Staff Senate Hears Updates on Employee Engagement, HR Resources and the Importance of Staff Voice

One of the privileges of serving as Staff Senate chair is the opportunity to hear directly from employees across the university. Sometimes those conversations happen in committee meetings. Sometimes they happen in offices, on loading docks, or while I am walking from Ag North to Patterson Office Tower. And sometimes they happen during our monthly Staff Senate meetings, where your senators and university leaders come together to discuss issues affecting our workplace.

In our October Staff Senate meeting, one theme stood out above all others: listening.

Listening is at the heart of shared governance. It is how ideas are raised, concerns are understood and improvements become possible. It is also how trust is built across a large and complex institution.

Remembering Why Staff Voice Matters

At the beginning of the meeting, I shared a story from Staff Senate's history that many employees may not know.

Years ago, Staff Senate proposed closing the university on the day after Thanksgiving as a way to do something meaningful for employees. Former President Lee Todd later recalled the proposal, during a financially challenging period for the university, and remembered it as an opportunity to support staff. The result is a benefit many of us now take for granted.

The story is not really about a holiday. It is about what can happen when employees speak up, leadership listens and people work together in good faith.

Shared governance does not guarantee that every idea will be adopted or every concern will result in the outcome we might hope for. It does ensure that staff perspectives have a place in the conversation. That opportunity remains one of Staff Senate's most important responsibilities.

As we prepare for Staff Senate's 25th anniversary year beginning July 1, 2027, we are also working to preserve the stories, records and accomplishments that helped shape this organization. A commission chaired by Mike Adams will help recover and preserve historical materials so future employees can better understand the work of those who came before us.

Those stories remind us that meaningful change often begins with a conversation, a question or an idea shared by someone who simply wants to make the university better.

Seeing the Bigger Picture

President Eli Capilouto joined us to discuss the university's mission and impact across Kentucky. He shared information about student success, health care, research, economic development and statewide service. He also reminded us that behind every accomplishment are employees whose work makes those outcomes possible.

The numbers themselves are impressive. Nearly 40,000 students, approximately 35,000 employees, more than 11,000 degrees and credentials awarded in the past year and a presence in all 120 Kentucky counties demonstrate the scale of the university's impact.

President Capilouto told the story of a student who arrived in Kentucky from Egypt with limited resources and uncertainty about what lay ahead. Along the way, residence hall staff, advisors, host families and university employees helped create a sense of belonging that changed his experience.

That story reflects something many of us witness every day. Employees often make a difference in ways that never appear in reports, rankings or headlines. Those individual acts of service, support and kindness are part of what makes this university special.  You can watch Mostafa's commencement speech here.

What Employees Told Us

We also received a presentation on the 2025 UK@Work and UK HealthCare employee engagement surveys from Katie Hantle, Frederick Martin and Kasey Lightle.

Employees reported strong local teams, supportive supervisors, positive working relationships, meaningful performance feedback and a strong connection to the university's mission. Sustainable engagement was reported at 80%, exceeding the university benchmark. Employees also identified community, flexibility, empowerment and inclusion as important strengths.

At the same time, employees identified opportunities for improvement in communication, career development, operating effectiveness, pay and benefits, employee well-being and organizational follow-through. They expressed a desire for clearer communication, simpler processes, more visible career pathways and greater recognition for their contributions.

I appreciated the thoughtful questions senators raised during the discussion. Topics included compensation, turnover, survey timing, discrimination concerns and how the university intends to translate survey findings into meaningful action. Human Resources leaders acknowledged that future survey results need to be communicated more quickly and discussed plans for more continuous listening through pulse surveys, focus groups and local action planning.

Perhaps the most important takeaway was this: employees want more than an opportunity to provide feedback. They want to understand what was heard, what actions will be taken and how progress will be measured.

Listening is important. Follow-through is what gives listening credibility.

Making Support Easier to Navigate

Another presentation focused on the HR Solution Center.

For many employees, Human Resources can feel complicated simply because of the number of services, programs and specialists involved. Yankuba Banda explained that the HR Solution Center was created to simplify that experience.

The center serves as a front door for HR support. Employees do not need to know which office handles a particular issue or where to begin. They can bring questions related to benefits, policies, employment verification, Family and Medical Leave, records or other HR matters to a single starting point. The center then helps connect them with the appropriate resources or specialists.

Importantly, the center is not intended to replace HR experts or create another layer of bureaucracy. Its purpose is to make support easier to access and navigate. The HR Solution Center is located in 106 Bosworth Hall and may be reached at 859-257-9555 or hr@uky.edu.

That goal connects directly with the employee experience. Sometimes the most valuable service we can provide is helping people find the right answer more quickly.

Why This Matters

Whether we were discussing Staff Senate's history, student success, employee engagement or Human Resources services, the common thread was people.

Employees want clear communication. They want to know where to go when they need help. They want to see action connected to the feedback they provide. And they want to know their work matters.

Those are not unreasonable expectations. They are the foundation of a healthy workplace and a strong institution.

Staff Senate's role is not to have every answer. Our role is to listen, ask questions, gather information, share what we learn and help connect employee perspectives with the people and processes positioned to address them.

Much of that work happens behind the scenes. It may not always be visible, but it matters.

It is also one of the reasons I remain optimistic about the future of our university and the role staff continue to play in shaping it.

Thank you for all you do to support our students, patients, colleagues and communities across Kentucky and beyond.

Carl Harper
Chair, University of Kentucky Staff Senate

The University of Kentucky Staff Senate is the official representative body of university staff. Through shared governance, the Staff Senate elevates staff perspectives, strengthens communication with university leadership, and promotes collaboration among employees across the university. Staff Senate advocates for staff interests, supports a positive workplace experience and recognizes the people whose work advances the university’s mission and service to the Commonwealth.