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Ghost of trust once again raised by employees concerned over change over from Employee Strategies

 

The Austin City Council on Monday night tabled approving a statement of work with the company Assessments International for employee 360 evaluations — the latest chapter of a book about the rift between employees and administration.

Monday night’s decision came after a statement by City of Austin employees, read by Wastewater Treatment Plant Superintendent Chad Heard, represented concerns over the council’s decision to shift from Employee Strategies to Assessments International.

At the heart of employees’ concerns was trust in the process; a trust that some feel has been further eroded by the shift from a company who conducted the original employee survey and who had gained the trust of the employees.

“We needed their help and we trusted them,” Heard read from the statement. “We built trust with Employee Strategies.”

“Then things changed,” he continued. “Why would we even consider another company … when we had already built trust with Employee Strategies?”

The move came earlier this month when during a Nov. 6 meeting, the council agreed to the switch, arguing that it was more cost effective to go with Assessments International, which would be able to include more leadership 360s at a comparable price to what Employee Strategies was offering.

However, according to the statement read by Heard Monday night, this about face in companies did not sit well with employees.

“We were not heard, our trust was broken again,” he read.

However, what some on the council admitted was not knowing that Employee Strategies price was high because it was tailored to Austin’s situation.

“The reason they were at a higher price point is because they were custom designed based on our values,” Council member Laura Helle said, adding that that information became known after the decision had been made.

“The action we took before is not going to improve our culture the way we thought it would,” she added later.

Council member Jeff Austin agreed.

“Knowing now we weren’t comparing apples to apples, the proposal from (Employee Strategies) was tailor made for us,” he said.

Despite a request from employees, It’s likely Employee Strategies will no longer be a part of the picture regardless of the next steps, prompting council member Geoff Baker to advocate for tabling the decision.

“I think the horse has left the barn on Employee Strategies,” he said. “At the same time, if there is no buy-in … I don’t want to shove $45,000 down people’s throats and create resentment. Let’s go back to the well.”

Council member Joyce Poshusta, who started off the discussion following Heard’s reading of the statement, pushed for two resolutions in place of the approval: first, that the decision be tabled pending further discussion and secondly, that a closed meeting be scheduled to evaluate the performance of City Administrator Craig Clark, though a specific date for that meeting was not decided upon. Both were approved.

When the employee survey first came out, one of the problem areas employees pointed to the most was a lack of trust in leadership, something that has been a pointed subject throughout the process.

“It really saddens me to hear statements such as trust with leadership,” Poshusta said. “That they fear retaliation for speaking and that the people who created the problem are looking for solutions in their own way.” 

While a decision on approving Assessments International was tabled, discussion picked back up again in the work session following the meeting when the topic came around to council members signing up for employee discussion groups, another part of the overall process. 

Some of the sentiments the council said they had heard from employees was a request for the meetings be held without Clark or Human Resources Director Trish Wiechmann in attendance.

But many on the council disagreed, with Council member Jason Baskin voicing concerns that by leaving voices out of the discussions there may arise the opportunity to gang up on those people without them having the chance to defend themselves.

“We’re now at the stage of how do we figure out a solution,” Baskin said, arguing that all voices should be involved.

“I feel we need everyone at the table,” Council member Mike Postma said.

At one point Helle asked Austin Fire Chief Jim McCoy if having Clark and Wiechmann at their meeting, already held, made any difference with McCoy acknowledging that it didn’t and that those in attendance were able to voice their concerns openly.

“The meetings should be about building trust,” Helle said.

The council ultimately agreed that three council members would be in attendance at each of the groups and that Clark and Wiechmann could sit in on the meetings.