Coffee with the Chair
On the first Friday of every month, small groups of employees may be seen waiting outside the Executive Board Room before 8:30 a.m. They may be dressed in suits or jeans, dresses or NYCHA blues. They may work in housing developments or satellite, central, or borough offices. What they have in common is an invitation from Chair and CEO Shola Olatoye to attend a “Coffee with the Chair” meeting.
“The Chair really made me feel welcome,” said Christian Grullon, Assistant Resident Buildings Superintendent at Parkside Houses, part of a group of employees with five to nine years of service. “She came to listen to our needs,not just at our development but at all of NYCHA.”
“It was good to see a broad range of departments and different perspectives,” said Riva Levine, Social Work Supervisor in Family Services, with employees that had 24 to 30 years of service. “From managers to caretakers, everyone was valued.”
Chair Olatoye’s private meetings with employees began in June 2014 with a small group that had more than 40 years of experience. Since then, the off-the-record monthly meetings over coffee and breakfast pastries have continued with groups of 20 employees randomly selected from all employees in their seniority group. Not all seniority groups have been called yet, which is why the meetings are continuing this year. Eventually, every employee will receive an invitation to participate and the opportunity to be selected.
“I can’t overstate how valuable these meetings are for me as a chance to hear directly from employees about their work experiences and ideas for how we can improve,” Chair Olatoye said. “Our discussions are candid and everyone knows that anything said is private. I am grateful for the information that has been shared, which can be a reality check for me.”
