Losing Staff: the Seven Stages of Loss and Recovery
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Transcript of Losing Staff: the Seven Stages of Loss and Recovery
Context: who we were.
Context: where we are.
University of Victoria, Victoria, B.C.
• Medium-‐sized insHtuHon
• Approx. 18, 000 students
• Approx. budget for serials and electronic resources: $ 6 million
Context: what we do with serials.
• Check-‐in • Processing • Cataloguing of all formats • Physical collecHon management • AcquisiHons • Claiming • Binding
Who leT?
Assisted with, or responsible for: • Supervision of check-‐in staff, unit management.
• ClassificaHon and original cataloguing.
• Problem solving.
• Project management.
• Policy decisions: automaHon, e-‐journals.
Consequences for the unit:
• No experienced support staff cataloguers. • Two support staff responsible for check-‐in, processing and physical collecHon management.
• One support staff person responsible for government publicaHons.
7 stages of grief:
• Shock and denial • Pain and guilt • Anger and bargaining • Depression, reflecHon, loneliness • Upward turn • ReconstrucHon and working through • Acceptance and hope h]p://www.recover-‐from-‐grief.com/7-‐stages-‐of-‐grief.html
Stage 1: shock and denial
• Numbed disbelief.
Stage 2: pain and guilt
• Our friends leT us.
• Remaining staff lost their resource people.
• We all lost knowledge, experience, insHtuHonal memory and producHvity.
• Our workload increased.
Stage 3: anger and bargaining
• We could not be angry at our friends.
• Considered asking to have 1 posiHon filled.
Stage 4: depression, reflecHon, loneliness
• Focused on reflecHon. • How has the work changed?
• What do we need? • What are our opHons?
• How do we help ourselves?
ReflecHon: how has the work changed?
• Much more complex.
• More diverse.
• Less low-‐level, more high-‐level work.
• Fewer acHve print Htles.
ReflecHon: what do we need?
• We sHll need to get the work done.
• We need staff who can work at a high level.
• One addiHonal posiHon is not enough.
ReflecHon: what are our opHons?
• Remaining serials staff.
• Extensive serials experience.
• Familiar with records, processes, rouHnes.
• Willing and able to be trained.
ReflecHon: how do we help ourselves?
• Reassign the work to remaining serials staff.
• Rewrite job descripHons.
• Fill out job evaluaHon quesHonnaires.
• Implement an extensive training program.
Upward turn.
• Approved to go ahead.
• Rewrote job descripHons/job evaluaHons.
• Started one-‐on-‐one cataloguing training.
• Booked group training meeHngs in advance.
ReconstrucHon and working through.
• Training started: April 2012-‐ .
• Staff are cataloguing, ongoing record review.
• Ongoing clarificaHon of prioriHes.
• Postponing RDA and some projects.
Acceptance and hope.
• Have both, for now.
• Staff are willing, capable and cooperaHve.
• Backlogs will grow.
• Work will get done more slowly at first.
What worked in our favour.
• Had plenty of noHce.
• Time to ponder, evaluate opHons and plan.
• Time to prepare documentaHon.
• Time to train before cataloguers departed.
Coping strategies.
• Providing ongoing problem-‐solving help.
• Constantly clarifying prioriHes.
• Procedures documented, revised as needed.
• Staff consult with each other.
Challenges.
• Need to provide more training.
• UnderesHmated Hme needed for problem-‐solving.
• Always too much work.
• MulHple simultaneous demands.
Future plans.
• ConHnue to ponder our situaHon. • Analyze where we need help now. • Write a proposal for an addiHonal librarian. • Provide more training. • Evaluate how we are doing. • Consider possible reorganizaHon. • Consider requesHng help from another area.
The rainbow and the worm: the physics of organisms, by Mae-‐Wan Ho. “Organic systems are truly democraHc; they work by intercommunicaHon and total parHcipaHon. Everyone acHvely works and pays a]enHon to everyone else. Everyone is simultaneously boss and worker, choreographer and dancer. Each is ulHmately in control to the extent that she is sensiHve and responsive.”
Thank you.