09-02-25 City Council Meeting Packet

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PUBLIC WORKS ORGANIZATIONAL ASSESSMENT 37 Once a work order is created, it can be assigned to specific Operators, who upon completion of the work, will fill out the necessary information in the work order. It can then be reviewed for detail and accuracy before approval. Currently, when work is completed, information about the work is relayed to the Assistant Director, who enters the data into Beehive. To enhance functionality, the Parks module should be acquired and mobile devices provided for Operators working in the field. The proper use and maintenance of this tool will be imperative to the success of the proposed work plan noted in Recommendation 1. The work recorded in the CMMS should be reviewed and referenced when the work plan is reviewed and decisions on operational initiatives or capital improvements are made. Most CMMS packages come with their own standard set of reports, allowing custom reports to be created. It is important, then, that the Department select or develop the necessary reporting tools to make the best use of their data. It is also necessary to invest in sufficient staff training to ensure all staff can use Beehive proficiently. Failure to obtain adequate training is a common cause of poor adoption of software in organizations and can jeopardize the substantial investment made in the software. The Department should evaluate training courses offered on the program and take advantage of as many of them as it deems necessary to properly utilize the tool toward its strategic objectives. LEADERSHIP Recommendation 11: Obtain leadership training for those in supervisory roles Within the public works industry, people all too often are trained in the technical skills required of their roles as they promote through their careers but receive little to no leadership or supervisory training as they promote into positions of authority. This is an area in which many organizations struggle to provide appropriate resources. Larger cities and organizations are more likely to have formalized development programs for their leaders and supervisors. In contrast, smaller organizations are more likely to seek ad hoc or external training programs. As a city grows, one unexpected side effect is the strain on supervisory roles as the need for supervision becomes more prominent. More staff means more supervision, and there is a different level of skill required to supervise two staff members compared to 10. The Operators’ Union has filed several grievances regarding the workplace environment and management's behavior. Morale is low among operators, some of whom report high levels of work-related anxiety. This observation is included not to validate those complaints or assign blame, but to illustrate what sorts of things that may be alleviated with improved supervisory skills. Raftelis recommends that workers in supervisory roles, including Lead Operators, as a matter of policy, be provided with periodic leadership or supervisory training. The soft skills developed through these training courses can help to improve workforce morale. Just as importantly, this sort of training is a vital component of succession planning. Given the City’s size, it is likely that most training will need to be sourced externally. There may be some areas where internal training would be indicated, such as if the City wishes to have a consistent application of employee appraisal metrics. The elements of the training should include:  Effective Leadership – Training on effective supervisor leadership to include topics like situational leadership, work planning, communication, building and motivating strong teams, coaching, and conflict resolution.