New Team Member Orientation Information

Welcome to Voices of the Staff!

Congratulations! You were selected from more than 180 applications to join a Voices Network Team.

So, now what?

Your first Voices event is the Voices Annual Meeting on June 11, 2024. You should receive a registration email from "U-M Voices of the Staff" soon. 

The event is a full-day hybrid event that features speakers and activities designed to get you motivated and energized for your Voices service. It's also a chance to meet your team members and team facilitators.

Before the Annual Meeting, Watch this Video and Review the Materials on the Page

Voices is an employee engagement program. It's also a get-out-of-it-what-you-put-into-it kind of program. So we encourage you to get engaged by putting in some time to review the following information. You'll find plenty of details about the history of Voices, its mission, accomplishments, and more. 

An overview of your year in Voices

While your experience with Voices will be unique based on your interest and involvement, the structure of the year is the same for every member. Every team meets once a month, and all teams convene annually to welcome new members and celebrate those completing their years of service. 

All teams are self-directed, which means as a group you decide the dates and times of your meeting (for example, the first Wednesday of the month at 8:30 a.m.). You also decide the topics to discuss and the type of projects to work on.

Some teams decide to invite presenters from units across campus, so they can learn and provide input. Some choose to create defined projects and submit proposals or other deliverables (one team created an ongoing speaker series, another was the driving force behind a parking and transportation office in the heart of the hospital complex). Be sure to talk about the type of Voices you want early and often with your team.

Resources to help you discuss Voices with your day-to-day colleagues

When you participate in Voices, you may get questions from your co-workers and others. Things like, "What's that meeting you go to every month? What do you do there? What do you accomplish?" We hope that you feel empowered to share your Voices experience with your unit (for example, reporting your participation and activities at a staff meeting). Here are some resources to help.

  • The "What is Voices?" PDF gives a quick overview and is something you can print and post in your work area. 
  • Results and Resources highlight many work products of past Voices teams.