In the Beer and Bitch meeting, Woodshop stated that their intention was to reduce from 70+ classes a month to 20, in response to the recent Board decisions and comments…
The Board asked to fix a problem they could not, but gave them no supporting data for the 15k budget. They clearly put the chairs in an impossible position without enough information/ authority to make good decisions.
We were given plenty of data, some chose to ignore it. We have the financial spreadsheets, and we’ve had an explosion in honorarium classes over the last year
The consensus was to reduce honorarium to 25/25 and likely some class fee last I checked to keep under $15k without significantly reducing the number of classes per month.
As for woodshop’s choice I can’t speak to since I missed the in person meeting due to work travel, going by the various PM threads on the matter.
Sounds like @Team_Woodshop will have 20 classes posted this month and ready for sign-up any day now…
Woodshop, like any other committee at the space, can not force anyone to teach. We have asked our teachers to help us meet our minimum goal, but it is up to them to volunteer.
Correct. And without a minimum number of classes each month, we may have to consider other measures. Nobody wants Committees to have to teach a minimum number of safety-related classes per month to keep their Committee areas open, but if it comes to that…
Scott
For one more time the classes Mark cancelled were due to severe allergies. I offered to pick up the last three, but I had a commitment that morning that I couldn’t break. So I couldn’t teach the first class and we had to cancel all four. Thee is nothing more or less to that story.
I am on vacation. I will forward to you the Woodshop agreed upon approach to reducing honorarium costs. I believe we have creatively addressed all of the constraints outline by the Treasurer.
The proposal will be posted once I get to a computer. And we are working on posters for the Woodshop to outline the training schedule
Once I get home I will be posting a series of required classes. So with the constraints of the calendar system you should see them in a couple of weeks
Thanks Mike. Much appreciated.
As an FYI I am backing off teaching the required courses at the moment. With the effort to reduce total classes I feel we have other instructors who can meet the number of courses. I will continue to teach here and there on project classes that build specific skills, but I don’t want any part of a headache of posting required courses then hitting a limit and whatnot.
If you want employees, hire some
then you can hold their job or a pay cut over them.
Else just be happy we have people like Mark & Mike that are willing to teach.
I’m sorry, did we miss something here? Was there a threat or something? Is it sour grapes on your part? If so can you just stop?
I’d say that wasn’t inspiring …
Mike, believe it or not, there are times when ‘getting shit done’ comes before ‘touchy, feely, inspirational glad-handing.
Choose exile or step up.
Or as the famous saying goes, ‘Lead, Follow, or get the hell out of the way’
“step up” how, or be “exiled” from what exactly?
I wonder who you think our target audience is?
It seems a good number of people don’t have a clue in that department …
Yes, there is a level of business required but it doesn’t have be veiled ultimatums … teach or close down woodshop? … Try from the other direction …
Sorry to tell you but emotions are a thing with many creative people … you knock “touchy, feely, inspirational glad-handing” and you knock a hell of a lot of the potential members …many of them have already left after a short time.
Yes, but are you taking us where we are best suited?
Here is a useful list of some characteristics, it might help.
Highly creative individuals may:
Display a great deal of curiosity about many things; are constantly asking questions about anything and everything; may have broad interests in many unrelated areas. May devise collections based on unusual things and interests.
Generate a large number of ideas or solutions to problems and questions; often offer unusual (“way out”), unique, clever responses.
Are often uninhibited in expressions of opinion; are sometimes radical and spirited in disagreement; are unusually tenacious or persistent — fixating on an idea or project.
Are willing to take risks, are often people who are described as a “high risk taker, or adventurous, or speculative.”
Exhibit a good deal of intellectual playfulness; may frequently be caught fantasizing, daydreaming or imagining. Often wonder out loud and might be heard saying, “I wonder what would happen if. . .”; or “What if we change . . …” Can manipulate ideas by easily changing, elaborating, adapting, improving, or modifying the original idea or the ideas of others.” Are often
concerned with improving the conceptual frameworks of institutions, objects, and systems.
Have keen senses of humor and see comicality in situations that may not appear to be humorous to others. Sometimes what they find funny, comic, or amusing may appear bizarre, inappropriate, or irreverent to others.
Are unusually aware of his or her impulses and are often more open to the irrational within him or herself. May freely display opposite gender characteristics — may be androgynous (freer expression of feminine interests in boys, or as males they are considered ultra sensitive, or greater than usual amount of independence, assertiveness, or aggressiveness for females).
Exhibit heightened emotional sensitivity. May be very sensitive to beauty, and visibly moved by aesthetic experiences.
Are frequently perceived as nonconforming; can often accept the disorder of chaotic environments or situations; are frequently not interested in details, are described as individualistic; or do not fear being classified as “different.”
Criticize constructively, and are unwilling to accept authoritarian pronouncements without overly critical self-examination.
Requiring training on a tool but not having enough classes (or any) is something we’ve run into before. The following are actions that can or have been taken to resolve the issue and allow members to access the tool(s):
If the tools aren’t accessible because of lack of volunteer interest, it’s not fair to keep them around but usable to a select few. Woodshop is a fairly large draw for new members, so it’s important that effort is taken so that members have access to the tools. If we can’t get volunteers to teach the current version of the class, it seems prudent to rollback to one of the shorter, single class, iterations we had before.
Step 1: cut honorarium pay in half.
Step 2: threaten committees and volunteers (see Scott’s posts)
Step 3: cut woodshop honorarium pay again, this time by 75%
Step 4: wonder why people stop volunteering to teach woodshop safety skills
I’m sorry, but if this is the “prudent” logic that leadership wishes to follow, I can’t support it.
Btw, the single iteration of the class was waaaaay longer. It’s a big reason nobody was volunteering to teach that one either.
Solution 1…I guess so. Many folks are adamant that flipped training isn’t an option so no training is supposed to be better?
Solution 2…kinda flies in the face of all the Tool Touters who swear our big collection of shiny toys is why people come. How bad are numbers going to fall with nothing in the space
Solution 3…that’s certainly been the battle cry of the side of the coin who think honorarium is an expendable program. Time will tell if that pans out for them. My gut says it won’t but I look forward to being pleasantly surprised
DMS didn’t start the day you showed up Mark. Andrew and I both can remember a time when not that many instructors even asked for honorariums, and “Volunteering” actually meant being a volunteer, and not a contract employee.
I stand firmly in my belief that Committees possessing a lot of dangerous equipment who fail to teach required safety training on a regular basis should be shut down until the safety training issue is fixed.
You see that as a threat?
I see it as the Board being responsible for its members.
As for your claim about me threatening volunteers…please do elaborate on that claim. I’m all ears, and I have all day.