Welcome to the July 2016 Q&A.
This is our monthly installment addressing questions and suggestions received through the online suggestion box (top menu bar on the intranet). We respond to questions with agency-wide relevance, and we cannot answer questions that may affect client or staff/personnel confidentiality protections.
Some questions/suggestions are summarized or simplified in the interest of clarity, brevity or to address tone.
Some questions require more time to answer than is available or are received after we started drafting this Q&A, so missed this installment. We’ll work to address them in later installments.
Suggestions/Questions list
- Public transit reimbursement
- Intern reimbursement
- Bromfield & Congress street access code
- Gender neutral bathrooms
- Recording training
- Easier to find employee directory
- Email Signatures
Suggestion/Question: Public transit reimbursement
Why is a receipt required for reimbursement for a public transit trip?
If you ride public transit using a Charliecard, there is, as far as I can tell, no way to access your Charliecard transaction history (you can’t even check your balance online). So, in order to provide receipts, you have to artificially load the equivalent fare onto your card and get a receipt for that amount each time you ride.
If you drive to a destination, you don’t have to provide a receipt of the miles you drove, presumably because there is no verifiable way to do so. Given that there’s no transaction history, a ride on the MBTA is the equivalent–there’s no way to tell whether you actually took a ride costing that amount, the receipt only demonstrates that you added that amount to your card.
But if you forget (or don’t have time, or there’s no kiosk–like at a bus stop) to get one of these artificial receipts for a ride on the T, you can’t get reimbursed. Given that we sign the reimbursement request under the penalty of perjury, and the receipt doesn’t actually document the ride itself, why do we have to go through this farce for public transit but not driving?
Response:
There are several ways in which you can provide proof of payment for a public transportation expense that you are seeking reimbursement for. You can do the following:
- Provide the receipt obtained from the Kiosk
- Provide the receipt provided by the Customer Service Representative
- Provide a copy of your bank statement showing the charge incurred for loading money onto your Charlie Card
In order to be in compliance with Comptroller payment requirements, the current travel reimbursement guidelines require that receipts are obtained so we can verify that the charge was incurred in order to be reimbursed for non-mileage expenses.
Division: FIN – Kevin Lucchetti
Suggestion/Question: Intern reimbursement
Our unpaid interns often provide valuable services for our attorneys and our clients. They shouldn’t be expected to expend their personal resources in addition to providing their free labor. Currently there seems to be no method for an intern to be reimbursed for the expenses incurred when he or she, for example, travels to a scene to assist with an investigation or visits several courts to review dockets and make copies. Shouldn’t there be some procedure in place for interns to be reimbursed for any legitimate expenses they incur while working on our behalf?
Response:
We are not opposed to reimbursing interns for expenditures incurred during their tenure with CPCS. We are currently researching modes to be able to reimburse interns for expenditures incurred. Unfortunately, at this point in time interns are not on the CPCS payroll and we do not have a mechanism to reimburse them.
Division: FIN – Kevin Lucchetti
Suggestion/Question: Bromfield & Congress street access code
Is there any reason that the access door codes in the two buildings are different? If not can they be kept in sync?
Response:
Security codes are kept distinct ate each of the locations for security purposes. Additionally, all of our facilities are managed by different management companies and if we had the same codes at each of the locations all of the employees of each management companies would then have access to all of our buildings. Additionally, if all the building were the same, when it was necessary to change door code access due to employee termination or other issues, all buildings would need to be changed without much notice and this can become difficult since all doors need to be reprogrammed manually.
Currently, the plan as we build out new space throughout CPCS is to install a Signet keycard system. This system will be replace the door code access security system with a keycard swipe or tap system. Eventually, this system will be at all locations and all employees will have a single keycard to enter all of our buildings.
Division: FIN – Kevin Lucchetti
Suggestion/Question: Gender neutral bathrooms
Can we have gender neutral bathrooms in the workplace?
Response:
At 44 Bromfield we already have gender neutral bathrooms. We are able to put gender neutral signage on any bathrooms that are single usage and within the CPCS rental space. Unfortunately, we cannot dictate to landlords how signage is presented for restroom facilities in common areas. Please contact Susan Kreusch at [email protected] to discuss signage standards for your specific building location.
Division: FIN – Kevin Lucchetti
Suggestion/Question: Recording trainings
Our offices often organize brown-bag training sessions or other valuable training opportunities that would hold broad interest in other offices. It seems as though, given the pervasiveness of video cameras like GoPro’s, etc., that without much difficulty, it would be possible for members of a local office to video record a training, then arrange with IT to stream it on the Intranet site for other employees to view. Can something like this be arranged?
Response:
Thank you for this suggestion. This would be a good way to share more widely valuable resources and ideas. The offices have video cameras which can be used to video training programs. There will be some technical issues to be aware of when recording, and we will provide a set of best practice guidelines for creating good quality recordings and optimal recording formats. Training videos that would be of interest to staff and private counsel should be sent to the Training Coordinator or the appropriate Training Director for posting on our My Gideon site (access to My Gideon is limited to staff and private assigned counsel). Note that we can only share material that does not include any identifiable client confidences, so training videos may not include references to any CPCS cases unless the client gives written permission.
Division: Training – Debra Krupp
Suggestion/Question: Easier to find employee directory
Hi! Whenever I go on the intranet I have trouble finding the staff directory. It is nested under the HR page, as opposed to under “Directories” which it looks like is a public page. Would it be possible to add a quick link or some other look up feature to get me to the intranet employee directory faster/more easily?
Response:
Good idea…We’ll figure out a way to add a link that is more intuitive to find. We’ll need to coordinate with HR to make sure file naming doesn’t change (which would break the link), but we should be able to do this by end of August.
Division: IT – Daniel Saroff
Suggestion/Question: Email signatures
It’s recently been noted by staff and outside vendors, that there are staff in some departments who do not include their phone numbers in their email signatures. This causes confusion for those inside and especially outside the agency when they wish to contact by phone the person who sent the email. Could there be a uniform standard as it relates to information contained in email signatures for all agency staff? Such as: Your email signature must contain your name, title, division, mailing address, and direct dial number?
Response:
You have touched on a sore spot for me; this is a frustration for me since I joined CPCS. Having a signature file is a very simple, easy way to enable those with whom you are communicating to know who you are and how to contact you. As you point out, it really is something that should simply be de facto for any email.
I will ask at the next Senior Management Team meeting for this requirement to be communicated through the divisions and departments. Not only should signature information be on emails sent from Outlook, but we should also make sure we have them setup in webmail and on our email sent from mobile devices. It is very easy to do, and very helpful (as you clearly point out).
I have created a PowerPoint on the intranet which explains and instructs on the key functionality of Outlook. Slides 17 and 18 describe the elements to include and instruction on making a signature file. This PowerPoint may be found here. I really recommend it for reading by everyone.
I’ve also included the instructions, below. The PowerPoint has screen images to illustrate the instructions.
The steps to create a signature are in Outlook email:
- Click the Home tab
- Click New E-mail in the New section of the Ribbon. The new e-mail window will open
- Click Signature in the Ribbon
- Click Signatures… in the drop down menu. The Signatures and Stationary window will open
- Click New to create a new signature
- Type the name of your signature in the New Signature window that appears click OK
- Type your desired signature in the text box
- Click Save to save your signature
- Add additional signatures or click OK to exit
A signature should look something like:
As always,
Joh Doe, CBW
Chief Bottle Washer
Sanitation Technology
Committee for Public Counsel Services
44 Bromfield Street, Boston, MA
e: [email protected]
p: 617-555-1212
m: 555-328-5253
Division: IT – Daniel Saroff