Welcome to the May 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
- Key CPCS standing committees
- What does vesting mean
- Separate email groups for Bromfield and Congress
- Putting email recipients in the “BCC:” field
- Outlook address book
Suggestion/Question: Key CPCS standing committees
I know that there are various committees on issues such as diversity, job classification, etc. Could you post a list of the committees and their members?
Response:
As most people probably know, at any given moment there are probably dozens of ad hoc agency committees working on a wide range of projects. These committees may be planning a meeting, working on a personnel policy, or working on a substantive issue such as cash bail or sentencing practices. We take this question to seek information about standing committees that are working on long term issues of agency wide importance.
Diversity and Inclusion Group
The mandate of this committee is: The Diversity and Inclusion Group (DIG), is an advisory group that was established in 2011 to help CPCS examine issues of diversity and how we can improve and expand upon current efforts and to explore ways in which to foster a more positive and inclusive work environment. CPCS embraces diversity and inclusion as core values and is steadfast in our commitment to: (1) ensuring that CPCS staff members represent a broad range of human difference and experience; (2) providing a work climate that is respectful and that supports success; and (3) promoting the dignity and well-being of all staff members. DIG is in place to help the agency work towards those goals.
Silesia Jamison and Anna Kelly are the co-chairs. This committee is staffed by Krista Gadzala
The current membership of this committee is:
Amanda Ward, Beverly Chorbajian, Benjamin Evans, Aezad Aftab, Alice Wiseberg, Dulcineia Goncalves, Jeannie Rhinehart, Jennifer Kovacs, Kareine Durand, Kim Giampietro, M Barusch, Maili Shaffer, Melanie Lister, Silesia Jamison, Sue Crocker, Anna Kelly
If someone is interested in learning more about DIG they can contact Silesia, [email protected], or Anna, [email protected]. Requests to join DIG should be directed to Anthony Benedetti.
Community Oriented Defender Action Committee (CODAC)
The mandate of this committee is: Recognizing that the agency has an advocacy mandate across many different areas of practice and that our clients face many barriers to achieving legal success and true access to equal justice, the purpose of CODAC is to assist the agency in effectively and strategically incorporating the Community Oriented Defender Principles into the planning and work of the agency. https://www.brennancenter.org/analysis/community-oriented-defender-cod-statement-principles
The current membership of this committee is (some people may not have been active lately):
Sandie Gant (Chair), Scott Rankin, Amanda Ward, Nat Green, Benjamin Keehn, Wendy Wayne, Cathleen Bennett, Sarah Derby, Norma Wassel, Larni Levy, Amy Peltier, Matthew Gilbertson, Jill Klowden, Lisa Hewitt, Randy Gioia, Benjamin Lupatkin, Ira Gant, Marie Wood, Benjamin Evans, Alexandra Puleo, Claire Ward, Katie Kelliher, Brett Bauman, Paulette Marie, Jessica Gallagher, Lisa Newman Polk
This group is currently interested in adding members. If you are interested please contact your Division Head or Sandie Gant ([email protected])
Strategic Planning Process Management Committee
The mandate of this committee is to manage the CPCS strategic planning process. Many other stakeholders participate in the actually planning. The sole purpose of this group is to manage the process so that it continues to move forward and as many stakeholders as possible are able to provide meaningful input at various stages.
The current membership of this committee is:
Josh Dohan, Debra Krupp, Mark Larsen, Daniel Saroff, Arnie Stewart
Job Classification Committee
The mandate of this committee is to guide the Job Classification process.
This committee is led by Donna Leete. The membership of the committee is always in flux, depending on the body of work to be accomplished at any particular time. Current members include Priscilla Duffy, Carol Rosensweig, Carol Beck, Bill Shay and Soudabeh Tahmassebipour.
Division: YAD – Josh Dohan
Suggestion/Question: What does vesting mean
What does it mean to ‘vest’ after 10 years of service? Does that mean we can retire at 10 years and one day with a Pension and Health Care Benefits for the rest of our lives?
Response:
Vesting is a term commonly used to signify the right to a retirement allowance at a later date. In the Commonwealth’s retirement system, a person becomes vested once he or she has accrued enough creditable service time, equivalent to 10 years of full-time service. If you leave state service after you are vested, you may leave your retirement contributions in the system until you have the required age to qualify for a state pension. If you were hired before April 2, 2012, that age is 55. If you were hired after April 2, 2012, that age is 60.
Division: HR – Donna Leete
Suggestion/Question: Separate email groups for Bromfield and Congress
Could you create separate email addresses for Bromfield Street and Congress Street? Currently mass emails and the replies and discussion that only affects the Bromfield Street office are sent to everyone in Congress Street also (e.g., food on the 5th floor, building maint/HVAC issues, pot-lucks, etc.).
Response:
Sure…We’ll work to setup separate mailing lists. We’ll send out an announcement when they are in place.
Division: IT – Daniel Saroff
Suggestion/Question: Putting email recipients in the BCC: field
I have noted in the last year there has been a tendency in Finance, Accounts Payable, Facilities, HR, etc., to hide the recipients of an email but the sender making themselves the recipient and then blind copying everyone else receiving the message. I acknowledge there may be limited circumstances where this makes sense but it seems but it is being grossly overused. As a recipient I should know who else is getting the email. I have a business reason for wanting to know namely it may effect whether I need to reply, the timing and the message. It may also disclose necessary parties are not on the email. I would ask that this practice be used only in the very limited circumstances when disclose needs to be hidden.
Response:
What you reference is an email best practice meant to avoid people on group mailings from having their inboxes deluged by a flood of “reply all” emails.
Unfortunately, at CPCS (and most organizations) folks tend to, readily and unnecessarily, respond with “reply all” to group emails, which clogs people’s inboxes. This is why you have seen this ‘blind emailing’ increase recently. Best practices for using this method of addressing group emails are for when:
- Email is for information purposes only
- Email recipients do not need to know what other parties are receiving the email to understand or react to the email.
- Discussion is not expected or solicited for the email
A perfect example of this is the email I sent yesterday regarding web-links being added to people’s desktops. It was purely informational and comments would not add value to the announcement. I did receive some very nice thank you notes from folks (BTW…really appreciated). It would have been nice to bask in the accolades publicly, but that wouldn’t have supported the Agency’s mission.
Division: IT – Daniel Saroff
Suggestion/Question: Outlook address book
Would it be possible to make the Outlook Address Book (Global Address List) useful? For example, currently you have to search by first name unless you choose to search all fields. Phone numbers, titles, and location are not added by default; each user must add their own information. It seems that HR could supply this information, and it could be imported and updated on a regular basis.
Response:
I absolutely agree with you. When I came into the organization, I had the exact same response. It’s been on my to-do list since joining, and we are finally getting to it. I’ve already asked my team to look at how we can do this, and I expect we will implement by the end of the calendar year.
Division: IT – Daniel Saroff