by CUPA-HR
In their CUPA-HR virtual annual conference session, “Grabbing at Smoke, or Building Trust?,” Sheraine Gilliam-Holmes, executive director and chief HR officer at Austin Peay State University, and Donovan Johnson, compensation analyst at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a 2019-20 Wildfire participant, offered practical ways higher ed HR leaders can build trust with their teams and with stakeholders at their institutions to elevate their influence as a leader, foster a positive team environment, and increase morale and motivation.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on higher education institutions. Employees’ financial outlook have been especially affected as they’ve either experienced a worst case scenario or realized that bad outcomes can actually happen. Past experience tells us that after a significant financial crisis people tend to postpone retirement. However, the unique nature of this pandemic could affect expected retirement behaviors differently for certain higher education employees. 
CUPA-HR General Counsel Ira Shepard highlights recent rulings around a Pennsylvania university employee who was terminated after sending an email to alert employees that a coworker’s spouse was diagnosed with COVID-19, a second lawsuit against the Trump administration’s Executive Order attempting to limit race and sex stereotyping and implicit bias training by government contractor employers, and more. 
Rob Keel, human resources analyst at Motlow State Community College and a 2019-20 CUPA-HR Wildfire program participant, highlights takeaways from the Creating Change Conference to help higher ed HR pros become better resources and advocates for the LGBTQ communities on their campuses. 
On November 9, 2020, CUPA-HR and 18 other associations submitted comments regarding the Department of Labor’s Interim Final Rule (IFR) entitled “Strengthening Wage Protections for the Temporary and Permanent Employment of Certain Aliens in the United States”. DOL’s IFR was unveiled on October 8 and went into effect immediately — preventing the regulated community, including the higher education community, from providing feedback or preparing prior to implementation. 
Higher ed HR pros continue to chip away at their ever-changing and ever-growing to-do lists brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, less pressing matters have been placed on the back burner, among which may include mentorship opportunities. Though mentoring may not be as high on the priority list compared to other tasks, it’s important to not let these opportunities for professional growth and connection continue to fall off our radar. October 27 is National Mentoring Day, and there’s no better time to revamp or kickstart a relationship with a mentee than now. 
As higher education institutions consider changes to their workforce in response to the DOL’s interim final rule, they may be tasked with reexamining salaries of foreign nationals. CUPA-HR’s DataOnDemand tool can help speed up the H-1B application process when hiring foreign nationals, and also help institutions obtain a prevailing wage determination for current H-1B employees. 
Those who participated in this year’s virtual annual conference experienced powerful and inspiring messages from keynote speakers and higher ed leaders on timely topics, such as systemic racism in the higher ed workplace; how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the higher ed landscape, provided growth opportunities and strengthened bonds and trust; and much more. Here are three of our key takeaways.