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1 <?xml version='1.0'?>
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2 <?xml-stylesheet type='text/xsl' href='../../../lib/xml/doc.xsl'?>
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3 <!DOCTYPE doc SYSTEM "../../../lib/xml/doc.dtd" [
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4 <!ENTITY pound '£'>
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5 ]>
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6 <doc>
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7 <head>
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8 <title>Future of 7 VT working group: Tenth meeting</title>
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9 <author>This informal summary by Henry S. Thompson, Convenor</author>
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10 <date>Held at 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh on 1 May 2009, 5:30 p.m.</date>
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11 </head>
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12 <body>
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13 <div>
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14 <title>Attendance</title>
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15 <p>Present: Alison Burnley, Sue Buxton (in part), Anthony Buxton (in part), Madeleine Harding,
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16 Phil Lucas, Brian Mayes, Laurie Naumann
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17 Eileen Schott, Henry Thompson (in the clerk's chair)</p>
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18 <p>Prevented: Rufus Reade</p>
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19 </div>
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20 <div>
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21 <title>Discussion with Meeting House Managers</title>
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22 <p>SB began by showing us the Staff Handbook—57 pages of guidance for
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23 our staff, as a counterweight to suggestions that we don't need staff, or that
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24 volunteer staff could do as well as paid staff.</p>
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25 <p>SB shared her view of what her tasks were, although a 'typical' day doesn't
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26 really exist. Although the Manager role is notionally a job-share, it is often the
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27 case that both SB and AB are here, along with Tom Nisbet sometimes. Rough
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28 distribution of responsibilities is</p>
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29 <list>
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30 <item>office: AB;</item>
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31 <item>maintenance and AV invoicing:
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32 TN;</item>
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33 <item>bookings and public face: SB.</item>
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34 </list>
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35 <p>Through the day with SB: 0745: open up, check kitchen if hot water needs to be turned on;
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36 0800 Early-bird meeting;
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37 0830 Prepare for 0900 entries (some days three groups, some days none);
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38 0900 Group arrival, catering (catering drinks for a group takes a number of
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39 tasks, at roughly 1.5/2 hour intervals.
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40 [Caterers may arrive any time after 0900 for 1300 lunch, in which case stuff
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41 may need refridgerated and then taken out and served.]</p>
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42 <p>Also during the morning, with help from assistant, work through booking
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43 requests from phone, email overnight.</p>
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44 <p>Trying to close between end of day lettings and evening staff opening is
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45 rarely possible.</p>
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46 <p>Post-group cleanup has been simplified since no food in Meeting Room, but
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47 even there sometimes hovering is required/usually done.</p>
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48 <p>The evening staff like to have a set of tasks, e.g. ironing, for when they have a lull,
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49 but if a group keeps them busy they don't get to them.</p>
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50 <p>The bookshop takes time, as we are now recognised as a bookshop by
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51 Friends House bookshop</p>
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52 <p>SB cleans the kitchen on a regular basis.</p>
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53 <p>Window displays: we do try to put a topical display up for a big group, and sometimes that
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54 needs staff help, for instance finding materials: Jane Angel does a lot, but
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55 sometimes gets help.</p>
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56 <p>Kitchen stock taking, and ordering. Similarly for cleaning and toilet supplies.</p>
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57 <p>BM reported that Sheffield meeting has 4--6 full-time staff, plus
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58 part-timers. What is the right full staffing level for 7VT? S & A said the
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59 flexibility of the part-timers works well, because it allows them to balance
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60 staffing with demand from lettings. HST suggested to clarify that it's the
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61 full-time appointment that matters. AB said that in fact they are both working
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62 full-time 8 1/2 hours a day for four days (M--Th). Originally they were working
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63 alternate Sundays to make it up to 36, but that has been stopped, and SB said
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64 that has improved her engagement as a member of the Meeting. Using temporary
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65 staff as primary staff on Sunday.</p>
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66 <p>There is one paid cleaner in 6 days a week early in the mornings, mostly
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67 toilets and floors, but not the kitchen.</p>
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68 <p>AB spends most of his time in the office: email takes a lot of time (30+
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69 a day, more on Mondays). Some is forwarded, but a lot is enquiries. This is
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70 where all the Festival stuff comes in. At certain times of year that can be a
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71 very time-consuming task. Fringe admin involves a lot of liaison work with both companies and
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72 volunteers, as well as liaison 'upwards': with the Fringe committee and the
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73 association of independent venues. Oversight of all the maintenance work, and,
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74 for work that TN doesn't do, dealing with quotes/contractors/etc. CCTV, Lifts,
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75 Doors, Dishwashers,. . . are all on contract. Recycling (which we pay for). Financial work: bills and invoices for the running of the Meeting
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76 House. During building work, AB was involved with a lot of co-ordination. Chases all late payers for lettings. All the general practical correspondence.</p>
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77 <p>While AB and SB are on holiday, some things are suspended (including most
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78 email processing), but most work
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79 gets done by the Assistant Manager. Obviously there is both preparation in
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80 advance and extra work on return.</p>
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81 <p>Quaker presence: Displays in the Foyer, keeping the website up-to-date, brochures.</p>
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82 <p>We came back to the FTE question. 9am to 10pm 6 days a week open, plus 5
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83 hours on a Sunday. HST pointed out that between SB&AB working roughly
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84 34/wk each, and TN doing 3 days a week, we are well over two 'permanent' staff,
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85 in addition to the casual labour which is adjusted to meet demand. Cathy,
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86 McCarron, Andrew
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87 Farrar, Lee Marlow, Emma Dumment, Mike Stokes, Amy Naumann, Philip Davis are
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88 all in for differing amounts of time.</p>
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89 <p>MH asked if this was substantially different from how things were before
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90 the Buxtons arrived. There is more staff, somewhat less lettings/other us, transfer of work
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91 from Treasurer. Under-staffing does not seem to be directly responsible for any
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92 reduction in lettings.</p>
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93 <p>We will have to return to this when we come to the report, as the
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94 question of sustainability of our current lettings/staffing/usage policy for
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95 our discussion of options and their costs and benefits.</p>
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96 </div>
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97 <div>
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98 <title>Form followup</title>
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99 <list type="defn">
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100 <item term="Lettings comparison">ES has gotten some more info re
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101 smaller out-of-town sites, no large ones available. HST has this and will feed it in to the report.</item>
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102 <item term="Quaker groups">MH has re-circulated an updated tabulation.
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103 Library C'ttee will reply this week.</item>
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104 <item term="Central Edinburgh">HST has circulated a tabulation of the replies, and is still working on copying the individual comments.</item>
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105 <item term="Local meetings">PL has had replies from Midweek Meeting, East Lothian and
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106 Central Fife, pretty much as expected. Kelso will reply this week.</item>
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107 <item term="MH staff">PL has circulated a "discerned corporate response"
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108 from a meeting of MH staff, as well as an individual one from AF.</item>
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109 </list>
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110 </div>
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111 <div>
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112 <title>First open meeting review and second open meeting preparation</title>
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113 <p>A general feeling was expressed that the meeting went well, with a good
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114 atmosphere.</p>
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115 <p>PL and MH reported that the outlying meetings were generally positive,
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116 appreciate the building and what was offered,
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117 but not terribly engaged with the issue.</p>
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118 <p>"We may be impartial, but we're not neutral".</p>
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119 <p>We see no need for Monday's arrangements to be any different than
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120 originally planned:</p>
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121 <list><item>HST to introduce</item>
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122 <item>LN to take notes</item>
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123 <item>PL, MH, BM, ES will also attend.</item></list>
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124 </div>
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125 <div>
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126 <title>Actions review and new actions</title>
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127 <p>HST to circulate via email a proposal for report-writing responsibilities.</p>
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128 </div>
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129 <div>
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130 <title>Next Meetings</title>
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131 <p>Our next meeting will be at 7 Victoria Terrace at 5:30pm on Friday 15 May
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132 [RR apologies]. We
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133 tentatively agreed on Friday 29 May 5:30pm [apologies MH, ML] for our next (and final) meeting after that.</p>
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134 <p>We currently expect HST, PL, BM, ES, AB, MH at Area Meeting in Fife on 6 June</p>
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135 </div>
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136 </body>
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137 </doc>
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