Sustainable Administration Hub: Human Resources
At Ohio University, our most valuable resources are our human resources. To be a sustainable university, we must sustain our human resources through health and wellness initiatives, diversity and inclusion initiatives, and professional development opportunities.
The goals of the Office of Sustainability for sustainable Human Resources align with the goals of our university partners in numerous departments listed in the Quick Links in the right hand column. Please visit their webpages for more information about the services they provide.
The Sustainability Project Laboratory is a database of sustainability-related project proposals. This resource hosts projects and project ideas that can be adopted by faculty, staff, and students for course projects, capstone or senior projects, theses, and more.
To find human resources related projects just type "human resources" into the search bar at the top of the Project Database..
The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) is currently revising its Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS), which Ohio University uses to measure its sustainability efforts. You may view a draft of the proposed updates to Campus Engagement guidelines here.
Comments and responses from public forums on the Sustainability & Climate Action Plan Human Resources section
| Do the goals, metrics and targets in the this category of the draft 2021 OHIO Sustainability & Climate Action Plan seem appropriate to you? | Response |
| These metrics seem ill-suited for the goals outlined here, and the goals themselves appear unrealistic. I'm unsure how one would ever effectively measure such intentions with quantitative metrics, as human resources is by nature a more qualitative category included in this plan. Therefore, it demands qualitative measures, none of which are mentioned here. The goals are also too general to implement because they're trying to champion too many causes (i.e., they lack focus). | Excellent points, thank you. We agree this is a difficult category to track, especially qualitatively, and the broad/general approach taken in the plan is to link sustainability goals to overall HR goals and to track them through the quantitative metrics proposed. We appreciate this feedback and will share feedback with HR stakeholders. |
| Do the costs and benefits in this category of the draft 2021 OHIO Sustainability & Climate Action Plan seem appropriate for the goals? Please note that these cost/benefit criteria will be used to decide which strategies to pursue. | Response |
| Like the goals, the costs/benefits are too vague and need further defined/expanded. For example, couldn't human health be a benefit of goal 1 as well? What qualifies as "human health"? | Thanks for your comments. The costs/benefits are difficult to determine and are intentionally general as we continue to develop our analysis tools. Human health (wellbeing) is the focus of goal 2 and included in the benefits, goal 1 takes a hiring/professional development/retention angle for HR. |
| If you have additional comments on this category, please provide below. | Response |
| The main issue I have with this category's poster is its unsuccessful attempt to cover far too much material at once. If Human Resources wants to increase sustainability across the board, measuring the number of programs or percentage of eligible participants does not represent factors—such as diversity and inclusion—being met or unmet. These goals/metrics go beyond numbers, and the poster should be reassessed as to how to best reflect the humanity of this category. | This is valid criticism, thank you. You are correct that the humanity of this category is difficult to reflect in the metrics, but by tracking the programs/policies in these areas we will have data that will help us to see concrete developments towards reaching the diversity, inclusion, and wellbeing progress that will make OHIO more sustainable/socially equitable for employees. Unfortunately, as with many measures of social issues, there are few metrics to monitor progress as the change often happens at an individual level and is not well-documented. We will continue to work with HR and D&I staff to determine better ways, if they exist, to measure positive change in these important areas. |
Accessibility View of Human Resources Graphic
Where we are now (2017): Progress toward 2011 Sustainability Plan
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Benchmark 8: Improve sustainability literacy of students, faculty and staff. Target met and strategies in progress.
Benchmark 19: Increase use of green cleaning products. Target met, procedure active.
Benchmark 22: Implement recruitment strategies targeting sustainability-minded students, faculty, and staff. Target met and strategies in progress.
Human Resources Graphics
Moving Forward: 2017 Sustainability & Climate Action Plan Goal #1
Goal 1: Ensure sustainability, wellbeing, diversity and inclusion are factors in employee hiring, professional development, retention, and assessments, by increasing the number of trainings, professional development certificates, employee programs, policies, assessments and recruitment programs related to sustainability, wellbeing, diversity and inclusion from 31 to 35.
Potential Strategies
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Create training for supervisors focused on holistic onboarding and collaborative performance management which assist in connecting employees to institutional priorities including diversity and inclusion, wellbeing, and sustainability
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Offer sustainability and cultural competency workshops and training opportunities to faculty and staff
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Offer training on implicit bias for job search committees
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Use a market-based pay schedule for faculty and staff
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Include wellbeing benefits as recruitment tool
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Incorporate sustainability into Wellness Champion program
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Create professional development programs that impact this goal
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Regularly engage in structured assessment processes to improve diversity, equity and inclusion on campus
Benefits of Goal #1
- Improved reputation
- Increased recruiting
- Increased productivity
Costs of Goal #1
- Staff time
Moving Forward: 2017 Sustainability & Climate Action Plan Goal #2
Goal 2: Support and promote employee wellbeing and resilience by:
- Increasing the percent engagement of eligible participants (employees and spouses/partners) in WellWorks-supported wellbeing programs from 21.1% (Virgin Pulse Program only, not including in other WellWorks supported employee wellbeing programs such as Biometric Health Screenings,100 Day Challenge and Risk Reduction) to 50%
- Decreasing the annual number of recordable incidents of work-related injury or ill health per 100 FTE employees from 2.1 to 2.0.
Potential Strategies
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Continue to offer diverse employee wellness programs
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Conduct faculty and staff surveys on employee satisfaction and engagement.
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Continue employee benefits that contribute to wellbeing, resilience and sustainability, such as the Athens Transit Bobcat Pass, winter break closure, green cleaning procedures and flexible work schedules
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Track aggregate utilization of employee assistance program and personal medical guidance
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Offer regular workplace health and safety trainings
Benefits of Goal #2
- Human health benefits
- Increased recruiting
- Increased productivity
- Reduced emissions
- Reduced insurance costs
Costs of Goal #2
- Staff time
- Healthy OHIO costs
Current Data
Initiatives
2022 Hub-Supported Initiatives
| Initiative (Lead Department/Unit) | SCAP Alignment |
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Diversity and Inclusion Mix and Mingle Events (Diversity & Inclusion) Events which increase sense of belonging at OHIO |
Ensure that sustainability, diversity, and inclusion are factors in employee hiring, professional development, retention, and assessments |
| Diversity Audit (Diversity & Inclusion) University of Southern California’s Race and Equity Center will conduct a comprehensive review of OHIO’s current diversity, equity and inclusion programs, policies, practices, and overall campus climate in 2023. This process will identify areas where OHIO can be strengthened in its approach for faculty, staff, and students. |
Ensure that sustainability, diversity, and inclusion are factors in employee hiring, professional development, retention, and assessments |
| Diversity Opportunity Hire Program (Diversity & Inclusion) This program was re-envisioned and re-launched in Fall 2022- Spring 2023. Through the support of the Diversity Opportunity Hire Fund, the University aims to employ and retain highly qualified individuals who will bring unique contributions and perspectives to our community. |
Ensure that sustainability, diversity, and inclusion are factors in employee hiring, professional development, retention, and assessments |
| DEIABJ Workshop Series (Diversity & Inclusion) The DEIABJ (diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, belonging, and justice) workshop series is designed to support OHIO's commitment to inclusive excellence by building an intentional culture of inclusion, creating an enriching academic experience that expands civic engagement and cultural competency, and ensuring individual success and retention needs of an increasingly diverse community. |
Ensure that sustainability, diversity, and inclusion are factors in employee hiring, professional development, retention, and assessments |
| Juneteenth & Diversity Month Celebrations (Diversity & Inclusion) These events connect the community with a sense of belonging and help promote visibility of our diverse university community. |
Ensure that sustainability, diversity, and inclusion are factors in employee hiring, professional development, retention, and assessments |
| D&I Core Trainings Webpage (Diversity & Inclusion) The D&I Core Trainings webpage was designed as a central location for university community members to view and request diversity, equity, and inclusion training offerings. |
Ensure that sustainability, diversity, and inclusion are factors in employee hiring, professional development, retention, and assessments |
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Affinity Organization Council (Human Resources) Resource for staff and faculty that provides opportunities to share interests and hobbies |
Ensure that sustainability, diversity, and inclusion are factors in employee hiring, professional development, retention, and assessments |
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Women Leading OHIO (Human Resources) A program offered through the Women’s Center to retain and support women leaders across the faculty and staff at Ohio University |
Ensure that sustainability, diversity, and inclusion are factors in employee hiring, professional development, retention, and assessments |
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Inclusive Pedagogy Academy (Human Resources) Program to engage faculty with various approaches and techniques to teach and engage with students |
Ensure that sustainability, diversity, and inclusion are factors in employee hiring, professional development, retention, and assessments |
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Flexible Workspace Policies (Human Resources) Staff and faculty are able to arrange alternative workspaces away from campus to reduce GHG emissions from commuting |
Support and promote employee physical and mental health, wellness & resilience |
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Diverse Junior Faculty Mentoring Program (Human Resources) A mentorship program offered through D&I to retain and support diverse faculty |
Ensure that sustainability, diversity, and inclusion are factors in employee hiring, professional development, retention, and assessments |
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Produce Buying Club (Wellworks) Purchasing and delivering food to club members from local farms and families |
Support and promote employee physical and mental health, wellness & resilience; Support the local food economy with preference to “neighborhood food” products |
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Virgin Pulse Wellness Tracking (Wellworks) Program for benefits eligible employees to track healthy habits with a mobile device or wearable |
Support and promote employee physical and mental health, wellness & resilience. In April of 2023, there is a partnership taking place between WellWorks and Virgin Pulse to engage in Healthy Habit Challenges that focus on multiple targets within the SCAP. |
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Out and Strong Wellness Group (Wellworks) A training and exercise group especially targeted for those in the LGBTQ community |
Support and promote employee physical and mental health, wellness & resilience; Ensure that sustainability, diversity, and inclusion are factors in employee hiring, professional development, retention, and assessments |
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Human Resources Partnership Active collaboration with three administrators in Human Resources, Diversity and Inclusion |
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Partnership with Zero Waste and Campus Recycling Providing program support and conceptualization for ZW and Campus recycling initiatives. |
Hub-Related Initiatives
Division of Diversity and Inclusion
D&I Core Trainings:
Launched in Fall 2020, the D&I Core Trainings webpage was designed as a central location for university community members to view and request diversity, equity, and inclusion training offerings.
https://www.ohio.edu/diversity/trainings
Inclusive Excellence Strategic Plan:
The Inclusive Excellence Strategic Plan, unanimously affirmed by the Board of Trustees in April 2021, provides a framework and initial action items for how the University community will work together to operationalize our diversity, equity, and inclusion pursuits. The four strategic goals included in the framework are:
- Recruit and retain a diverse campus community
- Create a sense of belonging for all
- Re-imagine teaching and learning with inclusivity as a core design principle
- Build a sustained commitment to data collection, analysis, dissemination, and continuous improvement
These goals complement and easily align with University’s diversity, equity, and inclusion-related sustainability efforts.
https://www.ohio.edu/diversity/inclusive-excellence-strategic-plan
Make Respect Visible Campaign:
The Make Respect Visible campaign, which was one of the action items in the Inclusive Excellence Strategic Plan under the goal of “create a sense of belonging for all,” provides the university community with expectations for engaging across differences. The campaign was launched in Fall 2021 and has been incorporated widely across campus. During the first year of implementation, the Make Respect Visible working group focused on outreach to students and below are a few of the ways the campaign messaging has been incorporated across campus:
- Students were introduced to the campaign and the University’s expectations for engaging across differences during Bobcat Student Orientation.
- The Make Respect Visible expectations were incorporated into the Learning Communities curriculum – as 98% of first year students take a learning communities course, we reached the large majority of new Bobcats.
- Residence Life Collaboration – the campaign messaging was splashed across the residence halls and incorporated into the residential education.
- https://www.ohio.edu/diversity/visible/respect
Campus Climate for Diversity Survey:
During the Fall 2021 semester, the Division of Diversity and Inclusion partnered with Viewfinder Campus Climate Surveys to administer a campus-wide campus climate for diversity survey with over 2300 students, faculty, and staff respondents. The purpose of the survey was to identify data-informed climate-related action items for inclusion in OHIO’s Inclusive Excellence
Strategic Plan, which was unanimously affirmed by the Board of Trustees in April 2021. One of the strategic goals identified in the plan was to build a sustained commitment to data collection, analysis, dissemination, and continuous improvement. An initial action items under this goal was to conduct a campus-wide climate for diversity survey to increase our understanding of campus climate for diversity, establish a baseline for measuring change in campus climate over time, and to inform future plans and action items related to the Inclusive Excellence Strategic Plan.
The data collected measured various dimensions of campus climate for diversity, equity, and inclusion and the findings of the survey administration are reported for undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, executive staff, administrative staff, and unionized staff who responded to call to participate in the survey. These data will be disaggregated to examine differences in experience by race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ability status, religious affiliation, and veteran status.
Ohio University Experts & Area Stakeholders
OHIO Experts
| Name: | Contact: | Description: |
| Nicholas Wortman | wortmann@ohio.edu | Senior Director of HR Services, Human Resources |
| Annie Laurie Cadmus | cadmus@ohio.edu | Engagement and Marketing Coordinator, WellWorks |
| Jennifer Bennett | bennetj7@ohio.edu | Executive Director of Wellbeing, WellWorks |
| Salome Nnoromele | nnoromel@ohio.edu | Interim Vice President, Diversity and Inclusion |
| Ryan Fogt | fogtr@ohio.edu |
Sustainable Administration Hub Coordinator and Associate Professor of Meteorology; Director, Scalia Laboratory for Atmospheric Analysis |
| Samuel Crowl | crowls1@ohio.edu | Associate Director of Sustainability |