PERSONNEL COMMITTEE (2008)
History
The Yearly Meeting established the Personnel Committee in 1975 to undertake many of the functions of the previous Executive Committee having to do with office and field staff. Before the existence of the Executive Committee, the Secretaries Committee concerned itself with many of these tasks.
Purpose & Objectives
The Personnel Committee recommends staff appointments to the Yearly Meeting. In response to Yearly Meeting directives, it gives general guidance and support to the staff and helps in the Yearly Meeting’s relationships with the staff. The committee is asked to attend to working conditions, to performance, and to needs of the Yearly Meeting staff.
Functions & Activities
The Personnel Committee provides guidance and support by listening, encouraging, and recom-mending changes. As it is able, it nurtures staff’s relationships with Friends in the Yearly Meeting with a view to helping create an atmosphere in which people will wish to work, perhaps for a number of years. A major function is to listen to staff concerning any difficulties they have on their jobs, and possibly to help resolve these difficulties.
The committee writes, reviews, and amends the personnel policy and the various job descrip-tions. It makes and revises a salary guide and an annual salary schedule. It attempts to understand the needs of the employees and, when appropriate, to express these to the Yearly Meeting; and to balance these needs with the needs of the Yearly Meeting. It helps secure and supervise medical, disability, and retirement benefits for employees. The committee ensures that there are annual evaluations of the Yearly Meeting staff.
The Personnel Committee proposes a budget to cover the personnel expenses of the Yearly Meeting.
Organization & Method of Appointment
The committee consists of six to nine members, appointed for three-year terms, approximately one-third appointed each year. All appointments are made by the Yearly Meeting upon the recom-mendation of the Nominating Committee. The committee selects its own clerk and recording clerk and names a representative to the General Services Coordinating Committee.
Meeting Times & Places
The Personnel Committee meets at Summer Sessions and at least three additional times each year, generally in New York City, at the call of its clerk.
Finances
The Personnel Committee proposes a budget to cover the personnel expenses of the Yearly Meeting (salaries, benefits, etc.). The committee may authorize unusual expenses necessary in the operation of the office and may authorize the Treasurer to pay such expenses up to the amount provided in the budgeted contingency reserve without prior approval of the Yearly Meeting. The committee itself has no budget.