Staff Covenant

We enter this covenant to forge and to maintain strong positive relationships for the staff and for the congregation in support of its mission and vision.

This covenant is intended to encourage and promote healthy behaviors in both the staff and congregation. It will give strength to our teamwork and cooperation. When necessary, our covenant will give strength to our making difficult statements and responses that honor the challenge of doing so. We ask for the congregation’s support in helping us to sustain this covenant.

We the staff of the First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee, make the following commitments to each other:

1. We agree to be respectful, honest, open and intentional in our communications, assuming good will and striving to be worthy of it.
2. We affirm the gifts each brings to the staff and will seek to support each other in fulfilling our varied responsibilities.
3. We will express and maintain clear personal and professional boundaries while respecting the boundaries of others.
4. To maintain healthy relationships, our model for handling complaints or concerns brought to us by a staff member or member of the church community shall be:
   • Ask the person to approach the staff member directly;
   • Offer to go with the person to speak to the staff member;
   • Offer to speak with the staff member, using the person’s name;
   • If we agree with the complaint/concern, we may approach the staff member with the complaint/concern as our own; or
   • The matter will be dropped.
5. Privately and together, we will engage in constructive (not destructive) conversations intended to enhance team work, and we will deal in issues and behaviors, not personalities.
6. Sensitive information will not be used or shared inappropriately.
7. In our deliberations we accept the fact that differences of opinion are expected and welcome, but once we have come to a decision, we will all support it.

• June 11, 2002
• Reaffirmed 2003 - 2006
• Revised June 12, 2007
• Reaffirmed August 18, 2009
• Reaffirmed June 15, 2010
• Reaffirmed June, 2011
• Reaffirmed June 13, 2012