Michelle AngukaAs Chapman University continues its phased return to campus, Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Brian Powell reflects on the last eight months navigating the pandemic and shares HR’s major initiatives and vision for a supportive and safe return to campus.
1. Fall semester looks a lot different this year. What has your experience been
so far?
Powell: It’s certainly unanticipated and unprecedented. All in all, it’s been good – very stressful, but good. Like others I have been recalled to on-campus work. I have a newfound appreciation for the beauty of our campus and for the essential workers who remained onsite since March caring for it. My days are long with numerous virtual meetings and engagements to move HR and campus priorities forward. I miss seeing students on campus – they offer a palpable energy whose absence is felt by me. That said, for those of us who are present on campus, I am extremely grateful for the hard work of our Facilities Management team who have gone above and beyond with signage, barriers, sanitization and support measures to enhance our healthy workplace.
2. What’s been your top priority as CHRO amid COVID-19?
Powell: Our people. I begin every day with three questions:
- How do I as CHRO contribute to ensuring their health and well-being?
- How do I as CHRO prevent the kinds of pay cuts, furloughs and layoffs experienced by my peers at other institutions?
- And every day, regardless of the pandemic, I believe in asking myself: how do I prove my value to the organization today?
I care deeply about the welfare of our employees. These guiding questions prompted countless hours mining and pouring over data and devising countless scenarios to avoid direct losses to our workforce. Providing alternatives and responding to impromptu requests for new calculations was always done in good spirits because I knew the work I was doing would save jobs. That focus on your well-being continues to this day. Even when there is disagreement about some of the recommendations made and actions taken, in the forefront of all deliberations was the well-being of our employees.
3. What aspects of the Chapman Community’s response to the pandemic are you most proud of?
Powell: Many things, probably too many to mention, but some of my highlights are these:
- First, I am so very proud that health and well-being were our foremost priorities. From the early days to present, all planning emphasizes and prioritizes the health and well-being of our community.
- I’m proud of the highly collaborative nature of the planning and execution of activities. The CU Safely Back taskforces assembled leaders at all levels of the organization and engaged hundreds more in our planning efforts. The end product reflects the diverse fabric of our experiences and expertise and has been most rewarding.
- I’m proud to be a part of a leadership team that sprang into action in February and never stopped planning. That early work was taxing but well worth the nights and weekends, as we poured over and exhausted all options that prevented pay cuts and mass layoffs that plague many institutions across the nation.
- Lastly, I am so very proud of my HR team, who leaned in and worked tireless to support the campus during the pandemic and during a summer of social unrest prompted by tragic injustices. The care and empathy of this team are second to none, and its commitment to working with our partners in IS&T, Fish Interfaith, SMC and beyond bear the fruit of a working remote series designed to maintain well-being and engagement during this period of unprecedented remote work.
4. What does strategic planning look like at this moment for HR?
Powell: In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, HR remains committed to strategic planning. During the summertime, the HR Leadership Team engaged in a multiyear strategic planning effort around 10 key collaboration drivers embodied in our new strategic plan entitled “Building for Campus Impact.”
We are currently refining the plan internally and in partnership with President Struppa and EVP|COO Hewitt. Our goal is to continuously align our efforts to better support our students and the academic and research mission of Chapman University.
Our mission: to transform the staff experience by deploying people as talent and not people as workflow.
5. What are some new initiatives Human Resources is working on?
Powell: As mentioned, we are planning numerous efforts in HR as part of our new strategic plan. Two of those initiatives are actively in focus right now:
- Policy Initiative: as part of our Building Consistency strategic planning initiative, the Office of Human Resources will be sunsetting our outdated Staff & Administrator Handbook, and replacing it with a series of policies and procedures that are more appropriate for a complex university like ours. I believe that the greater the clarity and transparency of policies, the greater consistency in applying them. That benefits everyone. Also, it allows us to continuously review and revise policies in response to changing laws and changing campus needs. This is critical work to take HR’s structural maturity to the next level.
- PeopleSoft Initiative: as part of our Building HR Automation and Building Predictability strategic planning initiatives, the Office of Human Resources is partnering with the EVP|COO’s Office, IS&T, Financial Services and others to enhance our position management systems that are critical for effective human capital management and workforce planning. It’s a rather complex initiative to describe within the confines of this Q&A, but in short, it will provide our employees with greater access to real-time data as part of my commitment to what is known as the democratization of data. In addition, these enhancements add considerably to HR’s digital maturity and our institutional need for data-driven decision making.
6. Who should employees speak to if they have concerns about their current work environment, whether it’s remote or on campus?
Powell: Employees are always encouraged to engage with their supervisors to resolve immediate workplace problems. For those requiring support and engagement from the Office of Human Resources, employees should reach out to our Employee Relations division that is helmed by Director of Employee Relations Michael Nee. His team is highly engaged and ready to assist you with any workplace concerns.
