ML22271A904

Appendix J - Other NRC Working Groups Summary

ML22271A904
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Issue date:	09/29/2022
From:	Aaron Mccraw, Sean Peters NRC/EDO/AO, NRC/RGN-III
To:	NRC/EDO
Peters S
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Appendix J - Other NRC Working Groups Summary Report

Introduction

On April 20, 2022, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commissions Executive Director for Operations created the Hybrid Environment Assessment and Review Team (HEART) to provide recommendations to Agency Senior Leadership on how to optimize organizational health in a hybrid work environment now and in the future. The HEART, a group of NRC employees with diverse perspectives and experiences from across the agency, performed extensive research and outreach both internal and external to the NRC to identify best practices and recommendations to optimize the NRCs hybrid working experience.

As one component of its internal research, HEART solicited data and information from across the agency about staff experiences in our hybrid environment. The HEART reached out to internal offices and regions to gain more information about what they were hearing from staff through their ongoing outreach efforts. Also, HEART met with various initiatives to obtain feedback about recruitment and retention in the hybrid environment.

The purpose of this report is to summarize the lessons learned and feedback received through internal outreach. This report is structured into 9 sections: (A) The Office on Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR), (B) The Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards (NMSS), (C) The Hiring Initiative to Recruit and Employ at the NRC (#HIRENRC!), (D) Executive Director for Operations (EDO) Townhall, (E) Summer Hire and Supervisor Feedback, (F) Cultivating Culture Conversations, (G) The Nuclear Regulator Apprenticeship Network (NRAN), (H) Region I (RI)

Organizational Effectiveness Working Group, and (I) Region II (RII) Organizational Effectiveness Analysis.

A. The Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR)

The Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) hybrid working group (WG) hosted 5 check-in meetings to serve as venues for NRR staff and branch chiefs to provide open and honest feedback, recommendations, and/or suggestions to the WG on specific focus areas related to working in a hybrid environment. The WG planned to conduct 11 check-in meetings, in all, focusing on recommendations on transitioning back from extended flexibilities for project-based telework, in-person meetings and comfort levels, communications as an office, communications amongst divisions, maximizing the effectiveness of in-person time, onboarding new employees in a hybrid environment, hybrid meetings, career development, positive culture, and the telework process.

1. First Check-in Meeting

On March 1, 2022, the WG hosted their first check-in meeting to obtain recommendations on transitioning back to the office from project-based telework. The WG asked 6 polling questions to help facilitate the discussion during the meeting. Approximately 227 staff members attended the meeting. Based on the results of the polling questions and staff and branch chief feedback, the WG developed recommendations for the NRR Executive Team (ET) and Leadership Team (LT) consideration. The WG recommendations included:

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1. Provide culture related staff feedback to the OEDO/NRR culture team to identify specific actions to track progress.

2. Bring awareness to existing agency activities, decisions that address the staffs feedback on reentry and working in a hybrid environment (e.g., NRR Executive Team Send Welcome Back email to the staff: highlight mask expectations, reference the NRR Best Practices SharePoint site).

3. NRR hybrid WG update Best Practices SharePoint site: develop best practices to help communicate comfort level for interactions and develop best practices for identifying in-person vs. telework schedules.

4. Develop NRR Teams channel and re-organize existing NRR channels as subchannels to informally communicate with the staff. Demo the NRR Teams channel during an NRR All-Hands meeting.

5. NRR hybrid WG coordinate with the Office of Administration (ADM) to understand actions completed to ready the building for reentry and a hybrid working environment:

cafeteria status, restocking of vending machines, temperature settings in the building, etc.

6. Plan to reassess staff comfort level within person interactions and meetings given the new mask requirements during the next check-in meeting, March 14, 2022: In-person Meetings and Comfort Level.

During the meeting, the staff disagreed with the idea of having core days to be in the office. The concern of having core days for staff on the same floor defeats the purpose of increasing telework days to reduce the number of people in the building to prevent the spread of COVID. It was noted that some divisions have already implemented core days, but it was also noted that core days could not be established now because approved telework requests already identify the days that staff are scheduled to come into the office. No action was taken from this feedback.

2. Second Check-in Meeting

On March 14, 2022, the WG hosted their second check-in meeting to obtain information on in-person meetings and comfort levels. Some of the discussion areas included establishing rules of engagement and strategies for optimizing benefits of in office time while respecting individual comfort levels. The WG asked 4 polling questions to help facilitate the discussion during the meeting. Approximately 188 staff members attended the meeting. Based on the results of the polling questions and staff and branch chief feedback, the WG provided the recommendations below:

1. Coordinate with NRR ET/LT to develop policy/expectations for attending meetings in-person (e.g., changing telework days to support a meeting in-person, management support of staff autonomy to make their own decisions about their own personal comfort level and attending meetings in-person or virtually, etc.).

2. Coordinate with the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) to understand their expectations/guidance for telework (e.g., attending meetings virtually vs. in-person, camera use, etc.). Also, understand how their expectations/guidance aligns with the staffs telework agreement language.

3. Update guidelines or best practices, as needed, to assist the staff with planning for various meetings (internal meetings, public meetings, etc.). The guidelines should focus on achieving the best outcome or the objectives of the meeting, but the guidelines should also consider (define) safety and staff comfort levels with attending meetings.

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4. Contact the COVID resource team to understand if the COVID-19 Safety Measures (masking guidance) consider persons travelling from areas with a different or higher COVID-19 community level than at headquarters (i.e., high to low). If not, provide the staffs feedback to the COVID resource team for consideration to update the Safety Measures guidance.

5. Contact ADM to understand their health and safety measures (cleaning routines, conference room capacity restrictions, etc.). Also, explore the possibility of having each conference room being supplied with disinfectant for staff use.

6. Provide staff feedback on culture to the NRR Culture Team (meeting etiquette, masking support, etc.). Coordinate with the culture team to identify any necessary actions.

7. Coordinate with the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) to fully understand the capabilities of TEAMS and potentially setup demo sessions for the staff.

3. Third and Fourth Check-in Meeting

On May 18, 2022, and June 7, 2022, the WG hosted their third an d fourth check-in meetings.

These discussions focused on current communications within the office and amongst divisions, including obtaining feedback on developing an NRR-wide Teams Ch annel. The WG asked 7 polling questions to help facilitate the discussion during the meeting. Approximately 115 and 170 staff members attended the third and fourth meetings. Based on the results of the polling questions and staff and branch chief feedback from the third and fourth c heck-in meetings, the WG provided the recommendations below:

1. Table the rollout of the Microsoft Teams Channel to a later date. This will minimize overwhelming the staff with a new initiative as the staff adjusts to our hybrid work environment. In addition, this will allow NRR to coordinate with the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) to understand the agencys future use of Teams.

2. Consolidate information for all NRR initiatives, information, and announcements to one or two locations. Consolidation should include plans (or reinforcing the existing structure) for maintaining the information and determining the appropriate method for communicating with staff (e.g., type of communication, prioritization, frequency, etc.).

3. With the office-wide Teams channel on hold, update the NRR SharePoint site or explore and promote existing sites that provide staff acknowledgements, social events, and other topics of interest.

4. Fifth Check-in Meeting

On June 29, 2022, the WG hosted their fifth check-in meeting to obtain information on maximizing the effectiveness of in-person time. This meeting focused on maximizing the effectiveness of in-person time. The WG asked 7 polling questions to help facilitate the discussion during the meeting. Approximately 160 staff members attended the meeting. Based on the results of the polling questions and staff and branch chief feedback, the WG provided the recommendations below:

1. The hybrid WG should compile a list of team building activities, dependent on an individuals comfort level and our hybrid environment (i.e., inclusive of in-person and telework employees). The list will be comprised of current activities NRR is completing, in addition to recommended activities.

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2. The ET/LT should encourage the Branch chiefs to have conversations with their staff (e.g., during branch meetings) to understand their staffs comfort levels to identify appropriate team building activities [Note: This recommendation is voluntarily and is not intended to force or mandate interactions. The WG recognizes that some branches have already done this or are already performing adequately and efficiently in this environment.].

3. The ET/LT should host an office-wide social event for the staff (optional/voluntary) that is appropriate for the current environment (e.g., ice cream social hosted on the front green of headquarters). This event can coincide with an NRR All-hands meeting. The WG also supports and advertises staff led efforts such as Coffee Connections hosted by Jessica Hammock, NRR Teams Social created by Justin Vazquez, and the New Employees Resource created by Bill Roggenbrodt in Nuclepedia.

4. The hybrid WG should coordinate with the OCIO to identify options to better determine who is in the office on any given day (outside someones branch/division).

In summary, the staff has safety concerns with interacting with their colleagues in close quarters with the ongoing pandemic but recognizes the value of in-person interactions (e.g., team building).

B. The Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards (NMSS)

The Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) hosted a reentry check-in meeting, on December 13, 2021, to gather feedback and promote dialogue on NMSS reentry and the hybrid working environment. During the meeting, staff discussed items that should be completed, challenges, and what is currently working in the hybrid work environment.

The first question addressed changes that need to be made regarding re-entry and the hybrid work environment. The staff had questions and concerns about the difference between remote work and in-office work in response to this question. Since this is a policy item, the staff believed that it should be addressed at the agency level. Also, food and coffee availability, knowledge management and turn-over, and the rule making process, regarding work breakdown structure, were items of concern. Staff also mentioned that E-Concurrence, SharePoint, training needing to fit into the hybrid environment, availability of noise canceling headphones, sanitizer, air filtration devices, and following COVID protocols when using huddle rooms should be considered.

The second question focused on what is currently working or what is not working within the hybrid work environment, missing opportunities, and associated good habits. Some challenges that the staff has faced are information technology (IT) logistics for and during hybrid meetings.

Using IT or hybrid meeting experienced facilitators to conduct a dry run or support meetings could alleviate this issue of concern. Developing habits to arrange in-person meeting rooms as a routine for hybrid meetings will allow staff to embrace hybrid meetings as an operational norm.

There were mixed results about building relationships and interactions while being remote or in person. Some of the staff felt that there are more opportunities to connect while in the office, while some believe that working remotely allows them to connect with more people via Teams.

Another observation that was made is that staff participates in more meetings by multitasking with Teams by switching between meetings, and it is harder to do that during in-person meetings. Some other discussion topics included mental health concerns, recruitment and retention, snacks, and temperature in the building.

J-4 C. #HIRENRC!

The #Hiring Initiative to Recruit and Employ at the NRC (#HIRENRC!) was envisioned to aid in the execution of the EDOs hiring task goal through cross office collaboration. The activities and tasks included under the strategy are intended to supplement efforts currently being undertaken within individual offices and regions. The strategy promotes several objectives, including being collaborative to represent diverse stakeholders, being agile to adapt to changing environmental factors, and being daring to seek improvement through innovation and technology. This effort directly supports the Organizational Health Objective in the NRCs Fiscal Years 2022-2026 Strategic Plan to attract, develop, and maintain a high-performing, diverse, engaged, and flexible workforce with the skills needed to carry out the NRCs mission now and in the future.

1. HIRENRC! emphasizes six focus areas, all of which are consistent with the activities currently recommended by the Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO) and occurring within individual offices. This includes communicating across organizations to identify best practices and challenges, identifying areas of collaboration, working together on the highest hiring priority tasks and activities, executing forward leaning recruitment strategies, measuring and mentoring success, and considering longer-term process improvements. #HIRENRC! is broken up into seven teams: core team, position description, resume review, administrative assistant hiring, branch chief/technical assistant hiring, onboarding, and recruitment.

The onboarding team is facilitating a high-quality and well-coordinated onboarding experience for new colleagues. They will develop a process map on the current onboarding process, outline roles and responsibilities for onboarding activities, identify and share best practices, and develop and facilitate solutions to fill gaps. Also, the team will develop and provide resources, useful tools, and other key pieces of information to assist new employees in familiarizing themselves with the agency. Once onboarding is completed, the team will follow up with new employees to obtain feedback on their experience and identify lessons learned and recommendations for future implementation.

The recruitment team is facilitating support for traditional NRC recruitment events in conjunction with developing and implementing a more strategic comprehensive recruitment approach. The team will work with OCHCO to develop a diverse and inclusive recruitment strategy that enables and supports NRCs execution of current and future hiring needs. The team plans to fully support recruitment events, virtual/hybrid career fairs, and information sessions.

D. EDO Townhall

On March 30, 2022, the EDO hosted a virtual Town Hall Meeting. This was an opportunity to engage with the staff to address issues of concern for the majority of the NRC workforce.

Approximately 1,940 staff members attended the meeting. The HEART team asked 2 polling questions to help facilitate the discussion about the hybrid work environment, and a third polling question was asked regarding the future of staff careers at the NRC.

The first and second polling questions received 947 staff responses. Based on the results, 46 percent of staff think that maintaining work-life balance is a primary concern about the hybrid work environment, 24 percent think that prioritizing health and safety is a primary concern, and 11 percent had no immediate concerns. Most of the staff, approximately 53 percent, think that the adopting more flexible work models should be NRCs top priority when exploring strategies and solutions for the future hybrid work environment, while 16 percent of staff believe it should be optimizing work-life balance.

J-5 The third polling question received 912 responses. Approximately 45 percent of the staff believed that telework flexibilities is the most important factor when staff is considering their career at the NRC while 25 percent of staff thought it was career advancement or promotion opportunities.

E. Summer Hire and Supervisor Feedback

On June 24, 2022, and July 2, 2022, the Office of the Chief Hum an Capital Officer (OCHCO),

solicited feedback from the summer hires and their supervisors about their experience at the NRC, including feedback about their hybrid work experience. The first survey posed 7 polling questions to the summer hires and 5 polling questions to the supervisors. Approximately 53 summer hires and 43 supervisors responded. Overall, 98 percent of supervisors stated that their student hire has been able to successfully interact with them and other branch members in the current hybrid work environment. Feedback from the supervisors stated that summer hires would like to have office face-to-face interactions; however, it was challenging because staff members were not in the office on the same days the intern was in the office. Also, supervisors stated that training new employees remotely was difficult. Supervisors believe that summer hires should come into the office to network and build connections.

The second survey posed 4 polling questions to the summer hires and 1 polling question to the supervisors. Approximately 59 summer hires and 42 supervisors responded. Feedback from the summer hires stated that it was difficult to build connections and meet new people when staff was not in the office. On some days, only the summer hires would be in the office. Supervisor feedback suggested placing the summer hires on the same floor which would allow them to create meaningful moments that matter, collaborate, and share experiences.

F. Cultivating Culture Conversations

The Agency Culture Team hosts monthly events to discuss updates and activities related to our agency culture. On Thursday, July 28, 2022, the Agency Culture Team hosted a Cultivating Culture Conversations on Organizational Health.

During the meeting, HEART provided a status update on our goals and benchmarking efforts.

HEART asked a polling question, How connected do you feel with your coworkers in the hybrid environment?, to help facilitate a discussion on connectedness in the hybrid environment.

Approximately 75 staff members attended. The polling questions results were 45 percent for very connected, 51 percent for occasionally connected, and 4 pe rcent for disconnected. As a follow-up to the polling question, staff engaged in a discussion about different ways the agency could be more intentional about connecting with our colleagues in the hybrid environment.

Staff provided two viewpoints about being connected within the hybrid environment. Some staff members felt that they can build relationships and connections during the remote environment because they have the technology and resources to do so. When staff is in the office, building relationships in person can or cannot happen. This is due to the limited number of staff members in the office on certain days. However, other staff members expressed missing those impromptu conversations that would happen in the office. While in the virtual environment, coffee chats, tea times, and informal conversations have allowed them to remain connected with their coworkers and create a sense of comradery. Setting aside the time to build relationships and connect with coworkers is necessary.

J-6 G. The Nuclear Regulator Apprenticeship Network (NRAN)

The Nuclear Regulator Apprenticeship Network (NRAN) cohort conducted group projects, and Group E, John Grasso, Emma Haywood, and Karen Sida, developed a Nuclepedia page on the Hybrid Work Environment Lessons Learned and Other Resources. The goal of this project was to collect lessons learned or real-time experiences on how the NRC workforce has used the agency best practices and norms for hybrid work environments.

The group created an interactive, living page so future contributions can be added by staff. All NRC employees can share any important lessons that they learned regarding the hybrid work environment. Also, the page is a centralized location for the several documents and guidance from the various offices and working groups. Employees are encouraged to continue to update the page and share lessons learned which will help employees discover ways to work more effectively and efficiently in the hybrid work environment.

H. RI Organizational Effectiveness Working Group

A working group comprised of RI staff members performed an analysis of optimizing organizational effectiveness through sustaining regional culture. The working group devised recommendations for RI leaderships consideration to improve and sustain organizational effectiveness and culture in an increasingly distributed environment. The working group based their recommendations on data collected from discussions with staff and surveys, engagement across the regions with other similar working groups, benchmarking with other Federal agencies, and input from an independent third-party consultant. The recom mendations were rated by benefit/cost and which attribute of organizational effectiveness the action would address.

The working group recommended various hybrid etiquette type actions that impact organizational effectiveness such as maintaining calendars to understand which staff are working from where and which staff are available to respond to emergent issues and best practices for conducting hybrid meetings. Additional culture building recommendations were also emphasized and included taking actions to sustain levels of engagement throughout the organization. The working group also made recommendations related to setting goals to decrease isolation and increase engagement and relationship building in a hybrid environment with intentional interactions for management engagement with staff. Notably, the working group also evaluated increased telework for regional employees and recommended determinations made on a case-by-case basis with approval authority at a lower level of management and performing a position-specific evaluation and designating specific portable duties and duties that must be performed in person.

I. RII Organizational Effectiveness Analysis

Strategic Consulting Partners (SCP) supported the NRC in an ana lysis of organizational effectiveness to support the development of a pilot for a blended work environment that maximizes the value of time in the office by focusing on organizational effectiveness activities.

SCP performed research, collected data and feedback from RII senior leaders, managers, and staff and found the following key implications for NRC RII. The primary contributors to organizational effectiveness include: (1) shared purpose/results, (2) affirmative culture/trust, (3) staff engagement/communications, (4) agility, and (5) shared commitments/accountability.

These contributors could be enhanced via some face-to-face interaction in the region. However, SCPs research indicates that an employees ability to self-direct and manage their own work

J-7 processes is a positive factor of remote work supporting increased productivity, reduced absenteeism, and improved engagement.

SCP suggests that RII consider requiring employees to work onsite periodically where activities to build relationships, culture transfer to new employees, and team building are emphasized. There is no absolute solution in teambuilding for remote/onsite teams and SCP suggests a further diagnostic analysis to determine where additional value in team building efforts can be gained.

Team building efforts should focus on teambuilding within an organizational unit but also cross-cut organizations throughout the Region.

RII also looked to increase and maintain trust in their efforts. SCP found that developing, building, and keeping trust faced the same hurdles and conditions in virtual and collocated teams.

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