Artesia City Manager Creates Massive Turnover Rate Among Employees
The employee union is asking the Mayor and the City Council to conduct exit interviews of employees who have left the City, and at least issue a survey of all current employees to determine the root of the problem.
For most jobs across the public and private sectors, a healthy turnover rate is about 10 percent, according to most human resources academics. But for cities and local governments, the average turnover rate is far lower, about 1.4 percent, according to Daily Pay, a Human Resources website. The reason for this lower turnover rate is that city jobs entail pensions, a clear retirement plan, a union, and several perks.
Underlying Reasons for Artesia’s High Turnover Rate
Andrew Perry is the President of the employee union, Local 1520 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). “I’ve been keeping track of the turnover rate of employees since 2015, when it became apparent that the management style of the current City Manager is driving away a lot of talented individuals within the Local,” said Perry.Perry’s data shows that in 2020, the City’s turnover rate for all full time employees is 15 percent. Among employees represented by AFSCME, the turnover rate in 2020 was 10.5 percent. “We’re holding pretty strong among those of us that are represented,” said Perry. “We’re still higher than most cities, but since we’re represented by a union, it’s actually lower than those who are unrepresented. And there’s more of us, so you’d think there’s more opportunities for people to leave.”
“But among the unrepresented employees and the managers, that’s a completely different story,” continued Perry. “Their turnover rate is astronomical.” According to Perry, his data shows that the turnover rate for managers and unrepresented employees in 2020 is 20.5 percent. According to Perry, it has been consistently high since 2015.
Perry said the formula was easy because Artesia is a small City: count the total number of full time employees, count those who left in 2020, divide that number into the former, and the answer is the turnover percentage.
Why is the union concerned about turnover rates? Perry explained, “The problem with a high turnover rate is that it equates to a waste of time and money for the City, and it’s also a burden for the employees of the affected department. There is a certain amount of time and therefore money to train an employee. If someone just stays barely long enough to get a little experience and then they leave, that hurts Artesia and it becomes a burden on the employees of that department, who then have to pick up the slack. It means there will soon be another person who needs to learn the ropes. It’s a vicious cycle, and I’m tired of it.”
Oftentimes, it equates to reduction in service.“Let’s consider the Public Works Department,” said Perry. In 2008, we had something like 15 Public Works employees. Last year, we had six. This year we have five. Why haven’t these positions been filled? Why is the position that was lost last year not filled?”
“And when management has a high turnover rate, that too is a burden on the employees, because every manager has a different way of doing things, and that means additional time learning to cope with a new personality and a new way of doing things. There is a symbiosis between managers and their staff. Not to mention that yes, of course the managers bring their own value to the table, so losing a manager is also a big waste of time and money for the City.”
Why is there such a large turnover rate? “The union has its suspicions,” said Perry. “But to actually quantify those reasons into something more than just gripes and sour grapes, the City needs to begin conducting things like exit interviews, or even a survey among all current, and if they can find them, former city employees.”
High Turnovers Are A Waste of Time and Taxpayer Money
Why is the union concerned about turnover rates? Perry explained, “The problem with a high turnover rate is that it equates to a waste of time and money for the City, and it’s also a burden for the employees of the affected department. There is a certain amount of time and therefore money to train an employee. If someone just stays barely long enough to get a little experience and then they leave, that hurts Artesia and it becomes a burden on the employees of that department, who then have to pick up the slack. It means there will soon be another person who needs to learn the ropes. It’s a vicious cycle, and I’m tired of it.”
Oftentimes, it equates to reduction in service.“Let’s consider the Public Works Department,” said Perry. In 2008, we had something like 15 Public Works employees. Last year, we had six. This year we have five. Why haven’t these positions been filled? Why is the position that was lost last year not filled?”
“And when management has a high turnover rate, that too is a burden on the employees, because every manager has a different way of doing things, and that means additional time learning to cope with a new personality and a new way of doing things. There is a symbiosis between managers and their staff. Not to mention that yes, of course the managers bring their own value to the table, so losing a manager is also a big waste of time and money for the City.”
Why is there such a large turnover rate? “The union has its suspicions,” said Perry. “But to actually quantify those reasons into something more than just gripes and sour grapes, the City needs to begin conducting things like exit interviews, or even a survey among all current, and if they can find them, former city employees.”
“2020 was the year of the Covid pandemic. Many people lost their jobs. But in Artesia, for those who left the choice was largely voluntary, and often into a situation where they had no job waiting for them. They just left,” said Perry. “To have a high turnover rate during the pandemic is unbelievable, but that is the reality here in Artesia.”
“Another part of the issue is that managers have been coming and going so frequently, and to compound the problem the people who are asked to fill the void are individuals whose expertise and experience lie in other professions. It’s like asking a really good electrician to be the chief surgeon of a hospital,” said Perry. “I’m sure the electrician is happy to find himself in charge of the surgical department, but he knows, and everyone below him knows, that it’s very weird that he’s in that position. That’s frustrating for our employees.”
“I interviewed and spoke with several former managers, and can give detailed and damning accounts from them, but unfortunately I wasn’t elected to speak for them and to do so would put me at risk,” said Perry. “All I can say is that I understand their frustration.”
“At the end of the day, I’m more concerned about retention and turnover of represented employees, and if by extension that means fixing the problems that managers are having, then so be it. I strongly suggest that the City starts conducting exit interviews, and if they want to nip it in the bud now, I respectfully request the City Council to start conducting a survey or some kind of investigation on what is happening.”
Perry, reading from a written correspondence, said, “This is from a current represented employee, who of course would like to be kept anonymous: ‘Look how many people they’ve gotten rid of already. It’s very sad.’”
Perry looked up from the correspondence and shrugged. “What else can we do? We’re letting the public know about this, because after all the things we’ve tried, it’s literally all we can do. I think we employees, and any concerned resident, ought to demand answers and fix the problem.”
When asked if he’s worried about retaliation, Perry replied, “Not really. In fact, I’m expecting it.”
Solutions: Exit Interviews and Surveys
“What I expect is that those who are unrepresented have some powerful stories that they’ve been keeping to themselves,” said Perry. “However, among the represented employees, most leave because of the instability among the managers. So, some of us have retired early, or left for other cities - largely because of frustrations stemming from management turnover.”“Another part of the issue is that managers have been coming and going so frequently, and to compound the problem the people who are asked to fill the void are individuals whose expertise and experience lie in other professions. It’s like asking a really good electrician to be the chief surgeon of a hospital,” said Perry. “I’m sure the electrician is happy to find himself in charge of the surgical department, but he knows, and everyone below him knows, that it’s very weird that he’s in that position. That’s frustrating for our employees.”
“I interviewed and spoke with several former managers, and can give detailed and damning accounts from them, but unfortunately I wasn’t elected to speak for them and to do so would put me at risk,” said Perry. “All I can say is that I understand their frustration.”
“At the end of the day, I’m more concerned about retention and turnover of represented employees, and if by extension that means fixing the problems that managers are having, then so be it. I strongly suggest that the City starts conducting exit interviews, and if they want to nip it in the bud now, I respectfully request the City Council to start conducting a survey or some kind of investigation on what is happening.”
Perry, reading from a written correspondence, said, “This is from a current represented employee, who of course would like to be kept anonymous: ‘Look how many people they’ve gotten rid of already. It’s very sad.’”
Perry looked up from the correspondence and shrugged. “What else can we do? We’re letting the public know about this, because after all the things we’ve tried, it’s literally all we can do. I think we employees, and any concerned resident, ought to demand answers and fix the problem.”
When asked if he’s worried about retaliation, Perry replied, “Not really. In fact, I’m expecting it.”
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