|
23
|
1 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
|
|
|
2 <!DOCTYPE html
|
|
|
3 PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
|
|
|
4 <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta name="copyright" content="Copyright (C) 2007 Henry S. Thompson"/><meta http-equiv="Content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"/><style type="text/css">
|
|
|
5 @page { size: A4 portrait; margin: 2cm}
|
|
|
6 @media screen {
|
|
|
7 body {width: 20cm; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto}
|
|
|
8 }
|
|
|
9 body {font-size: 12pt}
|
|
|
10 pre.code {font-family: monospace}
|
|
|
11 pre {margin-left: 0em}
|
|
|
12 ul.nolabel { margin: 0; margin-left: -2.5em}
|
|
|
13 ul.naked li { list-style-type: none }
|
|
|
14 ol ol {list-style-type: lower-alpha}
|
|
|
15 div.ndli { margin-bottom: 1ex }
|
|
|
16 .math {font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', serif}
|
|
|
17 .sub {font-size: 80%; vertical-align: sub}
|
|
|
18 .termref {text-decoration: none; color: #606000}
|
|
|
19 div.toc h2 {font-size: 120%; margin-top: 0em; margin-bottom: 0em}
|
|
|
20 div.toc h4 {font-size: 100%; margin-top: 0em; margin-bottom: 0em;
|
|
|
21 margin-left: 1em}
|
|
|
22 div.toc h1 {font-size: 140%; margin-bottom: 0em}
|
|
|
23 div.toc ul {margin-top: 1ex}
|
|
|
24 .byline {font-size: 120%}
|
|
|
25 div.figure {margin-left: 2em}
|
|
|
26 div.caption {font-style: italic; font-weight: bold}
|
|
|
27 i i {font-style: normal}
|
|
|
28 </style><title>Future of 7 VT working group: Tenth meeting</title></head><body style="font-family: DejaVu Sans, Arial; background: rgb(254,250,246)"><div style="text-align: center"><h1>Future of 7 VT working group: Tenth meeting</h1><div class="byline">This informal summary by Henry S. Thompson, Convenor</div><div class="byline">Held at 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh on 1 May 2009, 5:30 p.m.</div></div><div><h2>1. Attendance</h2><p>Present: Alison Burnley, Sue Buxton (in part), Anthony Buxton (in part), Madeleine Harding,
|
|
|
29 Phil Lucas, Brian Mayes, Laurie Naumann
|
|
|
30 Eileen Schott, Henry Thompson (in the clerk's chair)</p><p>Prevented: Rufus Reade</p></div><div><h2>2. Discussion with Meeting House Managers</h2><p>SB began by showing us the Staff Handbook—57 pages of guidance for
|
|
|
31 our staff, as a counterweight to suggestions that we don't need staff, or that
|
|
|
32 volunteer staff could do as well as paid staff.</p><p>SB shared her view of what her tasks were, although a 'typical' day doesn't
|
|
|
33 really exist. Although the Manager role is notionally a job-share, it is often the
|
|
|
34 case that both SB and AB are here, along with Tom Nisbet sometimes. Rough
|
|
|
35 distribution of responsibilities is</p><ul><li>office: AB;</li><li>maintenance and AV invoicing:
|
|
|
36 TN;</li><li>bookings and public face: SB.</li></ul><p>Through the day with SB: 0745: open up, check kitchen if hot water needs to be turned on;
|
|
|
37 0800 Early-bird meeting;
|
|
|
38 0830 Prepare for 0900 entries (some days three groups, some days none);
|
|
|
39 0900 Group arrival, catering (catering drinks for a group takes a number of
|
|
|
40 tasks, at roughly 1.5/2 hour intervals.
|
|
|
41 [Caterers may arrive any time after 0900 for 1300 lunch, in which case stuff
|
|
|
42 may need refridgerated and then taken out and served.]</p><p>Also during the morning, with help from assistant, work through booking
|
|
|
43 requests from phone, email overnight.</p><p>Trying to close between end of day lettings and evening staff opening is
|
|
|
44 rarely possible.</p><p>Post-group cleanup has been simplified since no food in Meeting Room, but
|
|
|
45 even there sometimes hovering is required/usually done.</p><p>The evening staff like to have a set of tasks, e.g. ironing, for when they have a lull,
|
|
|
46 but if a group keeps them busy they don't get to them.</p><p>The bookshop takes time, as we are now recognised as a bookshop by
|
|
|
47 Friends House bookshop</p><p>SB cleans the kitchen on a regular basis.</p><p>Window displays: we do try to put a topical display up for a big group, and sometimes that
|
|
|
48 needs staff help, for instance finding materials: Jane Angel does a lot, but
|
|
|
49 sometimes gets help.</p><p>Kitchen stock taking, and ordering. Similarly for cleaning and toilet supplies.</p><p>BM reported that Sheffield meeting has 4--6 full-time staff, plus
|
|
|
50 part-timers. What is the right full staffing level for 7VT? S & A said the
|
|
|
51 flexibility of the part-timers works well, because it allows them to balance
|
|
|
52 staffing with demand from lettings. HST suggested to clarify that it's the
|
|
|
53 full-time appointment that matters. AB said that in fact they are both working
|
|
|
54 full-time 8 1/2 hours a day for four days (M--Th). Originally they were working
|
|
|
55 alternate Sundays to make it up to 36, but that has been stopped, and SB said
|
|
|
56 that has improved her engagement as a member of the Meeting. Using temporary
|
|
|
57 staff as primary staff on Sunday.</p><p>There is one paid cleaner in 6 days a week early in the mornings, mostly
|
|
|
58 toilets and floors, but not the kitchen.</p><p>AB spends most of his time in the office: email takes a lot of time (30+
|
|
|
59 a day, more on Mondays). Some is forwarded, but a lot is enquiries. This is
|
|
|
60 where all the Festival stuff comes in. At certain times of year that can be a
|
|
|
61 very time-consuming task. Fringe admin involves a lot of liaison work with both companies and
|
|
|
62 volunteers, as well as liaison 'upwards': with the Fringe committee and the
|
|
|
63 association of independent venues. Oversight of all the maintenance work, and,
|
|
|
64 for work that TN doesn't do, dealing with quotes/contractors/etc. CCTV, Lifts,
|
|
|
65 Doors, Dishwashers,. . . are all on contract. Recycling (which we pay for). Financial work: bills and invoices for the running of the Meeting
|
|
|
66 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><p>While AB and SB are on holiday, some things are suspended (including most
|
|
|
67 email processing), but most work
|
|
|
68 gets done by the Assistant Manager. Obviously there is both preparation in
|
|
|
69 advance and extra work on return.</p><p>Quaker presence: Displays in the Foyer, keeping the website up-to-date, brochures.</p><p>We came back to the FTE question. 9am to 10pm 6 days a week open, plus 5
|
|
|
70 hours on a Sunday. HST pointed out that between SB&AB working roughly
|
|
|
71 34/wk each, and TN doing 3 days a week, we are well over two 'permanent' staff,
|
|
|
72 in addition to the casual labour which is adjusted to meet demand. Cathy,
|
|
|
73 McCarron, Andrew
|
|
|
74 Farrar, Lee Marlow, Emma Dumment, Mike Stokes, Amy Naumann, Philip Davis are
|
|
|
75 all in for differing amounts of time.</p><p>MH asked if this was substantially different from how things were before
|
|
|
76 the Buxtons arrived. There is more staff, somewhat less lettings/other us, transfer of work
|
|
|
77 from Treasurer. Under-staffing does not seem to be directly responsible for any
|
|
|
78 reduction in lettings.</p><p>We will have to return to this when we come to the report, as the
|
|
|
79 question of sustainability of our current lettings/staffing/usage policy for
|
|
|
80 our discussion of options and their costs and benefits.</p></div><div><h2>3. Form followup</h2><dl><dt><b><a name="Lettings_comparison">Lettings comparison</a></b></dt><dd>ES has gotten some more info re
|
|
|
81 smaller out-of-town sites, no large ones available. HST has this and will feed it in to the report.</dd><dt><b><a name="Quaker_groups">Quaker groups</a></b></dt><dd>MH has re-circulated an updated tabulation.
|
|
|
82 Library C'ttee will reply this week.</dd><dt><b><a name="Central_Edinburgh">Central Edinburgh</a></b></dt><dd>HST has circulated a tabulation of the replies, and is still working on copying the individual comments.</dd><dt><b><a name="Local_meetings">Local meetings</a></b></dt><dd>PL has had replies from Midweek Meeting, East Lothian and
|
|
|
83 Central Fife, pretty much as expected. Kelso will reply this week.</dd><dt><b><a name="MH_staff">MH staff</a></b></dt><dd>PL has circulated a "discerned corporate response"
|
|
|
84 from a meeting of MH staff, as well as an individual one from AF.</dd></dl></div><div><h2>4. First open meeting review and second open meeting preparation</h2><p>A general feeling was expressed that the meeting went well, with a good
|
|
|
85 atmosphere.</p><p>PL and MH reported that the outlying meetings were generally positive,
|
|
|
86 appreciate the building and what was offered,
|
|
|
87 but not terribly engaged with the issue.</p><p>"We may be impartial, but we're not neutral".</p><p>We see no need for Monday's arrangements to be any different than
|
|
|
88 originally planned:</p><ul><li>HST to introduce</li><li>LN to take notes</li><li>PL, MH, BM, ES will also attend.</li></ul></div><div><h2>5. Actions review and new actions</h2><p>HST to circulate via email a proposal for report-writing responsibilities.</p></div><div><h2>6. Next Meetings</h2><p>Our next meeting will be at 7 Victoria Terrace at 5:30pm on Friday 15 May
|
|
|
89 [RR apologies]. We
|
|
|
90 tentatively agreed on Friday 29 May 5:30pm [apologies MH, ML] for our next (and final) meeting after that.</p><p>We currently expect HST, PL, BM, ES, AB, MH at Area Meeting in Fife on 6 June</p></div></body></html> |
