Interview with Suzanne Hollyer, Director, Oakland County Friend of the Court; and Lynn Bullard, Director, Van Buren County Friend of the Court and 36th Circuit Court Family Division Administrator
The negative effects of isolation experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic are no secret. With most hearings moving to Zoom and support staff spread throughout the state in their home offices, court staff members are not immune to feeling alone and isolated during this time. The “Connections” team asked two Friend of the Court (FOC) Directors to share some of their ideas for letting staff know not only that their work is valued, but also that they are missed. Lynn Bullard is FOC Director and Circuit Court Administrator in Van Buren County, and past president of the Friend of the Court Association. Suzanne Hollyer is FOC Director in Oakland County, and she currently serves as President of the Friend of the Court Association.
What steps have you
taken to show appreciation to your staff working in the office?
Suzanne Hollyer: With most of our staff at home, I was
concerned that the in-office staff would feel some resentment. The county has a newsletter. We asked that our in-office staff be featured
in an article. I’ve also asked that the assistant
FOCs who rotate into the office with me make a point of thanking the staff who
are rotating into the building.
Lynn Bullard: I have a group called the Court Jesters
(Jesters) that was inspired by an employee morale program I learned about from
St. Clair County. The Jesters usually
have several events, such as themed lunches, every year. During COVID-19, we took our usual approach
with the in-office staff of providing food.
What about your home-based
workforce?
Lynn Bullard: My employee morale group recommended we send
cards home to all of our workforce so that they would know we’re thinking of
them.
Suzanne Hollyer: I heard about Lynn doing this and thought it was a great idea. I take a watercolor painting class online every week. I am not a great artist by any means, but I was inspired by Lynn to start painting individual postcards for my workforce. I started out with the home-based workers and later moved on to the in-office staff. It was a big project! We have about 140 employees, so it took a long time, but it was relaxing for me and hopefully showed the employees how much I value them.
Have you had any other ideas to make your employees feel more connected?
Lynn Bullard: We are still having regular staff meetings,
but we are holding them on Zoom so that all our staff can participate,
regardless of their work location. One
week, we had a contest for the best Zoom background. The size of my staff is such that we can go
around the entire room and hear from everyone.
Suzanne Hollyer: We had purchased a large Zoom license to offer
our Start Making It Livable for Everyone (SMILE) video education program once
per month to as many families as needed. We decided to use that Zoom account to host an
all-staff meeting in early fall of 2020. The large Zoom meeting, while somewhat
impersonal, allowed everyone to see each other for the first time in six
months. We focused on some substantive
changes we’ve made with our enforcement program and then provided some
resources for staff who are struggling with the isolation issues.
Do you have
suggestions for other court administrators who are concerned about the
wellbeing of their staff?
Lynn Bullard: Communication is key. Ensure that your staff are familiar with your court’s
COVID-19 plan. Make sure your employees
are aware of their options under the Family and Medical Leave Act and requests
for accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Encourage training related to wellbeing and using
technology. A multitude of training
opportunities is now available in a virtual format.
Suzanne Hollyer: Seek input from your staff. The staff and supervisors in my office have
been the source of all of our good ideas during this crisis.
Additional resources
At a Western Intergovernmental Child Support Engagement
Council virtual conference in September 2020, Renée Smith, of A Human Workplace,
shared strategies with the national child support community about replacing
fear in the workplace – specifically all of the new fears connected to COVID-19
– with love. Renee stressed, “What was
fluff in 2019 is necessary in 2020.” She
explained that in the workplace context, feeling ‘loved’ really involves perceived
respect, trust, care, empathy, appreciation, inclusion, kindness, forgiveness,
courage, and more. She shared that by
decreasing the use of fear-inducing strategies (like emphasis on compliance
with rules or assigning blame to staff) and instead increasing staff’s sense of
belonging and trust, they found that staff were more committed to serving their
employer.
Because the COVID-19 pandemic and other recent current events created so many new sources of anxiety and stress, employers are finding that they must go above and beyond their normal employee engagement and development routine to help employees feel connected, heard, and supported so that they can be productive in their roles. A number of free resources about making the workplace more compassionate can be found on the A Human Workplace website.
