Invitation to share your feedback on MIT’s culture

Dear Staff Colleagues,

Recent events have made it clear that we need to pause business as usual, reflect, and have an honest dialogue about MIT's culture. Over the past few months, I’ve heard from many of you about difficult situations, and ideas for how we can create a more respectful, caring community for staff across the Institute.

I want to hear more from you, and I am committed to ensuring that all MIT staff have the opportunity to share their experiences, perspectives, and ideas. As part of this commitment, MIT Human Resources has established a few different ways for you to share your feedback with me.

Staff Conversations

These small group sessions are open to MIT staff only, and will be facilitated by external consultants who have experience working with staff in higher education institutions. I invite you to sign up for a session to discuss ways to build a more inclusive, respectful culture across the Institute. Each session will be limited to 25 participants; additional sessions will be added, if necessary.

I encourage managers to allow those who wish to attend one of the Staff Conversations the time to do so. Time taken to attend a Staff Conversation during regular work hours is paid release time. For those who choose to attend a session, no overtime will be accrued or paid as a result of the time spent at a Staff Conversation.

Anonymous Feedback Form and Confidential Email

In addition to sharing your feedback in person, I invite you to share your input anonymously through this online form. Comments and ideas may also be submitted confidentially to me and the Staff Conversations team at staff-conversations@mit.edu.

It’s clear that our staff community is deeply committed and dedicated to the Institute, and eager to find solutions. A culture shift is an ongoing process that involves all of us working together—at all levels of the Institute. I thank you in advance for your trust and patience, and I hope you will remain active and engaged in this important conversation. MIT leadership needs to continue hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Ramona Allen, Vice President for Human Resources