Team Djuina Managers Meeting
October 4, 2017
Meeting Notes
Attendees: Drew Alvey, Laurie Covington, Tula
Gorden, Melissa Gwinn, Djuina Hammett, John Hong, Kitty Myers, LeRoy Robinson,
Maggie Sepulveda, Nathan Stokes, and Celeste Diaz
Notes by Celeste Diaz
Welcome
and Breakfast
Teambuilding
Activity – Build a tower with sheets of paper
Article
Discussion
10 Tips for
Dealing with Difficult People at Work
·
Inappropriate Behavior from Customers/Coworkers
o
Make sure staff informs you of all incidents, not just when it has
reached an escalated level
o
Get both sides of the story
o
Make sure staff feel safe and comfortable
·
Difficult Coworkers/Customers
o
Make them aware that they are being inappropriate
o
Read policies and procedures to double check if they are being violated
o
Don’t assume anything
o
Give a warning; customers may not know the rules
o
Observe customers first; always give the benefit of the doubt
o
Make staff aware of their body language and how customers may perceive
them
o
Use the words “Is there anything library-related I can help you with?”
o
Set boundaries with customers
·
Dress Code Violations/Social Media Use
o
Dress code is usually at manager’s discretion
o
The workplace should be left out of social media
o
Have assistant manager present if you are having a discussion with a
staff member
Tips for
Minimizing Workplace Negativity
·
As a manager, set an example and keep up the positivity at work
·
Make sure the rest of the staff is not affected by one person’s
negativity
·
Be aware of how new staff perceive their work environment; be more
attentive to them
·
Let staff talk about issues so their feelings are validated
·
Be aware of each location’s culture
·
Have staff try different things for a few months and let them come up
with solutions to their issues
·
Rotate staff duties so no one is territorial
·
Pay attention to someone’s negativity; build trust so they confide in
you
·
Reassure staff that no one will get fired if you complain about them;
let them know that bad behavior needs to be corrected and this is the first
step
·
Have teambuilding activities and make sure everyone contributes
Open
Discussion
Greeting and
Roving
·
A manager should have no more than 2 hours on the desk; if staff
complain about this, have them shadow you
·
Make your presence known; if you need your desk time covered, return the
favor later
·
Make sure desk times are divided equally and fairly
·
Part-timers are there to cover desks
·
Ask staff what their preferences are
·
Creating the schedule can be delegated, but the manager needs to oversee
it
·
Do not copy and paste; move duties around
·
Lunch should be the only consistent time slot
·
Make sure staff follow the schedule
·
Notify staff if the schedule changes midday
·
Make sure workroom is always photo ready
·
Walk through the front door sometimes and see how the library looks from
a customer’s point of view
Staff
Response in Emergency Situations
·
Keep phone tree current
·
Ask preferences; some staff may not want/be able to text
·
Let staff know they need to respond and check in
·
Remind staff about Ideson fund if they need assistance
·
Check status of building, report to senior managers, then meet with big
group
HPL’s Role in
Hurricane Preparedness
·
Can staff be set up in a central station before a hurricane hits? It is more difficult to get to a central
station during/after the hurricane
·
What do we have in place to be prepared for the next hurricane? Nathan
will prepare a document; Tula will prepare a document on how to prepare a
location for a hurricane/natural disaster
·
Everyone should review their Continuation
of Operations
·
A major challenge for HPL is getting the city to understand that the
library has many resources available
·
Learn something new from every storm (remove books from bottom shelf,
check roof hatches, etc.)
·
Educate customers that overdue fines will be waived during a natural
disaster
·
Payroll should have something in place so managers know how to code
timecards
·
Donated Leave for staff who need to take of Harvey-related recovery?
Laurie will follow up
·
Request tarps, burlap sandbags from GSD through Sprocket
·
Establish relationships with different relationships in your area in
case location is closed for an extended period
Location News
·
BLU
o
Family Place Play Program, 10/7/17, toys with developmental benefits
o
Living Room in November; theme will be games from different cultures
·
BRA
o
Attendance for story time has increased!
o
Tutoring sessions starts 10/9/17 (Math and Reading help)
o
Dance for Senior Citizens on Wednesdays
·
JOH
o
Community Awareness Crime Walk in November
·
STA
o
Halloween Bash
o
Conversational English classes have started
·
YOU
o
Art Out Loud, 10/5/17
o
Public Poetry
o
Early Voting
o
Poet Laureate
·
LOO/MNT
o
Drag Queen Story Time – first one had a good turnout, will be held on
the last Saturday of the month
o
Citizenship Classes
o
ESL Classes – had 4th of July party, will have Halloween
party)
o
Groomed for Literacy at LOO
o
Self-Publishing Workshop
·
COL
o
National Night Out on 10/3/17
o
Citizenship Classes
o
Conversational English Classes
o
Heart Party
Managers
Bootcamp/Managers Meeting – Send Djuina or Laurie topic suggestions
