How did you lead your team to discover new success during the pandemic?

<ul>
<li>KMM: "I stepped into my current role in July 2020, charged with leading a team of 115+ staff virtually and supporting the needs of 10K students. Some of the very first things I did were create open lines of communication and host divisionwide meetings. Meetings with division leaders and department directors were held to learn more about our work and to brainstorm ways we could serve and support not only our students successfully remotely, but our colleagues better as well. We learned many, many lessons which led to learning new best practices. We also prioritized the health and wellbeing of students and staff — physical, mental and emotional. Success for our team came from the true care and compassion for each other and for our students."</li>
<li>MW: "ESL’s Senior Management team worked together to lead the organization during these unprecedented times. We were able to successfully deploy hundreds of employees to work remotely within just a few weeks at the start of the pandemic. We developed frequent written and video communications from the CEO to keep all employees informed. We flexed and discovered that employees were able to do much of their work very successfully in this new way. We developed new pay practices to keep employees whole while some were working reduced hours. We modified the workplace to protect the half of our workforce who had to come to work in our headquarters and branches to serve our members. All in all, our employees felt supported and heard — proven through our being selected a national Great Place to work both in 2020 and 2021."</li>
</ul>

What motivates and energizes people in the new hybrid workplace?

<ul>
<li>KMM: "In general, I believe, while it can be complicated, the idea of a hybrid workplace motivates staff because it provides not only the flexibility, but also the support and tools necessary for success. If there is one thing COVID 2020 taught us, it is there is not much we cannot do working remotely. We learned the best practices. We were able to successfully lead, navigate, support, and respond to needs in ways we never thought we could. A hybrid workplace allows us to better serve the needs of students, clients, customers, etc."</li>
<li>MW: "We have heard that employees have missed seeing co-workers in person while fully remote, so when we began our return to the workplace in June, the energy in our headquarters building was palpable. While we are not at full capacity, our employees who had been working 100% remote began a rotational schedule where they both work at home and some in the office. We have heard many comments from employees that they are truly enjoying this hybrid approach. Many people enjoy their quiet and focused time at home, but appreciate the camaraderie and just being able to look at co-workers in the eyes while working in the office rather than always through a video screen. Relationships are what make working at ESL special, and we are very conscious of maintaining our culture and exceptional employee experience as we move into the next phase of our new normal."</li>
</ul>

The full article is printed on Pages 1, 27-28 of the RBJ.

Please know that we are not permitted to attach or post RBJ articles on the MCC website, including in the Daily Tribune, as the RBJ prohibits distribution without obtaining circulation rights. RBJ issues can be accessed through the libraries’ online databases: <a href="https://link.gale.com/apps/pub/5110/ITOF?u=monroecc&sid=ITOF">https://link.gale.com/apps/pub/5110/ITOF?u=monroecc&sid=ITOF</a>. There is a delay in the September 24 issue being available.

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MCC Daily Tribune

Acting Vice President, Foundation Board Member Share Views on Leadership

The Sept. 24 issue of the Rochester Business Journal includes a cover story quoting Acting Vice President of Student Services Kimberly McKinsey-Mabry and MCC Foundation Board Member Maureen Wolfe, who also serves as senior vice president of human resources and community relations for ESL Federal Credit Union. They were among a group of local women who were asked to respond to two questions:

How did you lead your team to discover new success during the pandemic?

KMM: "I stepped into my current role in July 2020, charged with leading a team of 115+ staff virtually and supporting the needs of 10K students. Some of the very first things I did were create open lines of communication and host divisionwide meetings. Meetings with division leaders and department directors were held to learn more about our work and to brainstorm ways we could serve and support not only our students successfully remotely, but our colleagues better as well. We learned many, many lessons which led to learning new best practices. We also prioritized the health and wellbeing of students and staff — physical, mental and emotional. Success for our team came from the true care and compassion for each other and for our students."
MW: "ESL’s Senior Management team worked together to lead the organization during these unprecedented times. We were able to successfully deploy hundreds of employees to work remotely within just a few weeks at the start of the pandemic. We developed frequent written and video communications from the CEO to keep all employees informed. We flexed and discovered that employees were able to do much of their work very successfully in this new way. We developed new pay practices to keep employees whole while some were working reduced hours. We modified the workplace to protect the half of our workforce who had to come to work in our headquarters and branches to serve our members. All in all, our employees felt supported and heard — proven through our being selected a national Great Place to work both in 2020 and 2021."

What motivates and energizes people in the new hybrid workplace?

KMM: "In general, I believe, while it can be complicated, the idea of a hybrid workplace motivates staff because it provides not only the flexibility, but also the support and tools necessary for success. If there is one thing COVID 2020 taught us, it is there is not much we cannot do working remotely. We learned the best practices. We were able to successfully lead, navigate, support, and respond to needs in ways we never thought we could. A hybrid workplace allows us to better serve the needs of students, clients, customers, etc."
MW: "We have heard that employees have missed seeing co-workers in person while fully remote, so when we began our return to the workplace in June, the energy in our headquarters building was palpable. While we are not at full capacity, our employees who had been working 100% remote began a rotational schedule where they both work at home and some in the office. We have heard many comments from employees that they are truly enjoying this hybrid approach. Many people enjoy their quiet and focused time at home, but appreciate the camaraderie and just being able to look at co-workers in the eyes while working in the office rather than always through a video screen. Relationships are what make working at ESL special, and we are very conscious of maintaining our culture and exceptional employee experience as we move into the next phase of our new normal."

The full article is printed on Pages 1, 27-28 of the RBJ.

Please know that we are not permitted to attach or post RBJ articles on the MCC website, including in the Daily Tribune, as the RBJ prohibits distribution without obtaining circulation rights. RBJ issues can be accessed through the libraries’ online databases: https://link.gale.com/apps/pub/5110/ITOF?u=monroecc&sid=ITOF. There is a delay in the September 24 issue being available.

Hency Yuen-Eng
Government and Community Relations
09/28/2021