Bureau of Prisons staff morale and team-building guidance document

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Team-Building & Morale-Boosting Activities¶

Executive staff, CST and the Employees Club can refer to these ideas when planning an activity for team building and strengthening relationships among employees. *Individuals planning team-building activities are encouraged to contact the Ethics Office for guidance.¶

Employee Appreciation Meal¶

• Time to Plan: 2 weeks

• Cost: $$$ - $$$

• Frequency: Twice per quarter

Correctional Worker’s Week¶

• Time to Plan: 1 month

• Cost: $$$ - $$$$

• Frequency: Annually

Family Potluck¶

(with approval from local executive staff)¶

• Time to Plan: 1 month

• Cost: $ - $$

• Frequency: Twice per year

Sports Viewing Party¶

(i.e., Superbowl, World Series)¶

• Time to Plan: 1 month

• Cost: $$$

• Frequency: Quarterly

Supervisor Thank-You Notes¶

• Time to Plan: 1 week

• Cost: $

• Frequency: Monthly

Team Bulletin Board¶

(for shout-outs, compliments, achievements)¶

• Time to Plan: 1 month¶

• Frequency: Annually

Employee Cook-Off¶

• Cost: $ - $$

• Time to Plan: 1 month

• Cost: $

• Frequency: Twice per quarter

Institution Talent Show¶

• Time to Plan: 1 month

• Cost: $ - $$

• Frequency: Annually

Birthday Shout-Outs¶

• Time to Plan: 1 month¶

Department Appreciation Lunch¶

• Cost: $

• Frequency: Monthly

• Time to Plan: 2 weeks

• Cost: $ - $$

• Frequency: Annually for each department

Shift Appreciation Meal¶

(i.e., Morning, Night)¶

• Time to Plan: 2 weeks

• Cost: $ - $$

• Frequency: Quarterly

Local Event¶

(i.e., bowling, with approval from local executive staff)¶

“Staff appreciation meals, ice cream trucks, coffee trucks, they help boost morale and it’s a breath of fresh air when you hear there are these things.”¶

• Time to Plan: 1 month

• Cost: $ - $$

• Frequency: Twice per year

Well-Being Course Offering (i.e., team walk, exercise class, yoga at institution)¶

• Time to Plan: 1 month

• Cost: $$$ - $$$

• Frequency: Quarterly

• Time to Plan: 2 weeks

Meal with the Warden¶

• Cost: $ - $$

• Frequency: Quarterly, alternating shifts

• Time to Plan: 2 weeks

Volunteer Day (i.e., work with local non-profit)¶

• Cost: $ - $$

• Frequency: Twice per year

WE HEARD:¶

$ low-cost option¶

KEY:¶

$$ some costs associated, utilize the Employee’s Club or Union¶

$$higher cost option, plan for funding¶

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Office Hours (i.e., Wednesdays with the Warden)¶

Provide opportunities such as office hours for employees and leaders in your institution to give employees the chance to get to know you, share their concerns, and brainstorm ideas to strengthen their careers, their coworkers and the Bureau. Offering times to chat also shows that you are willing to put in the time to listen to your employees and fellow leaders.¶

USE WHEN:¶

• You want to connect with employees on a more personal level

• You want to offer opportunities for employees to share ideas, concerns and insight

• You want to share tips and tricks with junior employees and set an example for other leaders to do the same

• You want employees to feel heard and valued

WHAT WE HEARD:¶

“We have a new Warden who communicates with us on how we can better ourselves.”¶

HOW DO OFFICE HOURS WORK?¶

Give employees multiple opportunities throughout the month (during various shifts, if possible) to stop by and check-in with you. Suggest employees and/or leaders come by if they want advice on career development or have ideas for bettering the institution or the BOP.¶

Consider a catchy title for the office hours – such as Wednesdays with the Warden. You could also consider offering brainstorming sessions for employees and leaders where everyone is encouraged to share advice, ideas and feedback.¶

HOW DO I PREPARE FOR OFFICE HOURS?¶

• Provide equal effort regardless of the shift where office hours are held

• Remind employees of office hours as they approach

• Be prepared to take concerns and ideas with an open mind

• Look into upcoming trainings and career-development opportunities to share with employees looking to further their skills

• Be prepared to answer questions or refer employees to resources

• Mentally prepare for employees to come with problems or complaints that are larger than you can handle. If this happens, tell them that you will follow up with appropriate resources and/or suggestions.

• Thank employees for coming to your office hours!

INVITING STAFF:¶

Institution employees and leadership – please feel free to stop by my office from 4:00-5:00 on Wednesdays this month.¶

My door will be open, and I would love to hear from you. You can come with ideas for bettering our institution, talk about career development, or simply check in.¶

Advise other executive staff to host office hours to let employees get to know institution leadership. Encourage employees to stop by.¶

Change the schedule of office hours or cancel unless necessary.¶

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[INSTITUTION NAME]’S MONTHLY NEWSLETTER¶

[Institution Name],¶

Happy [insert day or month]!¶

[insert any top priority items]. This section serves as a transparent way for the Warden to communicate updates or major decisions, including relevant news or changes occurring at the institution or BOP (e.g., recently high levels of augmentation, new policy implementation, etc.). Mention any upcoming holidays or major events (i.e., Employee potluck, institution-wide training, Thanksgiving).¶

Reminder!¶

[Insert anything that you need from employees]. This section serves to remind employees of things coming up that need their attention (e.g., Human Resource form deadlines, health and safety reminders, or how staffing may change in the upcoming weeks with estimated overtime or call outs).¶

Programming and Events¶

Event XX: Call out upcoming programming or events within the institution (e.g., employee get-togethers, training, office hours with the Warden). Encourage employees to attend these events and include any details such as location or time.¶

Training XX: Call out upcoming programming or events within the institution (e.g., employee get-togethers, training, office hours with the Warden). Encourage employee to attend these events and include any details such as location or time.¶

Employee Spotlight: Insert name of employee or group¶

[Insert 4-6 sentences about the individual or group and why they are on the Employee Spotlight.] Include details about recent achievements and commendable work they have done and thank them for their contributions. Finish with a strong note of appreciation (i.e., “The institution is proud to have you on our team serving the BOP mission!”)¶

Things Top of Mind¶

[Example]: I watched the football game this weekend! Provide details about recent events of things going on in your life. Speak on anything you feel comfortable sharing.¶

[Example]: One way that I am keeping my mental health a top priority: I am spending 15 minutes after work every day meditating and pausing to reflect on what I can do better as a leader. Mental health is a top priority at the institution, and I encourage everyone to seek the resources they need to stay well and healthy!¶

Close your newsletter by thanking staff for their hard work and call out any important reminders.¶

Warden [Insert Name]¶

[Insert Date]¶

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Roundtable for Tenured Individuals to Support New Employees
Objectives	Dedicate time for tenured employees to give advice and share knowledge with individuals new to BOP or the institutionLearn what is impacting employees and how to support them better
Facilitation Set-Up and Team Roles
Location:If possible, select a private place(i.e., conference room)that is free of distraction and allows participants to see one another.Attendees should feel comfortable having an open dialogue with their coworkers and leaders.
Time:45 minutes is the suggested time range to maintain group attentiveness while giving everyone enough time to share their perspectives, ask questions and recap outcomes from the discussion.
Frequency:To encourage continued guidance and dialogue between new and tenured employees,it is recommended to conduct these roundtables at least twice or quarterly per year.
Roles:(1-2)Facilitators(ideally a tenured employee)&(1)Notetaker.The notetaker will primarily observe and take notes during the roundtable.They may provide support to the facilitator if needed.In their notes,they should record any main highlights and repeated themes as well as any notable quotes from the audience.Be sure not to include any personal identifying information while taking notes.
Attendees:Tenured employees(volunteer-based)和 individuals new to BOP or the institution within the last3-6 months.Ideally,there is 1 tenured individual per 5 new employees attending.
Supplies(Optional):pens(1 per person)name tags(1 per person)

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Part 1: Introduction (5 minutes)
Welcome(3 minutes) • Thank them all for attending • Facilitator(s) and notetaker provide brief introductions of themselves	Time:5 minutes
Example Language:Thank you all for being here. Our hope through today's conversation is to get a better understanding of your needs as employees new to the BOP or institution[Name]and provide knowledge and advice as individuals who have been here at[Institution Name]for a while.Beyond this conversation, we'd also like to lend ourselves as mentors and when you come across challenges as you figure out your role here.
Icebreaker • Ask participants to introduce themselves by stating their name, how long they have been at the BOP, which institutions they have served(if applicable), and what they are hoping to get out of this conversation. • Encourage the audience to use a name tag, if possible.
Setting the Stage(2 minutes) • State length of session(Note:In a corrections environment,some staff may arrive late or leave early). • Remind attendees that their participation is voluntary,and nothing shared in the room will be tied to them. • Address any concerns or questions from the audience.
Part 2: Discussion(35 minutes)
Verbalize:We want to take this time to talk about your initial experiences here and at the BOP overall,as well as answer any questions or talk through any roadblocks you may be facing.To start,do you have any questions for us about the job,institution,or anything else?	Time:35 minutes
Questions to help get the discussion started • In one word,what do you think about your job so far? • What questions do you have about your role or the institution? • Have you faced any roadblocks so far?How did you handle them? • What can leadership do better? • If you could change anything about your job,what would you change? • Describe a good day at work.What needs to happen and what does it look like? • What advice would you give someone on their first day here? • What would you like to see at our institution(i.e.for employees,for onboarding,new ideas)?

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• Would other discussions like this or events to be around other employees be helpful to your success here? How often should we check-in like this?
Dos & Don'ts
• Do keep questions open-ended and allow for awkward silences to be broken by the audience.
• Do try to honestly answer all questions and in full. If there are questions that should be addressed one-on-one, let the audience know that if their question did not get answered to approach the facilitator(s) afterwards.
• Don't ask simple questions that can be answered with yes or no.
• Don't ignore or neglect any questions altogether. This will take away from having a transparent and helpful conversation for newcomers to the Bureau.
Part 3: Wrap-Up (5 minutes)
Verbalize: Is there anything we did not discuss today that you wish we had?	Time: 5 minutes
Allow people to speak if they are wrapping up their comments or have not had an opportunity to speak yet.
Thank everyone for their input and time.
Verbalize: Please utilize everyone in this room as mentors and resources when you come across roadblocks as you figure out your role here. We encourage you to reach out with questions and support one another when you need help!

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