{"id":3594,"date":"2022-08-12T09:39:04","date_gmt":"2022-08-12T16:39:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/executive\/?p=3594"},"modified":"2023-06-26T13:26:47","modified_gmt":"2023-06-26T20:26:47","slug":"how-we-doin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/executive\/2022\/08\/12\/how-we-doin\/","title":{"rendered":"How we doin’?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Former New York mayor Ed Koch was famous for his impromptu walking tours of the city. He asked everyone he came across the same question: \u201cHow am I doin\u2019?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Our version of \u201cHow am I doin\u2019?\u201d <\/em>is an Internal Services Survey, an opportunity for employees to evaluate the performance of departments we all rely on: Communications; Facilities; Finance; and Human Resources.<\/p>\n

Of about 3100 employees, 566 responded — about 18%. Complete results will be available in the next week or so. Most of the ratings are positive or very positive, but the survey raises questions similar to what I hear at meetings and in conversations. They deserve answers.<\/p>\n

Predictably, they\u2019re all related to wanting faster service.<\/p>\n

FACILITIES<\/strong>. Despite high ratings for the quality of their work, I\u2019m occasionally asked about delays in getting work done. The simple answer is that staffing has never been sufficient to meet our expectations and probably never will be, especially with supply chain disruptions and crises like the pandemic.<\/p>\n

FINANCE<\/strong>. Staff get high marks for expertise and the quality of work, but I\u2019m frequently asked why some contracts take so long to be approved. Most of the questions recently have been about Human Services contracts.<\/p>\n

Most contracts are simple and quickly approved, but Finance needs to make sure every<\/em> contract is correctly drafted, with fully vetted providers and clearly stated performance standards. That takes time despite our urge to deploy funds as quickly as possible. It\u2019s the only way to assure public funds are used properly.<\/p>\n

Along with Human Services and Executive staff, Finance is developing contract templates and improved staff training that will speed up the process.<\/p>\n

HUMAN RESOURCES. <\/strong>Rated highly for customer service, the most frequently asked question I hear is, \u201cWhy does it take so long to fill positions?<\/em>\u201d Part of the problem is workload. Nearly 90 new positions were authorized this year in addition to the normal turnover of about 30 positions per month.<\/p>\n

Another part of the problem deserves celebration. We now have an integrated, professionally managed hiring process that assures everyone has equal employment and promotional opportunities. It includes a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.<\/p>\n

The new system has more steps and involves more people. But it\u2019s a better system.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, recent data show the hiring process took an average of 71 days in the third quarter of 2019 but only 33 days in the second quarter of this year.<\/p>\n

Another question I\u2019ve been asked that\u2019s not part of the survey is why it takes Human Resources so long to process the back pay employees are owed following contract agreements. For better or worse, most of delay is beyond HR\u2019s control.<\/p>\n

One recent contract took 111 calendar days from the time it was ratified by members to the time payments were entered in the system. The contract was with HR only seven of those 111 days. It was with Finance only two of those days. The rest of the time it was with the union and the County Council.<\/p>\n

Contracts require close attention, whether they are for labor or Human Services or any other department. The more complicated they are, the more time it takes.<\/p>\n

Thank you to everyone who responded to the survey. I look forward to the complete results and additional questions they might prompt.<\/p>\n

While the performance of our internal<\/em> service departments is important, we can\u2019t ignore all the great work of our external <\/em>departments.<\/p>\n

Highlights of the week include:<\/p>\n

The U.S. Women\u2019s Amateur Championship is being held at Chambers Bay.<\/p>\n