Laila's Testimony

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“It’s simple: if OMD leadership wants to continue creating opportunities for students then they must foster a healthy work environment for its employees by implementing effective and inclusive policies such as a capped caseload size. This will have a positive effect on morale and will also allow Program Coordinators to better utilize their talents and skill sets.”

Laila Sadat, Former Program Coordinator

One of the worst mistakes that a leader can make is creating policies without regard for how they will impact their team; or even worse, undermining and doubting the concerns of their team when they voice the implications of these harmful policies. Such failures lead to animosity and overall dysfunction of an organization.

Program Coordinators at OMD have been and will always be the ones actively carrying out the mission of the organization. Their perspective and proximity to students not only allows them to fully understand the potential OMD has to influence many lives, but the consequences that organizational incompetence has on its most valuable assets: frontline staff and scholars. Thus, OMD’s successes and failures are measured by the capacity to which Program Coordinators can service their students. If this capacity is strained, unbalanced, or simply unmanageable, OMD fails its mission in every regard.

Caseload size is one of the most stressful aspects of the role. Not only do students deserve dedicated time and resources, but leadership refuses to recognize that meeting a student weekly or biweekly does not end the moment a student walks out of the office. Planning for the next meeting, inputting notes, following up on action items in between, and completing tasks that require communication with other campus departments demand time. This is without mentioning other Program Coordinator responsibilities such as curriculum development, SDS prep, or meeting with campus leadership etc.

While Program Coordinators are magical humans with good intentions, they are constantly pushed beyond what is reasonable and achievable which leads to inevitable burnout. It’s simple: if OMD leadership wants to continue creating opportunities for students then they must foster a healthy work environment for its employees by implementing effective and inclusive policies such as a capped caseload size. This will have a positive effect on morale and will also allow Program Coordinators to better utilize their talents and skill sets.

Please consider signing our petition to support UWOMD's campaign for a fair contract and caseload: bit.ly/UWOMDcaseloadcap

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