Author: lthomas

Don’t forget to change your voicemail greeting and schedule an “away” message to your email during both the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday breaks so that callers and/or e-mailers will know when they can expect to hear from you.

Voicemail example:

“Hello, this is (your name). Our office will be closed beginning Thursday, November 25 and will reopen on Monday, November 29. Please leave your name, telephone number and a brief message and I will return your call on the 29th.  Thank you and happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Central Rivers AEA.”

Email “away” message example:

Thank you for your email. I will be out of the office beginning Thursday, November 25 and will respond to your email upon my return on Monday, the 29th. Thank you and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

*Please note the office closure dates for the Christmas holiday break are Friday, December 24 – January 2, 2022. Offices will reopen on Monday, January 3.  

If you need assistance with either task, please contact the Help Desk at helpdesk@centralriversaea.org or 319-273-8231.

The agency continues to monitor our COVID infection rates and the CDC for revised guidelines.  Currently, cases related to COVID (i.e., infection or exposure) in our staff are very limited (1-2% of staff).  While the low incident rates are positive, we want to share the latest CDC guidance.  Also, we would like to remind staff to remain diligent in their efforts to mitigate risk as they deem appropriate and necessary. 

General guidance:

Anyone who has had close contact with someone with COVID should quarantine for 14 days after their last exposure to that person, except if they meet the following conditions:

Someone who has been fully vaccinated and shows no symptoms of COVID does not need to quarantine. However, fully vaccinated close contacts should:

• Wear a mask indoors in public for 14 days following exposure or until a negative test result.
• Get tested 5-7 days after close contact with someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.
• Get tested and isolate immediately if experiencing COVID symptoms.

Someone who tested positive for COVID with a viral test within the previous 90 days and has subsequently recovered and remains without COVID symptoms does not need to quarantine. However, close contacts with prior COVID infection in the previous 90 days should:

• Wear a mask indoors in public for 14 days after exposure.
• Monitor for COVID symptoms and isolate immediately if symptoms develop.
• Consult with a healthcare professional for testing recommendations if new symptoms develop.

If you have any COVID related questions, please feel free to contact HR, so we can provide the appropriate guidance.

The 2022 all-staff meeting will take place on August 17, 2022. Details about the day, including the keynote speaker, will be shared in a future edition of The Channel. For now, please reserve this date on your calendar.

The digital accessibility training is required for all staff and must be completed by December 1, 2021. Complete details and instructions can be found in September’s issue of The Channel.  If you have any questions or need technical assistance, please contact the Help Desk at 319-273-8231 or helpdesk@centralriversaea.org.

Mental health is just as important as your physical health and deserves the same quality of support. In the past, we have shared information regarding our Employee Assistance Program (EAP), virtual mental health visits through Doctor on Demand and the ability to engage in face-to-face therapy through your medical insurance.

Starting October 15, we will be adding the “Reach Out Program” in-house, featuring a small group of confidential, trained, empathetic staff who can serve as a first resource for you when struggling with a personal or professional challenge. We are calling them “staff support allies” and they are listed below. 

• Kandy Bienfang-Lee, klee@centralriversaea.org
• Sarah Downey, sdowney@centralriversaea.org
• Angie Koop, akoop@centralriversaea.org
• Christin Squier, csquier@centralriversaea.org
• Monte Phillips, mphillips@centralriversaea.org

The Reach-Out program is designed to provide a safe and supportive thought partner to process and/or provide guidance and support. It is not meant to be therapy or for crisis situations. Our protocol for conversations is solution-focused. It is meant to be a short-term collaboration with a colleague, who has mental health training, to help provide support and find the right resources for you.

We recognize a need and desire to do better as an organization to ensure there is a responsive and empathetic work environment. Please hear us, when we say, “You are not alone,” and we want to provide help and support to you as an individual, a professional and as a member of our team. Our goal is to listen, provide a safe space and possibly help identify the next steps. 

The process is confidential, not only by design but by the professional ethics of each of our allies.

For more information, please join us on October 15, from 8-9 am for a special all-staff Zoom meeting to discuss this initiative further:

• https://centralriversaea.zoom.us/j/84954741695
• Meeting ID: 849 5474 1695
• One tap mobile  +13126266799,,84954741695# US (Chicago)

Our agency’s annual review of mandatory policies and procedural items are now available! For viewing, please visit the document as there are important updates to read. A few examples include:

• Inclement Weather policies – We’re in Iowa and winter is just around the corner!
• Agency Operations (such as our vision, values, equity updates, etc.)
• Navigating and understanding the important items in your iVisions Portal

There is plenty of information to go through, please contact Shirley Horak or Robin Billerbeck, in HR with any questions.

In an effort to support a timely staff replacement selection process and assist in budget planning, the Central Rivers AEA Board of Directors has approved an incentive be provided for Certified, NUSS, and Administrative Staff who provide early notification of their intent to resign or retire at the end of the 2021-22 work year.

The proposed incentive would be administered as follows:

• Commitments of separation by resignation or retirement at the end of the 2021-22 work year submitted by Certified, NUSS, or Administrative Staff, and
• Notification of resignation or retirement received in the Human Resources Office before January 3, 2022, and
• Accepted by the Board no later than the regular meeting on January 5, 2022,
• Will receive an early notification incentive payment of $2,000, payable June 20, 2022,
• Subject to the employee fulfilling their individual employment contract obligations for the 2021-22 work year. Staff resigning or retiring who separate prior to the end of the 2021-22 work year are not eligible for the early notification incentive.
• This incentive is not offered to CWA.

As was shared during the August edition of The Channel, the agency has contracted with the New York Leadership Academy to facilitate an equity audit alongside our agency equity committee. This month, the work focused on:

• Identifying success criteria
• Reviewing the timeline and steps in the audit process.
• Reviewing the results of a needs assessment survey.
• Laying the groundwork for roles and responsibilities of committee members.

At this point, no specific goals or action plans have been identified.  The equity committee will be meeting again in early November to identify specific focus areas for our audit process.  Once we have the focus areas identified, we will be seeking insights and feedback from our staff through surveys and/or focus groups.   

Interested in learning more? Check out this slide deck or contact one of the equity committee members or Karl Kurt.