SAFA Response to Future of Work Task Force
Dear Faculty Colleagues:
SAFA would like to respond to SAIT’s recent announcement about a new Future of Work Task Force in the March 16th SAITNow Bulletin (buried in the 2nd bullet point of the bottom “Other News” section) and other recent messages. If you didn’t read that far down the emails, I highly recommend you go to SAITNow and review their brief statement. You can also add your feedback on that SAITNow page, as well as email [email protected] with any concerns related to this topic.
Response to Formation of the Future of Work Task Force
SAFA has concerns about this group, formed in February, that is mandated to make recommendations about implementing “flexibility into [SAIT’s] workforce”. We recognize the fundamental shift these decisions will have on all aspects of our members’ lives – both at work and at home – and we believe this process should be taken more seriously by SAIT. Issues around transparency, engagement, and representation need to be addressed.
- More transparency is needed regarding the Task Force objectives and timelines. The SAITNow page provides no information about the scope or timeline of this work. The current configuration of the Task Force leads SAFA to ask what the focus of this work will be – corporate advantage or employee benefit? We are left to wonder; how will employee feedback be integrated into the project in a meaningful way? Should employees expect this process to occur in weeks or months? When will new policies be enacted? Employees deserve more information about a Task Force that will permanently alter their work conditions.
- There is no indication of meaningful, in-depth consultation with faculty and staff. A comment box posted up for two weeks is not sufficient. Currently, the SAITNow page has no indication of any additional processes to gather input from faculty and staff. At a minimum, SAFA calls on SAIT to develop more processes so that all SAIT employees can engage with this work. Members participated in the well-thought-out Strategic Plan engagement process and should expect a similar level of commitment to consultation before our entire work culture is re-written.
As well, SAFA reminds SAIT that work conditions and workload are a primary element of our Collective Agreement with SAIT and must be negotiated at the bargaining table.
- The folks impacted by these new policies (faculty and staff) have NO representation on the Taskforce.
SAFA rejects the work of the Task Force as it is currently configured. The Task Force members, as presented on SAITNow, do not bring a diverse set of voices to the table. This group of upper management do not have the recent, first-person perspective that is vital to understanding current faculty and staff experiences.
We look for SAIT to expand the task force to include those who have experienced the full range of work scenarios, including: the instructor teaching exclusively online, the staff returning to student service points, the folks who have office-based positions, and those folks who try to balance in-person shop/lab/practicum with online classes (often in the same day!).
SAFA recognizes the benefits of flexible work environments and working from home, but we want to make sure this policy development process is one that is considered and thorough. These changes will impact both the institution and the employees, forever changing what it means to work at SAIT. We request that SAIT allocate sufficient time and resources to this process so that all stakeholders have a say.
In solidarity,