In a statement from Richard Stagliano, President/CEO of Center For Family Services, he notes:

"Center For Family Services continues to recognize the many hardships in our ever changing world and vows to keep conversations around social justice going.

Too many people have insurmountable obstacles in their way. These obstacles are often in place not because of anything an individual has done wrong or because they are a “bad” person, but because they were born into an unfair system. This trauma and suffering often gets passed down from generation to generation, ensuring a cycle of oppression. Our society tends to live under the impression that everything is equal, that we all have the same opportunities in life. However, that’s not our reality. We do not all have equal access to prosperity. There are systems put in place to ensure that social privileges are only given to some.

Whether it’s voting rights being chipped away, the introduction of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, rampant gun violence, or structural racism, there are many stress-inducing social issues in our lives. These conditions negatively affect individuals, children, and communities. We cannot sit back and watch these injustices take place.

As staff of Center For Family Services, we have a responsibility to educate others, to advocate for policy change that will have a dramatic impact, and to ultimately do the right thing. After all, it is our mission to empower people and their communities. Many of us work with individuals who have been disadvantaged since day one. We see the negative impact that trauma caused by systemic failure has. We must not only work to help these individuals heal, but to create large-scale change.

Some may say that they are not interested in social justice or that their lives are not affected by systemic problems. We cannot be complicit. Our world is strengthened when we fight for the rights of one another. It’s possible to stand for individual freedom and collective community.

I encourage everyone to find a cause you care about or relate to and use your voice. You do not need to be a massive fighter to make a difference. There are smaller ways to stand up for what you believe in. Whether it’s calling your local officials or volunteering your actions are powerful.

At times, it may feel like there is nothing you can do to solve our society’s problems. We must not let that get in the way of making a difference. Remember why you got started, why you care. Think of social justice work as a marathon, not a sprint. We are in it for the long haul. It takes time to make systemic change and to change mindsets, but the pendulum does shift. Progress can be made.

Please remember to take care of yourself and one another while doing this critical yet intense work. You must incorporate self-care into all areas of your life. It’s important to never lose your sense of compassion and empathy. At the same time, you have to be able to take a step back and care for yourself. This means setting up boundaries, having a work life balance, taking time off, and talking to your support systems. Finding practices that work for you is key.

Wellness is about more than just self-care, it’s also a social justice issue. Social conditions shape our health, and if you experience social injustices your quality of life is negatively impacted. This can take the form of mental health issues, lower life expectancy, and higher rates of chronic disease. These health disparities are rooted in our society’s unequal distribution of resources. No one should have to bear these burdens and have their humanity ignored. Health and wellness are human rights.

Working towards a more perfect world is not easy, but by using our power to care for one another, treat others as human beings, and respect our differences we can accomplish significant change. We can only do this by collectively standing united for justice.

When we are on the side of social justice, we are on the right side."

Catch up on the recent live workshops and activities by viewing the recordings. These sessions support your wellness and your professional development and you are encouraged to watch at your convenience. 

Lunch & Learn - Recording

Lunch & Learns are professional development opportunities designed to support your cultural competency. You are encouraged to attend the sessions as a listening and learning opportunity to enhance your professional growth. The Lunch & Learn sessions are recorded to allow you to watch at any time convenient for you.

June Lunch & Learn Topic: LGBTQ+ History & Creating Affirming Environments

Recording Link

Access Passcode:
K%1#=YBJ

Wellness Workshops - Recordings

Our free, virtual wellness events and resources offer you an easy way to stay focused on your health and wellness. 

At Center For Family Services our staff are our greatest resource.

The Expert Angle is a collection of blog entries – written by you, our expert staff - with relevant information on various topics related to mental health, wellness, resources, and more . It’s a platform to help staff, community members, and other social service professionals to learn and grow. 

All staff are encouraged to check out the blog series and share articles with friends and family.

Read The Expert Angle

Thank you to all of you who have contributed to the blog series.

Have something to share? As an expert in your field, the Expert Angle offers an outlet for you to share your professional knowledge with the community, other nonprofit professionals, and staff. Contact PR to share your ideas for our next blog article. Your article contribution will make important information available to fellow staff and community members.

The New Hire Experience is an onboarding training experience like never before at Center For Family Services.

All staff and supervisors hired since January 2020 should plan to complete all assigned New Hire Experience training components. See below for directions and next steps for staff hired since January 2020 and info for staff to be hired in 2022.

The New Hire Experience brings a blended model of online, on paper, and interactive learning through Relias.  The training is learner-driven and supervisor-supported and provides new staff with important information, resources, and guidance. Tenured staff members are also able to access and review any courses within the New Hire Experience to brush up on changes, build skills, or learn new ideas.

All supervisors are asked to log into Relias today to check your “users” to make your staff are listed correctly. If you need to request changes, email the Relias Help Desk.

If you need a refresher on what to expect from the New Hire Experience, visit Relias to view the Supervisor Resources and a recorded Information Session. 

For assistance with your Relias account, including password reset, account activation, user or demographic changes, please email the Relias Help Desk.

For Staff Hired Since January 2020

All staff and supervisors hired since January 1, 2020 should plan to complete all assigned New Hire Experience training components based on the timeline listed below.

Pilot participants who completed all courses do not need to repeat the New Hire Experience.

Pilot supervisors or staff who started but did not complete all courses, are required to log in to Relias to complete all assigned training components.

New Hire Experience Timeline:

• Assigned - Dec 6, 2021
• Day 1 - due Dec 31, 2021
• Learning Series 1 - Due Jan 14, 2022
• Learning Series 2 - Due Feb 25, 2022
• Live-Virtual Interactive Series - Due April 1, 2022

For New Hires in 2022

All new hires that start on or after January 3, 2022 will have standard timelines corresponding to their hire date.  Please review the Supervisor Resources for more information on the Training Plans and timelines. 

Center For Family Services is a top workplace in our region. You can help expand our team with new, talented staff members. 

You can benefit from cash bonuses to support recruitment, hiring, and retention. Our new Referral and Retention Bonus Incentives are effective from July 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021. Take advantage of the referral bonus incentive and help us grow our outstanding team of employees.

Staff Referral Bonus - a bonus opportunity for current staff

As a current staff member, you can be our best resource for recruitment. To honor and appreciate your support in recruitment, you will receive a $300 cash incentive referral bonus if you refer a qualified candidate who is hired and remains employed for 120 days or more. To refer a potential employee, download the Staff Referral Form and return it along with a copy of the prospective candidate's resume to the HR department. The form must be received prior to the candidate starting.

 Staff Referral Form

Sign On Bonus - a bonus opportunity for new hires

Center For Family Services is also offering hiring sign-on bonuses to applicants who are hired and maintain employment. 
 

1.  Full Time Staff - Employees hired starting July 1, 2021 are eligible for a $500 sign-on, non-committal, onboarding bonus.  Bonuses are paid at $250.00 upon hire and $250.00 at the successful completion of the 120-day orientation period.  Human Resources will submit authorization to pay.

2.  Sign-On Bonus - Licensed - Licensed staff are eligible for a $1500.00 one-time retention incentive.  This is a 12-month commitment incentive and requires agreement of such during on-boarding.  If the staff leaves before the conclusion of the 12-month agreement, the incentive will be reimbursed.  Human Resources will secure agreement.

3.  Sign-On Bonus - Clinical - Clinical staff are eligible for a $3000.00 one-time retention incentive. This is a 12-month commitment incentive and requires agreement of such during on-boarding.  If the staff leaves before the conclusion of the 12-month agreement, the incentive will be reimbursed.  Human Resources will secure agreement.

Part-Time (Fee For Service not included)

1.  Sign-On Bonus - P/T Employees hired starting July 1, 2021 are eligible for a $250 sign on, non-committal, onboarding bonus.  Bonuses are paid at $125.00 upon hire and $125.00 at the successful completion of the 120-day orientation period.  Human Resources will submit authorization to pay.

2.  P/T Sign-On Bonus - Licensed - Licensed staff are eligible for a $750.00 one-time retention incentive.  This is a 12-month commitment incentive and requires agreement of such during on-boarding.  If the staff leaves before the conclusion of the 12-month agreement, the incentive will be reimbursed.  Human Resources will secure agreement.

3.  P/T Sign-On Bonus - Clinical - Clinical staff are eligible for a $1500.00 one-time retention incentive. This is a 12-month commitment incentive and requires agreement of such during on-boarding.  If the staff leaves before the conclusion of the 12-month agreement, the incentive will be reimbursed.  Human Resources will secure agreement. 

Email Standards and Etiquette Guidelines

Staff are asked to follow these email standards and etiquette guidelines when sending emails on behalf of Center For Family Services. These guidelines pertain both to internal and external emails. The standards promote branding and professional appearance.
 

1. Include a signature block that follows our branding guidelines

All staff are asked to use a classic, professional font such as Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman for your signature block. Be sure the font and font size in your signature block is consistent in all lines of your signature. Please avoid signature add-ons, including quotes or background colors.  

Please follow this format for your email signature block. Use a classic font such as Arial, Times New Roman or Calibri (no italics):

           First/Last Name
           Pronouns (optional)
           Job Title
           Center For Family Services
           Email Address
           Work Phone
           Cell Phone (if you have an agency cell number)
           Fax (optional)
           centerffs.org

           Follow Center For Family Services on social media (optional)

           Agency Branded Image (optional). Directions for the branded image can be found on the PR section of the website.

This communication, including attachments, is confidential, may be subject to legal privileges, and is intended for the sole use of the addressee. Any use, duplication, disclosure or dissemination of this communication, other than by the addressed, is prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete or destroy this communication and all copies.

2. Keep your fonts classic

You want your emails to be easy for other people to read, so be sure to keep fonts, colors and sizes to a 10- or 12- point type and an easy-to-read font such as Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman.

3. Be sure to include a clear, direct subject line

People may decide whether to open your message based on your subject line, so be sure to include a clear subject. Here are a few examples of good subject lines: "Meeting date changed", "Quick question about your program", or "Suggestions for the agenda”.  Please be sure to avoid sending an email without a subject line.

4. Think twice before sending an email to the all staff listserv or to the supervisors listserv

Does your message pertain to all or most of our 1500 employees across the state of New Jersey? Or to most of our 120 supervisors across the state? If not, then please do not send to the all staff listserv or to the all supervisors listserv. For example, if your message pertains only to Gloucester County programs then you are asked to avoid sending to the all employees listserv or to the supervisors listserv.

5. Think twice before hitting 'reply all'

Always refrain from hitting "reply all", unless you really think everyone on the list needs to receive the email. Take a few extra seconds to make sure you don’t accidently hit “reply all” as this fills other people’s inboxes unnecessarily.

Always avoid “reply all” if you your message is intended for a single staff person. For instance if you are congratulating a staff person, you should avoid sending the message to everyone on the email.


6. Use professional salutations

Start your message with “Hi” or “Hello” or “Good Morning/Afternoon”. Always avoid laid-back expressions like, "Hey you guys". 
 

7. Be mindful of wording

Always say please and thank you. Avoid negative words such as failure, disappointed, neglected, or wrong.
 

8. Use exclamation points sparingly

If you choose to use an exclamation point, use only one to convey excitement.
 

9. Keep tabs on your tone

The goal is for a friendly tone to your emails. Always read your message out- loud before hitting send. If it sounds harsh or abrupt to you then it will sound harsh or abrupt to the reader. Tone in an email can be easily confused without the context from vocal cues and facial expressions.
 

10. Be cautious with humor

Humor and jokes can often get lost in translation, especially without the context of tone or facial expressions. In a professional exchange, it is best to leave humor out of emails unless you know the recipient well. When in doubt, leave it out.
 

11. Be sure to proofread every message

Read and re-read your email a few times, preferably aloud, before sending it off. Consider downloading the free app Grammarly Keyboard to help improve grammar and spelling. Take a few extra seconds to double check to ensure you selected the correct recipient.
 

12. Nothing is confidential--so write accordingly

Assume that others will see what you write. Avoid writing anything you wouldn't want others to see.

Thank you for following these guidelines which help promote branding and professional appearance.

The VOIP phone system makes it easy for you to forward calls, receive messages from various phone lines, and view your voicemail messages via email. 

But, if your mailbox is full, you may be missing important messages, and calls are unable to leave messages. To ensure we are providing the best customer service experience, please take a few minutes to check all land lines and cell phone lines associated with your programs to make sure:

1) Your voice mail greeting is active, both for your program landlines and cell phone lines
2) Your mailboxes are not full. Be sure to delete old messages, especially if you are viewing your messages via email. Note: deleting the email does not empty your voice mail box.
3) Your call forwarding is set up and working correctly, if applicable.

As a reminder, information on how to set up your voicemail greeting can be found here:

PR Guidelines

Thank you for checking to make sure your voicemail is setup!

Supervisors and Staff -

Please take a few minutes to check the phone numbers listed on the website and on your program brochures to make sure they are accurate. Please call the numbers to confirm whether the lines are in service, and check to make sure a voice mail greeting is set up that meets agency PR standards. If assistance is need, please contact PR or IT. 

Here is a link to the e3 community with step by step directions on the many functions of e3:

e3 Community