Connection, Respect, & Belonging
Resources
Implementation Ideas
- Checkout Library
The Wellness Program's library of tools and resources for teambuilding, development and recreation.
- Department Training (see Team Building and Understanding Personality Differences)
Trainings through HRD on a variety of topics.
- Employee Relations
The Office of Employee Relations helps interpret BYU policies and procedures as they relate to the workplace. If you have any concerns regarding discrimination, accommodations, equal opportunity hiring, etc, please reach out to this office.
- HRD Workshops (see Multipliers, Unconscious Bias)
Workshops presented by HRD on a variety of topics.
- Office of Belonging
An office dedicated to helping BYU to achieve a community of belonging described in the university’s newly created statement on belonging.
- Office of Student Success and Inclusion
Office that works with underrepresented students on campus—specifically students who are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and students who identify as LGBTQ/SSA.
- Get to Know Each Person in your Department
Find ways to get to know and value each person within the department. Look for appropriate ways to let people share their interests and talents with others.
- Create a Department Music Playlist
Create and share an appropriate playlist for your department to enjoy and let people add their favorite songs to it.
- Do Something Unusual, Whimsical, and Memorable Together
Host a paper airplane competition, have a game hour during lunch, hold a green smoothie day, go bowling, celebrate groundhog day, do an activity from the HRD/Wellness Checkout Library. These one-off activities will help break up week, create connections, and bring rejuvenation and a fresh perspective to the workplace.
- Celebrate Birthdays and/or Accomplishments
Do something special for birthdays in the department such as decorating, bringing in a treat, having a traveling birthday trophy, or organizing a birthday card for coworkers to sign. When someone excels or does something significant recognize them.
- Ensure People have the Resources and Autonomy Needed to do Their Job
Understand what is causing barriers for people in your department and and work with the appropriate people to find positive solutions.
- Find Other Opportunities to Celebrate
Find simple ways to celebrate work highlights such as projects completed, work well-done, the end of a semester, goals achieved, etc.
- Let People Use their Strengths
Each person has natural strengths and abilities. We can find opportunities for people to use these strengths to help with projects. We can learn strategies for how to be multipliers rather than diminishers within our department (see HRD's Multipliers workshop).
- Show Respect in all Circumstances
Even when discussing differences or difficult topics we can do it with empathy and respect. There is so much more going on in people's lives than what we see on the surface. Sometimes poor performance can be due to our own neglect in training or setting clear expectations.
- Create a Unique Culture
Find something that ties you together and makes your department special. Is it the quality customer service you provide, or do you really care about your students? Do you have a fun weekly, monthly, or annual tradition everyone looks forward to participating in? These identities and traditions go a long way in creating a culture where people feel connected as a group.