Personnel Committee wants to know why employees leave
Posted on Thursday, July 3, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/News/66776/
Members of the Washington County Personnel Committee are interested in why people quit their jobs with the county.
While the turnover rate is low, there may be a need for another approach to gauge why people are leaving, said Lindsi Huffaker, personnel director for the county. Voluntary exit interviews are not being conducted, she told the Personnel Committee on Tuesday.
She provided committee members with a termination report for the second quarter of the year — as of June 30.
Year to date, there have been 59 terminations, which is about 4. 6 percent, according to the report.
There were 29 terminations — either voluntary or with cause — this quarter. There were 30 last quarter, Huffaker noted, so it appears to be a pretty steady number.
Justice of the Peace Ann Harbison said these numbers seem high, but Huffaker explained that there are 1, 275 county employees, keeping the percentage low.
Most of the terminations have been voluntary.
“ There is nothing in place to say, ‘ This is why I’m leaving, ’” Huffaker told the committee.
She suggested creating a way to gauge the reasons, which could include better benefits and salaries elsewhere.
JP H. L. Goodwin voiced his agreement.
“ I’m so happy to see rational, informational turnover reports, ” he said.
He suggested providing quitting employees with a form including six or eight reasons why they may be quitting, such as they found a better job.
“ Let them check it off, ” he said.
If they do not check any of what Goodwin termed “ positive reasons, ” then there would be a box for “ other. ” If that is checked, he said, “ then we know it’s negative. ”
JP Ken Kieklak, who chairs the Personnel Committee, said anything would be welcome that could provide that type of information.
Huffaker said she has heard from a few employees during the past six months who have taken $ 1-per-hour pay cuts to work closer to home due to high fuel prices.
The committee plans to discuss the matter further with Huffaker.
Also Tuesday, the committee approved adding two positions at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, acting on a recommendation from Sheriff Tim Helder.
The reason for the request is that two Sheriff’s Office employees are serving overseas in the military and may be gone for up to 18 months. Their slots have been vacant since September and November of last year, causing a staffing shortage in the communications and the transport departments.
Echoing Helder’s words in the written request, Jay Cantrell, chief deputy with the Sheriff’s Office, explained that these two departments are critical to the operation of the office. Helder could not attend the meeting.
“ We’ve talked about this almost weekly at our staff meetings, ” Cantrell said.
The personnel on active duty will not be replaced because they must, by law, have their positions back when they return from duty, Goodwin said. This means the two positions will need to be added.
“ The sheriff’s department has worked as hard as it can around this, ” Kieklak said.
He said it is anticipated these added positions will be needed anyway when the two people return from duty.
The communications slot starts at $ 12. 41 per hour, while the transport position is a deputy first class starting at $ 13. 86 per hour.
The Personnel Committee agreed to forward the change to the Finance Committee, which will need to consider suspending budget controls to pay for the two positions. New positions are only considered in October — with the exception of grant funds — unless the committee suspends budget controls.