General Article
March 3, 2005
EAC: Voice of the employees
From health benefits to day-care, Employee Advisory Committee members provide perspectives to make Fred Hutchinson the best workplace possible
Employee Advisory Committee member Donna Greene meets with Facilities Enginnering colleague David West.
Photo by Todd McNaught |
Keeping 2,500 employees informed, involved and empowered is no small task, especially when they work in many different buildings. If anybody can do it, though, it's the 23 members of the Employee Advisory Committee (EAC) at Fred Hutchinson.
Elected by fellow employees, EAC members and alternates meet every quarter to listen, learn and share their opinions — all with the goal of making the center the best place to work possible.
"It's a pretty simple concept, but it plays an important role in how we want to function as an institution," said Han Nachtrieb, vice president for Human Resources and chair of the EAC. "It's a communication system for personnel issues, and just as important, it's a place where ideas can percolate."
While the EAC acts solely as an advisory body, its input has impact on Fred Hutchinson decision makers. "We don't want to be a top-down organization," Nachtrieb said. "A lot of weight is put on what the EAC thinks. I have rarely — maybe never — seen the administration fail to consider advice it received from the EAC."
Roles and goals
EAC members bring concerns from their colleagues to EAC meetings and take information from the meetings back to their work areas. But their role doesn't end there. Their EAC experience and connections make them an excellent everyday resource for center employees with problems or questions. "With e-mail, employees can contact their EAC representative just like that," said Gloria Folsom, executive assistant in Human Resources.
The EAC was formed in the 1980s to provide management with the broadest possible perspective on issues of center-wide interest. Each division at the center is represented by one EAC member per 150 employees with every attempt made to spread representation across various floors and facilities.
By involving employees from every corner of the center, the EAC provides a valuable sounding board for proposed policy changes, helping administrators discover and resolve potential problems before putting policies into action, Nachtrieb said. "You get a lot of great minds together and you get a lot of great solutions," he said.
The EAC's diverse representation also fosters better understanding between various constituencies. "Different parts of the center have different cultures," Nachtrieb said. "The EAC helps people recognize and understand those differences as they work through problems."
Donna Greene, an administrative assistant in Facilities Engineering, has served on the EAC since 2001. "It makes me feel like more of a part of the center and more aware of what's going on," Greene said. "It enables me to help other employees be aware as well."
Over the years, the EAC's input has been sought on a host of issues large and small from parking to benefits to holiday schedules. The goal is to gain a clear consensus. "If the EAC is split 50/50, then there's usually a problem with the policy," Nachtrieb said. "It means we probably need to go back to the drawing board, figure it out and come back with another plan."
Sometimes, the EAC comes up with plans of its own. For example, the Employee Emergency Fund, which provides cash grants to employees in crisis, was an EAC idea. So was contracting with Virginia Mason Medical Center to provide free child care for sick children of center employees at the Tender Loving Care center.
The EAC also responded to ongoing requests to provide a fitness center on campus. With research needs making a fitness center a low priority, the EAC suggested offering various fitness classes on campus and subsidizing memberships for employees at nearby gyms.
Management receptivity
Steve Farneman, an EAC member since 2002, recalled raising a concern when the Flexcar was removed from the center. It has since been returned. "Management is very receptive to the EAC," said Farneman, a buyer in the Purchasing Department. "They take the EAC seriously."
The Human Resources Department requests nominations for EAC members once a year. Any employee nominated twice who wishes to serve is placed on the ballot. Human Resources distributes and tabulates ballots. Individuals receiving the largest number of votes in each division become EAC alternate members for two years before rotating into a regular position for two years. Faculty members and managers with responsibility for 10 or more employees are not eligible to serve or vote.
"We never have trouble filling vacancies," said Folsom. "Any time calls go out for members, we get lots of responses."
EAC Members
Representatives and alternates to the center's Employee Advisory Committee are as follows:
- Robert M. Arnold Building, MD, ME, M1
Autumn Anthony
Alternative: To be elected - Robert M. Arnold Building, M2
Seth Falcon
Alternate: Janice Takashima - Robert M. Arnold Building, M3
Adrienne Papermaster
Alternate: Aaron Aragaki - Robert M. Arnold Building M4, M5
David Doody
Eric Hutcheson
Suzanne Kolb - Weintraub A & B
Carolyn Coard
Amber Carte
Alternate: Heidi Kelm
Alternate: Karen Brighton - Hutchinson C, 1-3 & Level D
Sandy Emery
Alternate: John Alfano
Connie Chan
Alternate: Gretchen Johnson
Alternate: Molly Josephson - Minor, Fairview, Aloha
Donna Green
Alternate: Brit Kammerer - Yale Building
Steve Farneman
Alternate: Donna Isaacs
Elections will be held for the 1616 East Lake building. For more information visit the EAC Web site at: www.fhcrc.org/admin/hr/eac.html.
