April 28, 2006

connecting the Community of Christ Mission Support Ministries community

Q: How many staff/administrative assistants are there? Do these include Accounting folks, HR, etc.? Are there still only going to be between 14 and 17 picked from all these people? 
A: All of the number ranges for full–time equivalents provided in the March 2006 paper are subject to further adjustment as the Mission Support Ministries Implementation Team completes the redesign. Thus, it is too early in the process to say exactly how many administrative support positions there will be within Mission Support Ministries.

Q: If we are so short of money, why don't the leaders step up to the plate and give up something, e.g. those appointees who live in town, and always travel overseas and get rides to the airport. Why do they need a car? A lot of them fly where they are going. Why do the husbands and wifes drive these cars?
A: The policy is set by the World Church Human Resources Committee and administered by Human Resource Ministries. If the appointee and family drive the car for personal use more than a standard amount set by the church, they are required to reimburse the church for the operational cost of such use.  In addition, the appointee is required to pay income tax on all personal use of the car per IRS guidelines.

Q: Why do people have purchasing cards?
A: While much of the purchasing done by the church is through wholesale suppliers, there are a few offices that purchase items that can be bought at less cost through retail or Internet outlets.  It is more efficient to make these purchases in the church's name through the use of purchasing cards.  All purchases made with these cards must go through the same approval process as purchases made by other means.  The appropriate budget supervisor must approve the payment and the purchases must be within the approved budget for the functional area.

Q: If a date to take a vacation is not planned yet, but needs to be planned in the next two weeks is July better to take one than June?
A: The announcement regarding the redesign will likely occur in mid-June, with new positions being posted following that announcement. Interviews will likely be scheduled during the month of July.

Each individual will need to decide what is best for their family. If someone is gone for more than two weeks starting in mid-June, they will want to make arrangements to check–in with their supervisor while they are gone to see where the organization is in the redesign process and make any special arrangements that may be required.

Q: Separation (severance) pay: Aren't we also reimbursed for unused vacation hours? How many total hours can we be paid for?
A: At separation, staff who have accrued vacation will receive payment for any unused, accrued vacation balance.  Staff may accrue vacation up to the maximum allowed in any year.

Q: Are "years of service" calculated from date of hire? 
A: Yes.

Q: Assuming medical insurance ends on the official termination date, is there a Cobra or other plan we can purchase for the interim period before finding another job? 
A: Because of applicable law, staff are not eligible to receive COBRA insurance.  However, staff will continue to receive two months’ pay and benefits (from date of notification to date of separation) while they are seeking other employment.

Q:  If there is a job posting you know you could do and do well, but you do not meet all the qualifications as stated for work experience, etc., should you go ahead and apply or would it be a waste of everyone's time and effort?
A: We don't want anyone to feel it's a waste of time to apply for positions. If you feel you are interested and can accomplish a job that is posted but don't meet the qualifications as stated, please apply. Qualifications listed are preferred.  There may be exceptions to specific qualifications listed such as equivalent experience in place of an educational or work experience requirement.  Please feel free to apply for all positions for which you feel qualified.

Q: If your job is eliminated in June and you choose not to apply for any other jobs, do you still get the two months of paid salary plus years worked bonus and vacation not used?
A: Yes.  Human Resource Ministries will work with each individual to determine an appropriate notification and separation date, and the employee will be eligible for the separation package at that time.

Q: If I apply for one of the positions, will my supervisor or apostle be made aware of my application or will it remain confidential? I don't have a problem here; I would just rather be the one to tell them that I have applied for or am interested in a position.
A: Any time staff apply for a transfer, it's a courtesy to notify your supervisor.  With the redesign in progress, all supervisors are expecting staff to be applying for different positions.  We encourage staff to be the ones to tell their supervisors of their interest in various positions.

Q: The positions posted online are open for field ministers as well, correct?
A: The positions posted on-line are open for field ministers as well as headquarter staff.

Q: If selected for a position, when would I be expected to begin? Also, I read that the application deadline is April 30. When do you expect to have the positions filled?
A: Interviews for each position will be scheduled as soon as possible.  Exact interview dates have not been set except for a few positions, and HRM is in the process of notifying those applicants this week.  The time between the selection of staff to fill positions and the actual start date has not been definitely set.  For the positions posted now, we will work out individual start dates but are hoping that these people can be involved in completing the design either "virtually" or by coming to Independence during May and June. We anticipate it will be sometime between October 2006 and January 1, 2007, for actual start dates of the remainder of the positions.  This interim period will be a transition period, and staff selected to function in new positions may be asked to participate in their current position plus some aspects of the redesign.

Q: “The World Conference steering team has chartered 11 sub-teams and their work has begun.” Were these teams staffed with the expectation of who will be still working here after the first of the year? Some persons seem to be asked over and over, and others don't ever seem to be asked to serve on a team at all.
A: The World Conference steering team and the associated 11 sub-teams were staffed based on today's organizational structure. This team and the associated sub-teams were not staffed with the expectation that the positions assigned would be part of the redesign. The preparation for World Conference needed to be started and the organization needed to use today's staff to support the early work. This team will have to make adjustments after Oct 1 when the transition into the redesign begins.

Q: Please make sure the young adult position is actually filled by a young adult. The patronizing that has been going on of having people the age of the parents of young adults as their leader is not healthy. The young adults are not "emerging"; they already are very capable people with skills that need to be used.
 Response: Thank you for sharing your desire and perspective.

Q: How can you know what the jobs are and what jobs are critical when no one has taken the time to ask?
A: The process that is being followed is an organizational redesign process, where the organization evaluates what the goals of the organization are and how best to organize to meet those goals. The difficult element of our redesign process is that operating within a sustainable budget means that the organization must cut the overall staff count. The process is not focused on what tasks we do today and what tasks we will cut so that we can reduce staff. The process is focused on what tasks we want to do in the future to meet the goals as defined by the Summit and then what positions are required to accomplish those tasks.