Kevin

In May, we conducted a citywide employee survey to get your thoughts on how you are doing through the COVID-19 shutdown and the organization's actions during this time.  See the survey results here.

Overall

• High level of participation among staff, with 612 participants from about 1100 surveys sent.
• Strong positive feedback citywide related to remote work, individual support, team dynamics, communication, safety concerns.

Comments

• Due to the concerns about preserving anonymity of comments and thus ensuring strong ongoing participation in surveys, comments were grouped according to theme and intensity and shared with the entire workforce:

The following summary shows both sides of a theme in comments, where more than one person felt that way

#	Positive		#	Potential Improvement
13	Excellent communications to staff & public, love Dom’s emails
11	Great job by the city, great leadership, lucky to work here
10	Telework is going well; let’s continue allowing this option		3	Need better IT infrastructure and equipment for people to telework
1	Appreciate COVID safety measures		9	Need COVID testing, have to lead by example with PPE, make sure sick people stay home
2	Feel appreciated by supervisor, director; receive appropriate direction		3	Don’t feel appreciated; supervisor takes credit for my work
3	Feel supported in their work		3	Need more information; need to make decisions more quickly; too much focus on perceptions/politics
2	Feel appreciated by supervisor, director; receive appropriate direction		3	Don’t feel appreciated; supervisor takes credit for my work
2	Need to reopen so people maintain livelihoods		1	Don’t reopen too quickly; health is at risk
3	Childcare concerns

 

Additional comments (showed up one time):

• Would like to see mental health screenings, mental health days
• Oracle still needs work
• Want training in Office 360
• Keep central stores open longer so we can get supplies

Next Steps related to survey results

Recommendation: Continue emails updates from City Manager

Next step: City Manager will continue providing email updates about city operations and response during pandemic crisis.

 

Recommendation: Continue allowing telework on an ongoing basis

Next step: Telework will remain an option during pandemic crisis. In addition, City is developing Remote Work Policy that will be in place after the pandemic as an occasional opportunity for employees in eligible positions where it supports business needs while also allowing additional flexibility. No eligible position is meant to be entirely remotely based. 

 

Recommendation: Provide opportunities for staff with childcare issues to share information and insight

Next step: Arrange a signup for interested parents and guardians to discuss childcare challenges, insights, and possible solutions via Teams Meeting.

 

Recommendation: Ensure clear consistent COVID-19-related safety measures and protocol across departments

Next step: Department Heads and Safety Committee are developing citywide policies. Need to pay particular attention to:

• Consistent message in COVID-19 safety briefings (provide script for safety briefing that can be tailored to nature of work)
• Consistent policies regarding temperature checks and explanation where different practices are being used within the policy (Why do public safety or IT departments do temperature checks but not others?)
• Consistent policies regarding sanitation practices (If a vehicle is used by the same person each day and no one else, does staff need to spend the time and PPE resources to thoroughly sanitize it each night?)
• Consistent direction regarding wearing masks (What are guidelines for meeting with vendors or outside contractors? Staff should share guidelines before in-person meetings.)
• Consistent availability of PPE and guidelines for use (Clarify that the need to sanitize door handles frequently does not mean that hand sanitizer is provided wherever a door handle may be touched. Encourage hand-washing where possible as more effective and to preserve PPE supplies of wipes or sanitizer. Ensure availability of PPE.)
• Clear protocol if a staff member tests positive for COVID-19 (Are tests required for all who’ve been in contact? Should contacts self-quarantine?)
• Overview of steps taken to promote safe work environment (upgraded air filtration equipment and settings, shields, signage, masks)

 

Recommendation: Share resources to help staff with identified concerns regarding changing priorities, balancing life and work demands, remote work, isolation and connection.

Next steps: Establish Hub-based resource of vetted articles, training opportunities, podcasts, and video resources addressing concerns. Conduct survey right before reopening to public July 6 to dive deeper into some of the concerns related to stress, isolation, and connection and after reopening for comparison and insight. Keep surveys brief and ensure results and resulting actions are shared with staff from each survey.

 

Recommendation: Work on greater participation in next survey from field staff.

Next step: Prepare communication to accompany next survey that helps supervisors and managers of field staff be aware of the survey and allocate computer time during work day to participate in survey so we have broader input from our workforce.