Cohousing-L Mailing List: Our Workshare Policy [WAS: List of tasks considered to be "work?"]

[Ayala Sherbow (asherbow]

Here is the Workshare Program Proposal that Catoctin Creek Village [formerly
Proximity Cohousing] recently adopted.

Catoctin Creek Village WorkShare

Accountability: 
Workshare accountability begins this month: April 2005.

Amount:
Workshare will continue at 4 hours minimum per household member (12 and
older) per month. Buy-out remains at $25 per hour.

Coordinator:
An Overall Workshare Point Person is responsible for workshare coordination.
Sue volunteered. The job includes: 
(a) Maintaining a list of jobs that need to be done and posting it
(electronically and on CH bulletin board). This list is not intended to be
exhaustive but to help people figure out how they can best contribute their
time and talents. 
(b) Maintaining a list of work done by individuals and posting it, 
(c) Reporting to the Board. 

Jobs:
Sue will get updates to the job list from the point person for each
committee: currently Greg for the Grounds Committee (which includes CH and
Barn maintenance/repair); Ayala and Lauranne for the Outreach Committee;
Lauranne for Events Support (including CH cleaning).  If you need
clarification about job specifics (e.g., what areas need weed whacking?;
where do I find gas for the lawnmower?; where does the garbage go? what does
meeting set-up include?) you should contact the appropriate committee point
person (not Sue!). Similarly, tell the committee point person when you've
completed a job so they can adjust their job list for Sue accordingly. 

"What counts" as workshare is as previously decided (with one addition): 

1.      Workdays planned by a workteam 

2.      Jobs on the master list [generated by workteams] 

3.      Action items assigned in plenary 

4.      Anything you truly believe benefits the community as whole and you
could pay someone to do**, and 

5.      Not meetings -- except that active participation on the Facilitation
Team is credited at 45 minutes per month.  

 
Exchanging: 
Workshare hours can be traded. In other words, you can do workshare for
someone else who may be in need. Reciprocity in such arrangements is the
responsibility of the members involved. You can also pay someone to do your
workshare. 

Accrual: 
Workshare hours can be accumulated ("paid forward") for up to 6 months to
account for the seasonal nature of some jobs and for people's variable
availability. Accrued hours over 6 months old do not carry forward.

Reporting:
Toward the end of each month, when Chris [our treasurer] sends the HOA dues
friendly reminder, each household will also be reminded to report their
workshare activities for the month ending (to include a list of activities
and number of hours worked on each) to Sue by the 10th of the following
month. It will be each household's responsibility to report their workshare.
Sue will not follow up; if she doesn't hear from you she'll assume that you
didn't participate in workshare for that month. If, as an individual or
household, you choose to opt out of workshare, you can pay the corresponding
buy-out amount with your dues. 

Quarterly Accounting:
Each household is responsible for reporting workshare accomplishments to Sue
monthly. However, workshare is accounted for quarterly. That is, each member
12 and over is expected to contribute a minimum of 12 hours during each
3-month quarter or to buy out. At the end of each quarter, any household
that has contributed neither the minimum workshare nor the buy-out funds
will receive a bill from the Treasurer.

Board Oversight:
The Board receives reports from the Overall Workshare Point Person and
considers special cases. It can make any special workshare arrangements it
considers appropriate on a case by case basis. Existing decisions by the
Board relating to workshare remain in effect.

Review:
Plenary will review these agreements in six months (early October, 2005).


** A note on this criterion.  The filter, "things you could pay someone to
do" is meant to help identify the kinds of work.  For example: the community
could hire someone outside the community to do a website or mow the fields.
So that kind of work that saves the HOA money definitely counts as
workshare.  

Hope this helps --
Ayala
www.catoctincreekvillage.com