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Thanks for your Ask Us questions. We also encourage you to pose questions first to your supervisors, when possible. They have more understanding of specifics within your department.

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We received multiple questions after the All Hands Meeting. We thank you for your questions and patients as we work on getting you answers.

Q: At our recent All Hands Meeting there was a question about direct care staff not receiving catered meals as often as administrative and executive staff. Part of the answer received is that there are a lot of meetings with the administration and that supervisors have a budget for staff appreciation. Are all of the administration's catered meals coming out of staff appreciation?

A: We want to acknowledge the perception that all administrative staff frequently get catered meals, while direct care staff experience fewer such opportunities. Here’s some context:

• Catered meals are not for all administration, but primarily for specific professional meetings or events such as those involving external stakeholders (e.g., donors, architects, board) or trainings like New Employee Orientation (NEO) and CHSU. These meals are tied to specific program budgets and are not funded from staff appreciation budgets.
• Supervisors are provided $100 per employee per year for staff appreciation, which is meant to support team recognition efforts. We understand that managing appreciation with limited resources can be challenging, especially for larger teams.

Direct care staff are a cornerstone of our organization and, while budgetary limitations affect how often meals can be catered for all staff, we encourage supervisors to share ideas for creative and meaningful ways to maximize appreciation resources.

Q: At our recent All Hands Meeting there was a question about the fridge in the Admin building. It was said that the pop and water in the fridge was for trainings. However, it has been noted—during trainings—that Admin staff come in for soda or water throughout the day, while other buildings on campus have vending machines that require money. How can we ensure fairness to all staff?

A: The fridge in the Administration building is intended primarily for trainings and meetings, but we understand the concern about its use by administrative staff. A large portion of these interactions occur because many meetings—both internal and external—are held in the boardroom or the downstairs conference room, where the fridge is not located. In these cases, drinks are accessed to accommodate participants in these meetings.

While vending machines in other buildings require payment, the fridge’s purpose is specific to trainings and meetings. To address the concern, we will remind staff now of the fridge’s primary purpose and encourage responsible use.

Q: Maternity leave was brought up at the last All Hands meeting. Staff were told this was not being looked at. We are a company that works with new mothers, works with adoptive and foster children, and kids from hard places. I struggle to say we are a trauma-informed company that prevents trauma yet doesn't provide maternity leave. Yes, we provide short-term disability, but this is after using 40 hours of PTO, and then being paid 60% of your pay and using your PTO to supplement if you want to receive full pay. Having a child requires multiple appointments before and after birth. Why is this not being looked at?

A: After carefully considering various factors, including the competitiveness of our benefits relative to similar organizations, the impact of benefits on the majority of our staff, and the financial implications of offering additional benefits, we have concluded that we are unable to offer paid maternity leave at this time. We deeply value our staff and remain committed to our decisions. As part of this commitment, we are pleased to offer short-term disability benefits to all staff, which provide support during temporary absences from work due to medical needs, including those related to pregnancy, childbirth or recovery. If you have any questions or require information about extended leave options, please consult your supervisor or the Human Resources department.

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