HomeMy WebLinkAbout1995-01 for A Newsletter fo a a s and Retirees Employees n t R cit of Tompkins County 1 JrI Clt .:. . y �n .:: � ■ Is it a bird ?••• Is it a plane ?••• is it...? WINTER CURBSIDE RECYCLING TIPS _ by Thomas Richardson, Recycling Supervisor F �-` During the winter months, Tompkins ""I° County recyclers are reminded to avoid • ""'" damage to recycling bins from snow plows by carefully setting recycling bins back a reasonable distance from the curb, or off the shoulder of the road. To avoid a v r,c-, `.� m ,,,. �� missed collection, every effort should also u be made to make recycling bins visible ',: and easily accessible to the recycling truck driver. Ti ` a In inclement or windy weather, recyclers ` ' ' are advised to place newsprint in a brown ` ba to of other clables. `, P P g P �7' This preparation practice will both protect , . 4a , Iry paper a er from on getting wet and r prevent lightweight r clables such as plastic -,.. �Y jugs P or newspaper from blowing away because they are weighed down Any resident that is currently having problems with curbside pick -up of This mysterious box appeared at the Tompkins County Airport Terminal recyclables is encouraged to immediately recently. Where did it come from? Does it contain something important? call the Tompkins County Solid Waste County Corridors Editorial Board will investigate and report its findings in Management Division at 273 -6632 or our February issue. 273 -5700 to rectify the problem. OBSTACLES ARE WHAT YOU SEE WHEN YOU TAKE YOUR EYES OFF THE GOAL submitted by Dan Winch UNITED WAY CAMPAIGN Many thanks to all Tompkins County employees and retirees who donated to this year's campaign. We raised a total of $13,352. Many thanks to Louise McEwen, who worked as a go- between for the retirees. Kellie Henehan, who also worked with retirees and who was Building Coordinator for the Old Jail. Other Coordinators include: Patty Stamm, Health Department; Peggy Archangeli, Biggs A other than DSS; Barbara Mearse, Courthouse; Pat Nowakowski, Mental Health; Linnett Warner, Solid Waste Division; Cheryl Nelson, Highway; Daryl Avery, Sheriff's Department and Jail; Marleta Anderson, Social Services; Doreen Schrader, Buildings and Grounds; and Gary Bortz, Assessment. Special thanks to Frank Croteau who picked up and delivered envelopes and information throughout the County. Many thanks to all for a job well done. COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT by Scott Heyman LEARNING ABOUT PARTNERS FOR QUALITY Many thanks to the nearly 600 County employees and officials who attended the six orientation sessions held in ■ December to explain the Partners for Quality Initiative. A video was made of one of the sessions and it can be obtained from my office by anyone who wants to view it. At the sessions I promised that all questions received or asked at the meetings would appear with answers in the next edition of Corridors. You submitted 64 questions. Answers to those questions follow this article; the answers were developed by me and other members of the Leadership Council. It is heartening to get so many concerned and insightful questions. Anyone who does not feel that the answer that appears is responsive -- please let us know and we'll try again. (Retirees interested in seeing a copy should contact Marilyn Strassberg at COFA, 274-5482). Also following is a summary of all responses you provided on the feedback that was passed out at the orientation sessions. It is very encouraging to see that so many of you are Corridors readers. More than 70 employees said they wanted to attend an information session about facilitator training. By the time you read this, that information session will have occurred. We have tried hard to be responsive to all questions. This may have created the impression that we think we know the answers to every question about this complicated subject. We don't. It may also seem that we are trying to create the impression that Partners for Quality is a button we can push or pill we can take that can solve all of our problems. It isn't. Partners for Quality, like its parent total quality management, is nothing more (nor less) than a management system that we think is better than the one we have. Nothing about it is automatic. Since it is better suited to modern times, modern work, and today's educated workforce it stands a better chance of success than the "scientific management" it is replacing around the world. But as some of the answers point out it will be no more successful than we make it. J The Leadership Council organized the Orientation Sessions to minimize confusion and rumors and to let everyone know, at roughly the same time and early in the process, what was planned. But this meant that questions would be raised, and they have been, that could not be answered right away, particularly questions like "What does it mean for me since I am not part of a pilot project ?" To a certain extent the answer to that is "Please be patient." But many employees and department heads have asked to get involved sooner rather than later so the Leadership Council is reviewing its first year planning and will try to provide more training more quickly for those who want it, and to accelerate the pace at which departments and program units are brought on board. For those who must wait, there are still many ways to get directly involved, even at the planning and decision- making level: - Consider serving on a Committee of the Leadership Council. Openings exist on the Human Resource and Performance Management Committees. Speak with your employee group representative. - When the time comes, volunteer to serve on a pilot team or on a quality coordinating council in your own department. - Sign up the next time facilitator training is offered (this will happen repeatedly over the years). - Check the books, magazines, articles, and videos in the County Administrator's office. They're easy to check out and take home. - Watch for more and better training offerings in the near future. - Write to me or anyone on the Leadership Council with any questions or suggestions you may have. You will receive a response. If our response is not responsive in your eyes please let us know. Questions from attendees at Orientation sessions and proposed answers by Scott Q: Why are you starting with the large and perhaps difficult to change departments? Isn't that a set -up for failure? A: There is some danger in starting with the two largest, most organizationally complex County departments (Public Works and Social Services). They were selected in part because they volunteered, in part because training funds are available from the State for Social Services, in part because our outside trainers are extensively experienced in Social Service departments in New York State, and in part because the Public Works department has been discussing and preparing for implementation of a quality improvement program for more than two years. Q: Is there some barometer that will be used to know what and where the departments are at now? A. An organizational assessment will be conducted as part of the preparation for implementing Partners for Quality in a department. In addition, surveys and focus groups will be used early in the planning process through which employees and customers (both internal and external) can identify strengths andareas that need improvement. The results of this feedback will guide and shape each department's efforts. Q: Bosses help workers learn and make improvements. But what happens when the workers know more than the boss? Will bosses be trained to recognize such situations, back off, and learn from their workers. A: This is one of the major themes of Partners for Quality. It is always the case that workers know more than their supervisors about certain aspects of their work. Yes, supervisors will learn to recognize these situations, to get out of the way, and to learn from their employees. Q: Will the Library be able to participate in the upcoming facilitator training? A: Yes, if they elect to do so. Q: If County administration (i.e., County government as a whole) has not set its priorities how can the departments do so? What role will the Board of Representatives play in all of this? Are they part of the process? Will mission statements change if they are predicated on old beliefs /processes? A: Ideally, departmental priorities would support countywide goals as well as the needs of internal and external customers. If no countywide goals have been established, departments can still go ahead and set their own priorities based on customer input and their own knowledge and experience. Once the County has identified its overarching goals some departmental priorities and mission statements may have to be adjusted, but this should not be drastic. Q: Why were line staff on the Leadership Council selected by unions? Unions do not represent all employees. A: Unions (CSEA white, CSEA blue, and Deputy Sheriff's Association) by State law and by binding agreement with Tompkins County do represent all of the employees designated as part of their units. The Management and Confidential groups are informal and represent their employees by mutual agreement with the County Board. The employee representatives are YOUR representatives. Their phone numbers are published in every issue of Corridors at the end of the Leadership Council report. Call them with any questions or concerns; they want to hear from you. -." 111.1 3.011111 31V 4111V171-41 ' V f ' 'Pot- 419 ter,, T. • 1 4 • One of the Partners for Quality orientation sessions held at the Holiday Inn in December Q: If the Leadership Council will change each year are there ways to distinguish between the evolving process and people /groups with different agendas? A: The Council is working out a membership rotation schedule so that sufficient continuity in membership is maintained from year to year. Also, it will be tracking progress in achieving the goals set at the beginning of each 12 month period; this builds accountability and makes it difficult to abandon the agenda that has been set without a good reason for doing so. Q: What is this really? The presentation was very general without specifics and actual facts. A: Partners for Quality, our version of total quality management, is a management system, a way of doing business. It is a • set of methods and assumptions to apply to everyday work. Its highlights are an atmosphere of shared decisionmaking, a focus on meeting the needs of the people who receive the product of our work (called "customers "), and using data and measurement to make decisions. Q: What is the initial cost to the County for the TQM program? A: $117,000 has been budgeted for 1995 for training expenses. Few, if any, other expenses are anticipated. These funds are paid by every County department from regular operating expenses. Q: Is this process for clerical staff as well as professionals? A: This initiative is intended to involve and include every employee, appointed or elected. Q: Will this process help us to balance the differing "needs" of customers? A: Yes. It will help us to determine which customer needs are within our ability to meet and which ones are more reasonable to address first given our resources. This will not make our lives painless; if, for instance, we have several different customers demanding our services now, those who must wait or who cannot be served at all will be unhappy and will know whom to blame (us). But it can make life less painful because we can show the customer an action and a rationale for it based on the needs of their fellow customers. That will produce, in some cases, more understanding. Q: Will we be helped to become good "customers "? A: Yes. It is said that the best way to product quality service is by becoming a world class customer ourselves. As we work to meet the needs of our customers, and as we collaborate with colleagues whose customers we are, we develop an appreciation of what it means to be a good customer -- one with high standards, reasonable, and willing to work in a team spirit to solve a problem without ill feelings about the colleagues whose customers we are. Q: How is data defined? A: Data are meaningful measurements about a work process, taken to see if the process is able to meet customer needs (i.e., do what it is supposed to do), and, if not, how far "outof conformance" it is. For example, if a customer says a process is too slow and too error -prone we would want to measure just how slow and how error- prone. We might measure how long it takes from start to finish, and how many errors are actually produced say in a 3 month period. Then we would devise ways to improve the turnaround time and accuracy until the customer's needs are met. Q: Is the "County" going to look at quality improvements in how they spend money (outside of employee salaries and benefits) ? A: If this question means "Is the County Board going to examine how it allocates taxpayer funds in the same way that employees are going to be measuring to determine whether they are meeting customer needs ?" the answer is Yes. Among the Board's customers are the taxpayers and voters and it is a crucial part of this process that Board members improve their ability to determine what their customers really want and find ways to measure whether those wants are being met. This topic was not covered in employee orientations, but it is one of the exciting aspects of this whole initiative. Elected bodies that take this part of the democratic process seriously are able to cut through the din of competing advocacy and interest groups and create a true community dialogue, from which can be determined actual needs of the community as a whole. These needs can then become the basis for departmental and employee work unit level determinations of "What are our customers' needs ?" Q: How does PFQ affect the union contract? A: The hope is that Partners for Quality will enhance some aspects of the union bargaining agreements, for example improve labor /management communication. Contract wording and enforcement will not be affected. Q: Will management be involved in training sessions with stag? A: Yes. Many courses such as "Facilitation Skills Training" and "Working as a Team in Work Units" will have supervisors/manageers and employees together in the classroom. Other courses such as "Supervising in a Quality Environment" deal only with how to manage in an organization with a quality initiative. In these courses it is possible to go either way: if managers and staff are trained together this can help build a sense of community; but a possible downside is that people may not speak freely. This issue has not been decided yet. Q: Why Ls the Leadership Council loaded with management people? A: It is not. There are seven persons representing the County Board and management. There are six who represent employee groups. At its first meeting the Council decided that the seven do not have the authority to outvote the six. Q: Who selected the members of the Leadership Council? A: The Board of Representatives selected its two members and the three department heads and one middle manager; for the current Council the Board selected the department heads and middle management representatives (it has been decided that next summer the departments heads and managers will pick their own four representatives); the County Administrator's position is automatically part of the Council. The other six positions are filled by the employee groups; you need to speak to them to find out the details of their selection process. Q: Where do we direct our questions? A: To the Leadership Council in care of the Old Jail, or to any individual member of the Council. Where appropriate questions will be forwarded to our consultants Marcia and Ipek. You WILL receive answers. If the answers are not responsive to what you were trying to find out, please ask again. Q: How do we know the plan is going to work when we have not seen it happen yet? A: We don't. Skepticism is entirely understandable and appropriate with a set of changes this extensive and ambitious in an organization that has done business one way for 178 years. Q: When do evaluations get done? They used to be done yearly on staff. A: Every County employee is required to be given a performance review at least once a year. If you are not, please raise this issue either with your own supervisor, your department head, or the County Administrator. Q: If everyone is doing the same functions and making decisions equally how can pay scales be differentiated? A: Over time, as responsibilities change, pay scales may be less differentiated than they are now. In other words, the - answer to the question "If all employees are going to be trained and entrusted to carry out responsibilities that are now being carried out by higher -paid managers, will those employees see a higher level of pay as a result ?" is Yes, in certain cases. It will sometimes be the case the employees will simply be permitted and enabled to carry out responsibility that their job description already said they had. In such cases their working conditions will improve, they will probably be more satisfied with their job, but their pay will not necessarily increase. But when their responsibilities actually increase, they are entitled under County Policy (02 -01) to be classified and compensated in accordance with the responsibilities of the position. Q: Will there be an attempt to look at how jobs are classified in terms of supervision? A: If we are going to move away from supervision and toward collaboration it will be necessary to do this. In the past, promoting someone to a supervisory job was the only way available to promote and keep good employees. Our position rating system may need to be changed so that we can promote people without making them supervisors. Q: How is this going to affect employees who are "set in their ways" of doing things -- find change to be difficult? Will this be used as an avenue to release them from employment? A: One of the most positive side benefits of the set of principles that Partners for Quality has embraced is that it puts employees themselves in charge of making their own changes. While it is true that some people are dead set in their ways and will not change, many people who seem to be this way are really just dead set against other people making them change. Other organizations that have gone through quality improvement have found that people become active changers when they and their co- workers are designing their own changes. Q: Will this initiative apply to the Library? A: Please speak to the Library Director about this. She is attending Leadership Council meetings regularly and has a strong interest in applying quality principles at the Library. How exactly the County's Partners for Quality initiative will involve Library people has yet to be determined. Q: Some managerial staff "go along" to make us quiet and one other uses his power to do as he pleases. Will this help us with these problems? A: Many of the principles of Partners for Quality take direct aim at abuse of supervisory authority; they create a situation in which abuse of authority is harder to get away with; they set up teamwork as the standard way of doing business. But there will always remain some situations where the supervisor should and will simply make a decision. It is certainly not realistic to think that the day will ever come when every supervisor does his or her job in an ideal way. But -- the answer to this question is Yes, the Partners for Quality initiative should help with these kinds of problems. Q: There are many people in the County departments that don't feel they have any customers to give better quality to. Is there really a way to define who the customers are in the public sector? A: Yes there is. Strangely enough even in the manufacturing part of the private sector there are many examples of companies that have forgotten who are their customers. In the public sector it is always possible to identify (sometimes after considerable thought and discussion) exactly who are the customers. One factor that makes the public sector more complex is the definition of the word customer. In the private sector there is a clear definition, at least for external customers: "The person who pays for and receives the product or service." In the public sector the people who pay are in most senses different from the people who receive. The working definition of "customer" that the Leadership Council is working with is "The person who receives my work." Q: How does TQM deal with personal ( personnel) conflict and animosities within a department? A: Total quality management tends to take the focus off of personalities and place it on the work we do together. Then, by creating an atmosphere which fosters creativity, an investigative spirit, and challenging of oneself, it tends to improve working relationships. Nevertheless, TQM is no cure -all for every problem in a workplace. Handling personal relationships appropriately requires personal maturity, not TQM. There is a danger of putting TQM on an impossible pedestal and measuring its effectiveness by its ability to solve all of our problems and create an ideal environment. That will only create cynicism. TQM is one of many things necessary to create a positive work environment. Q: How can you really assure an employee that they won't be "punished" for expressing their needs and ideas? I have been promised before and was burned badly. A: The Leadership Council is building several safeguards into Partners for Quality against this possibility. One: A performance management system as part of which supervisors and managers will receive feedback on how well they are supporting the PFQ initiative -- and this includes creating and supporting a safe environment. Two: An employee suggestion system which will assure anonymity. Three: Employee representation on the Leadership Council and, soon, on the Quality Coordinating Committees which will be formed in individual departments. Four: The use of TQM tools and principles in work units where the numbers and customer needs will speak objectively to what needs to be done. Five: Individual coaching for managers and supervisors who may be trying sincerely to adapt to a changed culture but who perhaps are finding that some habits are too automatic to change easily. Six: Disciplinary action; but as Scott stated in several of the Orientation sessions acting punitively is against PFQ principles, whether toward employees or managers. This would be a last resort -- rarely needed. This is a vital question. We cannot assure that retaliation will never happen; however, we can assure you that it will not go unaddressed or unrectified. Q: How would this convince middle management to not feel like they are giving up "power" over line staff when dealing with "customers "? There are members of middle management that enjoy their veto power over the staff when special interest groups contact agencies and lobby for a particular customer. A: At first, middle managers may feel that they are losing power, just as employees may feel that they are losing a certain sense of safety the first time they serve on a team and are responsible for redesigning a crucial work process and making it work well. In going through change, everyone loses something and gains something. to embrace change, everyone needs to understand and see how change is making their lives better and needs to feel in control of it. There will always be situations where the needs of a particular customer have to take precedence over other priorities, at least for a time. Nevertheless, the middle managerss who veto staff to take care of such customers may welcome the support afforded by their team and by the data that shows why other priorities are more appropriate. Q: How will the managers deal with the "us" versus "me" (the supervisor) versus "them" (the line staff)? A: The "us" vs. "them" demarcation tends to blur gradually in a quality improvement environment as the team spirit takes hold through repeated experiences of working together as "us" to meet the needs of the customer. Then the demarcation between "us" and the "customer" also begins to dissolve into "partners ". Q: With the implementation of PFQ, which is actually TQM, total quality management, when can we expect TQP to happen -- Total Quality Pay? I feel that without TQP we cannot have PFQ. A: Anyone who has factual information that shows that County employee salaries and fringe benefits are not comparable to pay and benefits for similar jobs in similar organizations in our part of New York State should send that information to their bargaining unit or employee association representative. It is a true statement that we will not become an organization that consistently delivers quality services, and that employs teamwork and cooperation to do so, if our salaries and benefits are not competitive. Q: Are the top level managers in their positions because of political power, not their fiscal or managerial skills? A: (Answer written by Scott) Three department heads are elected by the voters (District Attorney, County Clerk and Sheriff) and two are selected by the established political parties (the Elections Commissioners). Certainly these five are in their positions because of political power and influence and this is our system. I know from long personal experience that the remaining department heads are selected strictly on the basis of knowledge and experience and political influence plays no part. There probably are no top managers without some fiscal or managerial skill deficits, but across the board they are a capable, caring, hard - working group, just like the rest of our employees. Q: The County has many small departments (like mine) which have complex governmental mandates and rules; these will take much time to address. Does the county have the commitment to take the time to evaluate all of these processes? A: Yes. The time this will take will be well worth it since those mandates and rules are major time - wasters for many of us. Sometimes there will be nothing we can do to improve things, but there are major quality initiatives at the State and the Federal level and there is a growing opposition to the attempts of those two levels of government to micromanage the activities of local governments. In the beginning, of course, we should learn to make better use of the flexibility we already have. Q: Are sources of money (County, State, Federal) considered "customers" to be satisfied? How can we balance this with the needs of immediate customers? A: This is a complex question. The answer will be different in different programs. Generally speaking, suppliers of funding do usually have to be satisfied; they view themselves as paying for something, usually for services to somebody, thus as a customer. Sometimes there will be conflict between the "customer" who is supplying money and the "customer" who is receiving services. Q: Emphasis is obviously on saving. What happens if customer happiness can be increased by spending more -- for staff or equipment? A. The emphasis is not on saving in the sense of spending less. The emphasis is on becoming more efficient by streamlining processes that involve many people. This reduces waste and saves money. But these savings do not necessarily mean the department or program budget will be cut. They can be used to increase staffing or equipment or for other resources that improve the quantity, quality, or timeliness of services, or they can be used to lower taxes. In some places they are shared in part with the employees who generated them; this is going to be addressed by the Leadership Council and specific processes will be recommended to make these choices. Q: Emphasis is obviously on saving. What happens if customer happiness can be increased by spending more -- for staff or equipment? A. The emphasis is not on saving in the sense of spending less. The emphasis is on becoming more efficient by streamlining processes that involve many people. This reduces waste and saves money. But these savings do not necessarily mean the department or program budget will be cut. They can be used to increase staffing or equipment or for other resources that improve the quantity, quality, or timeliness of services, or they can be used to lower taxes. In some places they are shared in part with the employees who generated them; this is going to be addressed by the Leadership Council and specific processes will be recommended to make these choices. Q: If an employee comes up with a plan that gets approved by the supervisor and other parties involved, and it is supported by the supervisor's supervisor -- how much more of the hierarchy has to get involved in this "new" system in order to implement the plan? A: It depends on what the plan is, whom it affects, what it changes. One of the fundamental objectives of this quality initiative is the simplification of the "hierarchy" -- fewer levels at which approval is required. Q: What plans /techniques do you intend to use to get everyone started on a dean slate w /equal footing? A We cannot erase history without erasing people's memories. Nevertheless, through guidelines on interaction, conflict resolution, and a focus on objective methods of data collection, process analysis, and problem solving we can minimize the influence of history as much as possible. Over time successful interactions will (we hope) accumulate enough to erase the emotional charge of negative history. Q: What types of communication techniques have you come up with to give as suggestions to employees? A: The Leadership Council's Communications committee has so far developed the following methods for two -way communication about PFQ: An update every month in Corridors Current minutes of Leadership Council meetings will soon be available on bulletin boards in every department All minutes of Council meetings will be available from department heads All names and phone numbers of Council members are published in Corridors every month A suggestion system will be proposed soon; it will not be implemented until it can be guaranteed that every suggestion, without exception, will receive a complete response Oh? attempts, and training offerings for employees that are now being developed will attempt in the future, to improve the quality of our communication. Q: I see many employees who think they are already doing quality work but are not. They may be incapable of change. What happens then? Can we weed out incompetent employees? A: We can weed out incompetent employees. Insofar as this initiative is in part aimed at improving the leadership skills of everyone who fills a supervisory position the ability of supervisors to hold poor employees accountable should improve. But we believe that it is usually poor systems that make employees look bad. Poor systems include things like unclear duties, hazy boundaries between one employee's area of responsibility and another's, procedural requirements that waste time and effort and add no value, inaccessibility of supervisors, lack of training, and a lack of attention to the needs of the people who receive our work. PFQ is strongly rooted in faith in our employees, in their intelligence, skill, and their desire to do good work. We intend to appeal to the best in people and support them where they are weak. If after all that we have some employees who really cannot or will not do competent work, we have to weed them out. �� ~' Recycle Q: Why should people buy into this when on one hand you say no layo due to PFQ but Scott was pretty clear at this meeting that there are no guarantees and there could be some layoffs? A: No one is promising that layoffs will not occur for reasons that have always been able to make them occur. What is being promised is that layoffs will not occur as a result of a qualitiy improvement. If some of the savings from process improvements need to go back to taxpayers, the way that will happen will be through attrition. Every employee must be able to volunteer to participate in process improvement and workplace improvement teams with absolutely no fear that her or his chances of being thrown out of work are being increased. The Labor Management Partnership Agreement has not yet been finalized and agreed upon; when it has been, it will offer that protection. NEXT ISSUE WILL CONTAIN VERBAL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FROM THE ORIENTATION SESSIONS DEPARTMENT HEAD MEETING MINUTES Beginning with this issue of Corridors we are publishing the minutes of meetings of County department heads. Wednesday, 4 Jan 95 Department Heads Present: Anita Fitzpatrick, Personnel; Judy Tynyk, Weights and Measures; Alice Cole, Health; John Beach, STOP -DWI; Don Franklin, Assessment; Mary Pat Dolan, Social Services; Teddy Zimrot, Human Rights; George Dentes, District Attorney; Nancy Zahler, Youth Bureau; Dean Eckstrom, Data Processing; Cathy Covert, Clerk of the Board of Representatives; Bill Mobbs, Public Works; Jim Hanson, Planning. Others present: Kathy West, Deputy County Administrator and meeting chair; Julie Crowell, Public Information Coordinator; Scott Heyman, County Administrator; Kirby Edmonds and Laura Branca, Training for Change. 1. Discussion of workforce improvement through formal education and training. The funds that departments have all been paying in to the Inservice Education account for the past two years are sufficient to increase significantly training offerings for employees, for their own sake and in connection with the Partners for Quality Initiative. Department heads brainstormed and provided suggestions for training subjects and content for themselves, for their supervisors, and for all of their staff. These will be summarized in a future edition of these minutes, when they are available. 2. Reports. Teddy Zimrot reported that the annual Martin Luther King Day breakfast sponsored by GIAC will I be held this year on the 14th of January at the Beverly Martin School. Material to be submitted for consideration for County Corridors February issue must be received by February 3. PARTNERS FOR QUALITY RESULTS OF FEEDBACK ON ORIENTATION DECEMBER I /413, 1994 # % # % The overview about the key elements of quality was clear YES 216 89% NO 17 7% The examples on the video tape helped YES 170 70% NO 63 26% The County seems sincere about the initiative YES 213 88% NO 8 3% 0 The plan for the first year is clear YES 152 63% NO 69 29% I have read the Leadership Council column in YES 142 59% NO 97 40 % County Corridors newsletter I know where to direct any questions I have on YES 203 84% NO 29 12 %r, Partners for Quality The information about TQM was NEW 76 31% FAMILIAR 169 70% The information about the County's plan was NEW 148 61% FAMILIAR 86 36% Check all that apply: I am SKEPTICAL 143 59% ENTHUSIASTIC 99 41% interested in willing to give it 6 months 84 35% learning more 140 58% TOTAL SURVEYS RECEIVED = 242 COMPUTER TRAINING NEEDS SURVEY FOR 1995 Please help us determine our TC3 Computer Training Classes for 7`°._ gh 6% 1995 by indicating which classes you would like to attend. Please f�< i note that several classes have prerequisites (* or * *). If you have .> any questions, please call Pat Nowakowski at 274 -5407. DOS & Hard Disk Management Lo est -t Introduction to Windows* J Quattro Pro* Beginning Word for Windows ** open to all Tompkins County employees Advanced Word for Windows ** Beginning EXCEL for Windows ** Design the winning logo for Advanced EXCEL for Windows" Partners Tor Qu °Il • Other and receive the prize to be announc - • in the February issue of County Corridors Prerequisites: * DOS & Hard Disk Management ** DOS & Hard Disk Management, Introduction to Windows The deadline for entries is March 15, 1995 Send your entry to Logo Contest, Name: Title: Leadership Council Communications Committee, do the Old Jail Phone: Department: • CHEERS FOR DSS (continued from lase issue) EMPLOYEE WELLNESS The following people were recently recognized by the During 1994, your Employee Wellness Committee DSS Success Recognition Committee. remained active with County employees ... during 1995, we • Lori We and Terry acci, an inseparable team hope to become MORE active, with YOUR help! We representing nearly 40 years of combined service to the encourage participation, and always welcome input, and are agency keep careful track of the all - important cash flow, always looking for employees who want to serve on the which gives substance to all the benefits and services we Committee. provide. They keep records of all agency expenditures, In 1994, Wellness again sponsored entry fees and prizes handle all reimbursement claims, oversee electronic benefit in connection with the Spring Into Shape and Workout for issuance, monitor agency accounts, process purchase orders Wellness programs. We also sponsored a flu clinic in the and pay the bills. They also cheerfully explain the fall and over 100 employees took advantage of Wellness mysteries of their accounting procedures to the rest of us. paying for their flu shots. For their years of diligent, behind the scenes effort, a We'd like to remind employees of the following benefits deserved "JOB WELL DONE ". available from your Wellness Program: • and, c wnmings, Jackie Simpson, Torn Weber, Holly Stevenson and Jean Yaw are known as the Special Services 1. Reimbursement of $50 toward an annual physical Unit which has continuously dealt with the homeless pop- for employees under 50 years of age, or $25 for ulation of Tompkins County by insuring them temporary employees over 50 years of age following payment shelter. They then help them find and/or secure permanent by Blue Cross Blue Shield. Employees must housing. Recently, due to two major fires in Ithaca, there submit a doctor's bill. (no statements) showing was a total of 60 people left homeless, 28 in one fire and "annual physical, no diagnosis", along with a copy of 32 in the other. The individuals of this unit worked above their Blue Cross Blue Shield Explanation of and beyond normal expectations to meet the needs of these Benefits form, to Personnel, and we'll do the rest! families and individuals. We would like to thank them for Proper submission is required before payment can their compassion and continuous hard work. be made. • Cheri Bowers and Gerry Veninsky have done an exceptional job as Senior Examiners. They both possess an 2. Reimbursement of $100 for a 12 -month term, or outstanding knowledge of the complex Medicaid program $50 for a 6 -month term, for fitness club and go out of their way to assist their workers by sharing memberships for employees. Payment must be that knowledge. They both set excellent examples in their requested by submitting a bill on the club positive attitudes towards providing service to our clientele. letterhead, showing the employee name, term of Working together as a team they have formed their two membership, and cost. We only make payment units into a single cooperative body and with following expiration of the term. If you have a professionalism and good humor have supervised the membership dated 1/1/94 to 1 /1/95, you may submit enormous improvement in the timely processing of now for a $100 reimbursement. Here, again, send Medicaid cases. this to Personnel. • Kathy Wilsea and Dorothy Tompkins - CPS Keyboard Specialists truly help to keep both CPS Units up and 3. Reimbursement of $50 for Weight Watchers after running in every way! Along with the "usual" clerical work eight weeks of attending meetings. For details they do all the data entry to SCR on CPS reports, contact Personnel. investigations and determinations, keep track of all kinds of things - including 9 Sr. Caseworkers and 2 Supervisors. Wellness has also been pleased to have Sue Kilgore's They do all this with large doses of empathy, energy and a input from the Tompkins Cortland Cayuga Tobacco sense of humor! We would like to say thanks for a "JOB Control Coalition, and we hope to do more in 1995 in the WELL DONE!" area of smoking cessation. If you have any ideas or are • Carol Santucci receives recognition for her patience and sincerely interested in quitting, let us know! persistenceworking with the institutional foster placements. Carol puts in long days and long drives in serving her kids. Again, this is an employee committee and only with She is responsible for accurate paperwork and payment. In employee input, new ideas and work is this Committee able addition, her earthly wisdom and timely sense of humor are to continue. Please let us hear from you. a great asset to her unit and her kids. We would like to say "JOB WELL DONE." Wellness Committee members for 1995 are: Chris Brill, • Carla Trenchard is an examiner in the public assistance Purchasing; Sandi Draghi and Michelle Eighmey, Public unit. She is known for being a cheerful, caring, Works; Vicki Wagner, Assessment; Faith Newkirk, Probation; compassionate and professional worker. Her bubbly Judy Ryan, Cheri Hartman and Jane Speyer, DSS; Theresa personality is well known throughout the agency. When Lyczko and Jan Aneshansley, Health; Janice Johnson, Youth things are at their most stressful point, Carla can manage Bureau; Louise McEwen, Personnel. Feel free to contact to make her co- workers laugh and lighten the mood in any any member with your suggestions and ideas for 1995. situation. Carla, we would like to say "THANK YOU." Thank you for your interest in keeping us alive in '95! 1 UNCLASSIFIEDS Leadership Council Members FOR SALE: Beautiful Woodstock Soapstone Wood Barbara Mink, Board of Representatives 274 -5434 Stove - $475. 387 -6398 Bob Lampman, Sheriffs Deputy Assn. 257 -1345 Charlie Evans, Board of Representatives 274 -5434 WANTED: Persons interested in quitting smoking. Loretta Bernal, Confidential Employees 274 -5252 Please contact your Wellness Committee member Scott Heyman, County Administrator 274 -5552 or Personnel for further information. Ward Hungerford, Middle Manager 274 -4262 Emery Guest, Sheriff 257 -1345 DESPERATELY SEEKING DADDY'S TIES! Mary Pat Dolan, Department Head (DSS) 274 5252 Avid re- cycler and craft nut seeks old, unwanted David Chase, CSEA White Collar Unit 274 -5294 ties in good condition. Call Kate at 387 -9503. Irene Stein, Department Head (COFA) 274 -5482 Penny VanShoick, CSEA White Collar 274 -5321 PERSONNEL PERSONALS Leighann Baldwin, CSEA White Collar 274 -6674 CONGRATULATIONS TO: Tony Denmark, CSEA Blue Collar Unit 277 -5290 Staff: The following newly - retired County Employees: Nancy Zahler 274 -5310 Harry Missirian, Planning (1/1/95) Anita Fitzpatrick 274 -5526 Ann Bennett, Buildings and Grounds (1/28/95) Jim Wilson, Buildings and Grounds (1/1/95) Earl Mix, Highway (1/1/95) Nancy Bogardus, DSS (11/18/94). Please keep sending in your completed surveys concerning County Corridors to JUDY TYNYK, Weights and Measures. Results will be published in an upcoming issue. Thanks! CURRENT COUNTY VACANCIES HEALTH DEPARTMENT Public Health Engineer, Part -time, Temporary, LG.L(12) Nurse Practitioner, Full-time, LG.P(16) Physical Therapist, Part -time, LG.O(15) ?tI3ku/1Ry CONTINUOUS RECRUITMENT 2S County Clinical Nurse I, Full -time & Part -time LG.O(15) "40127 MOON" County Clinical Nurse II, Full -time & Part -time LG.O(15) Supervising County Clinical Nurse, Full -time & Part -time LG.Q(17) Wai*ek Pr a special surprise front Ilse OFFICE FOR THE AGING 701PXVnS eoun;y ampeovur Aging Services Specialist, Part -time, Temp.,LG.M(13) MetMFSS Comm3Jltt dN SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT Tuesday,'dual 14 (2) Corrections Officers, Full LG.P(16) MENTAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT Rehabilitation Specialist, Full time,LG.P(16) PUBLIC WORKS Cleaner, Full -time, LG.D(4) COUNTY CORRIDORS Articles and opinion pieces for County Corridors are selected by the volunteer TOMPKINS SENECA TIOGA BOCES editorial board based on their interest to Tompkins County employees and retirees. Material is solicited from current employees, retirees and others. Vocational Assessment Coordinator, Part -time, 50 %, Material for publication is selected by the editorial board which reserves the right to edit any submissions. The editorial board is made up of: Bill Chapp, 10 month position Social Services; Sharon Cooper, Assessment; Iretta Ellis, Airport; Scott Heyman, Occupational Therapist, Full -time, 10 month position County Administrator, Louise Mc Ewen, Personnel; Ruth Pond, Purchasing and [Microcomputer Specialist, Full-time, 12 month position Central Services; Marilyn Strassherg, Office for the Aging; and Judy Tynyk base $28,000 (Chair), Weights and Measures. Correspondence may be sent through County inter - office nail to: County Corridors, c/u Purchasing and Central Services: or contact any board member, or VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS- Continuous Recruitment via US Mail to: County Corridors, c/o Purchasing and Central Services, 125 E. Account Clerk/Typist, Full -time & Part -time LG.F(6) Court St., Ithaca, NY 14850. Keyboard Specialist, Full -time & Part -time LG.E(5) Senior Level Clerical, Full -time & Part -time, LG.H(8)