Kansas State University

Engaging all of our university partners is critically important to achieving any of our goals and aspirations, particularly when it comes to our K-State 2025 plan. Teamwork is among the many lessons I have learned over the years, some of them a long time ago as a high school athlete. In a not too distant year, I was playing in the Nevada state championship baseball game. I was our catcher. The week before the state tournament one of our star pitchers had an emergency appendectomy and could not play. We had two great pitchers, including him. As a result, we used our first-star pitcher to reach the championship and in the title game, we used an unproven sophomore pitcher. We got destroyed.

I think the final in the championship game was 17-5. Near the middle of the game, it was clear things were out of hand. I looked out to the mound and could see our young sophomore pitcher was having a hard time emotionally. I called time and jogged out to the mound and asked, “What’s going on?” He looked at me with teary eyes (yes there is crying in baseball) and said, “I’m letting your guys down.” With all of the maturity, my 17-year-old self could muster I calmly responded, “This is it for me. I am a senior and this is the last time I will ever play organized baseball. Listen to me. We win as a team and we lose as a team. These guys are just better than we are today. Tell you what, you throw the ball, I’ll catch it and let’s get out of here.” Everyone on a team has the potential to lift each other up and help us reach our objectives and goals. Team members have each other’s back in times of ease and times when there is struggle.

As I mentioned in our last newsletter, we have reached out to and are involving many university team members in our HCS strategic initiatives. We have listened to input from a variety of places including the 2014 Climate Survey, 2017 Professional Development Needs Assessment, peer and aspirational higher educational institutions, and input from university partners.

I promised in our last edition more information about our initiatives and today you can view that information on the HCS web site. You can visit our web site to find out more about the HCS Strategic Advisory Council, who they are and the role they play in assisting us. You can also learn more about a global competency framework, timelines for implementation and the university-wide teams that have been created to work on the following items associated with that: competency modeling, career ladders and paths, career development and performance management.

In addition, you will see information about our other initiatives such as Supervisory Foundations training and employee onboarding. Those initiatives also involve many university partners. We will continue to update our progress as these teams work and accomplish milestones. We have so much appreciation for those who have and will assist in achieving our goals. Teamwork is a hallmark of K-State and a reminder that we really do have great people here.

Human Capital Services acquired through a request for proposal a global competency framework through Korn Ferry® to integrate into the full employee life cycle at Kansas State University. A research-based competency library establishes a foundation so we do not have to focus our resources on reinventing the wheel.

What does a competency framework provide? A competency framework will establish common language among employees to identify and utilize skills and behaviors required for success. This will assist HCS in achieving key outcomes for K-State 2025’s career architecture strategy including identifying competencies, implementing career ladders, performance management, and career development.

What are competencies? Competencies are observable and measurable skills and behaviors that contribute to workplace effectiveness and career success.

Competency modeling brings proven benefits. Organizations that use competency models to guide their selection and development efforts enjoy several key benefits:

• Greater alignment with business objectives.
• Enhanced productivity.
• Increased workforce agility.
• Improved ability to identify and develop high potentials.
• Better retention of top talent.

Learn more information about the competency framework initiative: HCS Strategic Initiatives.

Kansas State University aims to be an employer of choice for recruiting and retaining top talent. The university strives to create a positive and inclusive working culture where everyone is informed, engaged, and has a strong employment relationship with one’s manager / supervisor and colleagues. The foundation for this environment can be created through onboarding. Well engaged employees become champions of K-State 2025 through K-State’s mission, goals and initiatives.

What is Onboarding? Onboarding is more than completing new hire paperwork or attending orientation. Onboarding is a collaborative, strategic approach that provides new employees with the needed information, tools, and resources to effectively meet organizational goals. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, nine out of 10 employees decide whether they will stay or leave an organization within the first six months and the Human Capital Institute suggests engaging new hires in an effective onboarding program can maximize retention, engagement, and productivity.

Onboarding aims to:

• Increase new employee productivity by training the new employee about the department, college/unit, and university.
• Improve retention rates of new employees within all employee groups by providing a wide array of information that employees need in order to feel engaged, successful, and connected.
• Provide audience-specific, in-depth, timely information over an extended period of time, so that information is useful and memorable for the new employee.
• Streamline processes and provide best practice information to enable managers/supervisors to deliver high-quality, consistent, and accurate information systemically to all new employees.
• Foster an environment of employee engagement, where employees feel that Kansas State University is a great place to work.

Why is effective onboarding beneficial?

• Builds K-State’s and your college/department’s reputation for being a thoughtful employer with excellent training, clear leadership, and a strong organization.
• Helps retain your senior staff members.
• Reduces high turnover costs.
• Supports new colleagues and quickly moves them to efficient productivity levels.
• Builds better team relationships across the department/college.

More information and tools are available in the Hiring Toolkit: Onboarding Guide.

Electronic Incident Reporting: In November 2018, Kansas State University will begin using a new electronic incident reporting process. This electronic system will replace the former Accident Report Form. This new process will provide a better user experience for the employee, department, and administration. It will also ensure work-related incidents are reported in a timely manner to the State Self Insurance Fund for assessment.

The information gathered in the incident reporting process will also be used by K-State Environmental Health and Safety. EHS exists to support uninterrupted research and learning within a safe and healthy environment at K-State.

A big thanks to the core team who have worked diligently to design, test, and implement this new system:

• Project Lead: Stacy Divine, Human Capital Services
• Blake Abbe, Administration and Finance
• Christina Aguilera, Environmental Health and Safety
• Becky Ayres, Animal Sciences and Industry
• Joseph Barbercheck, Environmental Health and Safety
• Cathy Barry, Lafene Health Center
• Jaci Begnoche, College of Veterinary Medicine
• Marlene Kunze Dolan, Housing and Dining
• Lisa Linck, Environmental Health and Safety
• Amanda McDiffett, Human Capital Services
• Cindy McNulty, Administrative Support Center
• Darci Pottroff, Information Systems Office
• Jim Parker, Lafene Health Center
• Kathy Roeser, College of Arts and Sciences
• Bridget Seeman, Administrative Support Center
• Michael Spears, Office of Mediated Education
• Aaron Wilkins, Environmental Health and Safety

The system will be activated mid-November. Watch K-State Today for updates and more information.

Questions? Contact the Benefits Team at benefits@ksu.edu

The past two months have brought many staff changes to Human Capital Services. Some of these changes may already be familiar, while a few are rather recent.

New faces

Human Capital Services is excited to welcome the following new employees to our team.

• Richard Augustin started his new position as Payroll Manager on Oct. 11.
• Greta Bauer started her new position as an Office Specialist III on Oct. 15.
• Megan Hoelting began in HCS as our new Learning and Development Consultant on Oct. 1.
• Kaitlin McGuire was hired into her new position as a Strategic Partner in Talent Solutions on Aug. 27.

Bittersweet goodbyes

When a team member leaves, it is often bittersweet. We hate to see them go, yet are happy for them as they embark on their next journey. This past month, Human Capital Services said goodbye to a few long-standing members of our community. We at HCS wish them all the best!

• Jennifer King, Data and Analytics, last day in HCS was Sept. 21. She left the university to pursue a position in marketing in the private sector.
• Jolene Agan, Human Capital Specialist, last day in HCS was Oct. 12. Jolene will be moving out of state to pursue her dream of owning her own business.