flex work policies, and more. The newly published research report, The CUPA-HR 2022... View Article
Thank you to all who attended the CUPA-HR Annual Conference and Expo in person and virtually this week! It was wonderful to welcome new and familiar faces, celebrate CUPA-HR’s 75th anniversary, and explore outstanding sessions with so many of you. For those who weren’t able to attend, here are three conference takeaways you can put... View Article
Over the last year and a half, the rapid implementation and general success of remote work has brought about both new opportunities and new challenges. In particular, the challenges of navigating multi-state compliance issues can be tricky. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach, here are three key points to get you started on the right... View Article
On August 9, CUPA-HR and 12 other higher education associations sent a letter to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Ur M. Jaddou requesting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) extend and amend its previously announced flexibilities on Form I-9 compliance requirements. The guidance, which has been extended continuously since March 2020 and... View Article
Higher ed leaders worked tirelessly last year to facilitate employee transitions to remote work. Now that many employees are firmly rooted in their remote work routine (and in some cases hesitant or unable to return to campus), what was previously a short-term solution is becoming a permanent option at many institutions, and the next challenge... View Article
On June 30, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Ranking Member of the House Education and Labor Committee Virginia Foxx (R-NC), and three other Republican members on the Education and Labor Committee introduced H.R. 4248, the Workflex in the 21st Century Act. The bill amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) to create Qualified Flexible Work... View Article
Have leaders at your institution embraced flexible work, viewing it is a way to boost employee engagement, productivity, retention and recruitment efforts? Or are they skeptical that flexible work arrangements can work for the long-term? In a recent CUPA-HR webinar, “Leading Into the Future of Flexible Work,” a panel of higher ed HR professionals discussed... View Article
Over the course of the pandemic, higher ed employers may have struggled with how to approach employees whose work performance has been negatively impacted by issues in their personal lives. A recent CUPA-HR webinar, “Trauma-Informed Leadership for Higher Education,” shared ways employers can open the door for disclosure and develop a leadership style that is... View Article
As Congress prepares to vote on legislation establishing June 19 as a federal holiday, we are exploring ways institutions can observe this momentous occasion in U.S. history. Juneteenth, the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States, has not always been widely recognized. Expanding your campus community’s knowledge of Juneteenth and... View Article
June is Pride Month, and many institutions are hosting LGBTQ+ programming and events to spread the message of inclusion in higher ed. HR pros can further this message and help make LGBTQ+ students, faculty and staff feel seen, heard and valued by learning about the barriers and experiences of these individuals and ways to advocate... View Article
May is Mental Health Month, and we’re homing in on three facets of higher education that impact mental health: campus culture, resources and workplace flexibility. This blog post is Part III of the three-part series. Here, we’ll discuss how institutions can lean into flexible work arrangements and how flexible work can support more diverse, equitable... View Article
May is Mental Health Month, and we’re homing in on three facets of higher education that impact mental health: campus culture, resources, and work flexibility. Here, in Part II of the three-part series, we’ll look at some of the barriers that prevent employees from utilizing resources, and how some approaches from the corporate world can... View Article
May is Mental Health Month, and we’re homing in on three facets of higher education that impact mental health: campus culture, resources and work flexibility. This blog post is Part I of the three-part series. First, we’ll discuss the importance of creating campus cultures that prioritize and promote the mental health of students, faculty and... View Article
If 2020 has given us anything — aside from a new appreciation for the word “pivot” — it’s proof that higher ed is just as capable of adaptation as the corporate world. Before these unprecedented times, big names like Google, Facebook and Netflix were more often at the forefront of workforce innovation conversations than were... View Article
A recent Gallup article noted that the workforce is currently down 500,000 more women than men compared to before the pandemic. The cause? Many women have left or drastically reduced their working hours to care for young children or school-age children who are learning virtually at home. That so many working mothers have left the... View Article
The higher ed workforce has been hit hard due to COVID-19-related causes. According to a recent article by The Chronicle of Higher Education, 650,000 higher ed jobs were lost last year. With potential budget reductions on the horizon, this number is sure to climb. While workforce reductions may be necessary for some institutions to stay... View Article
Employee Appreciation Day is right around the corner (March 5). As the typical initiators of employee appreciation and recognition, HR offices are looking for creative ways to show appreciation for faculty and staff on tighter budgets and modified for the remote work environment. While the usual catered lunch or in-person awards ceremony may not be in... View Article
The last several months have been like nothing we have ever experienced, as COVID-19 disrupted and reshaped our lives and our work. These work and life challenges have taken a toll on our mental health and well-being, and it is so important that we acknowledge this and find ways to address these challenges for ourselves,... View Article
For most institutions, the onset of the COVID-19 crisis required rapid response on countless fronts, including moving a substantial number of employees to full- or part-time work from home. However, as the technical and logistical dust has settled, and the reality of long-term remote work has set in, many teams have wrestled with finding a... View Article
Editor’s note: You may have missed this blog post when we published it in 2020. It’s been updated here with additional resources, including the new Disability in the Workplace Toolkit. Efforts to help individuals with disabilities feel respected and included can quickly backfire if the words used to refer or speak to them are insensitive... View Article
Whether you’re a CHRO or an HR manager, you most likely have staff who report to you. While the typical ways of celebrating Employee Appreciation Day (the first Friday in March), such as bringing in breakfast or throwing a surprise middle-of-the-day office party, aren’t bad, you can show your staff you care about them in... View Article
This blog post was contributed by Stephanie Hoffmann, assistant director of community standards and responsibility at Rollins College. Ensuring that student affairs professionals feel engaged with their institution, know what resources are available on and off campus and know how they can utilize their strengths can help them perform better in their roles and positively... View Article
The clean slate of each new year ushers in a wave of resolutions for those who want to improve an area of their professional or personal lives. One common resolution is to give back, which often takes the form of monetary contributions. However, another way to meet this resolution on a professional level is to... View Article