In October 2023 the Nuclear Science Division conducted a Mentimeter Survey of NSD staff to take the pulse of the division and to identify areas where the division needed to improve its workplace culture. A number of main themes emerged from the survey results and the follow-up discussions at the NSD retreat in fall of 2023. These themes included high workload, challenges around work-life-balance, as well as lack of transparency in decision making and the need to hold ourselves and others accountable in a more consistent way. These topics were reinforced with the results of the 2024 LBNL Culture Survey. The topic of work-life-balance was also addressed by the Physical Sciences’ Workplace Life Committee which developed, jointly with the Physical Sciences Area (PSA) ALD, Natalie Roe, a Work-Life-Balance policy statement for the PSA.
Inspired by these efforts as well as the LBNL Molecular Foundry’s Community Agreement on Work Life Balance, the NSD Community Stewardship Committee (CSC) led the effort to develop a Community Agreement to identify a more specific set of guidelines with the additional aim to clearly articulate our shared values and intentions, all to empower each other to advocate for work-life balance and support each other through our actions. A draft of the agreement was presented at a NSD Staff Meeting and distributed broadly to the division, inviting feedback via a Google form. The feedback was considered by the NSD CSC and led to a refined final version of the agreement that was rolled out in December 2024.
The agreement is anchored in the recognition that work and life intersect in many ways, and it is important to strive for a balance that is constructive and healthy, both mentally and physically. It recognizes that everyone in the Nuclear Science Division is key to delivering on our science mission and underlines how important it is that our actions consistently embody the Lab’s stewardship values of Team Science, Service, Trust, Innovation and Respect in all we do.
We chose a nested approach for the agreement, providing examples for how we can fulfill our responsibilities to ourselves, our colleagues and team members, the Lab overall, as well as the community at large. The overarching intent is empowering each other to live our shared values, to advocate for work-life balance, and to support each other through our actions.
Below the main elements of NSD Community Agreement are reproduced:
Our responsibilities to the community
We have moral and ethical responsibilities as citizens of the scientific community and the world. To fulfill these responsibilities, we will:
- Strive for scientific excellence while conducting ourselves with integrity and professionalism
- Represent the Lab’s stewardship values to the broader community
Our responsibilities to the Lab
We are each a part of the larger Lab community, working together toward a shared mission. We can enact this by:
- Ensuring responsible stewardship of resources
- Contributing to a strong safety culture
- Incorporating the Lab’s stewardship values in our work
- Leading by example; doing so effectively, responsibly, and with accountability
- Listening to others’ perspectives on work environment and research
- Raising concerns through appropriate channels, holding ourselves and each other accountable
Our responsibilities to our colleagues
We belong to teams. To engage and communicate with them respectfully and effectively we should prioritize one another by:
- Expressing encouragement and appreciation
- Supporting each other with constructive feedback when appropriate
- Allowing others to be their authentic selves and treating them with the same fairness and respect that we expect to be shown to us
- Empowering different work styles and modalities for mutual success
- Demonstrating transparency in decision-making and including others in shared decisions
- Working within each other’s work-life boundaries
- Protecting each other’s health and respecting each other’s privacy
Our responsibilities to ourselves
We are all individuals who thrive when embodying self-care, living authentically, and protecting our boundaries. We can realize our best selves by:
- Prioritizing our own physical and mental health
- Using sick leave and other types of leave when needed
- Setting work-life boundaries that are effective for ourselves, e.g. by unplugging after hours or when on vacation
- Recognizing that admitting mistakes or asking for help are not signs of weakness