Welcome to the November 2019 Q&A.
The Q&A addresses questions and suggestions received through the online suggestion box (top, right, menu bar on the intranet). The submission form is setup to be anonymous.
We respond to questions with agency-wide relevance. We cannot answer questions that may affect client or staff/personnel confidentiality. If you have individual- or office-specific questions, please communicate those within your office or division.
Some questions/suggestions are summarized or simplified in the interest of clarity, brevity or to address tone.
Suggestions/Questions list
- Management review by direct reports
- Office collection of money
Suggestion/Question: Management review by direct reports
Has HR considered implementing reviews of managers from their managed staff? Right now there doesn’t appear to be a good mechanism for giving official feedback to one’s direct supervisor short of going over their head to their supervisor. There ought to be ways to give semi-anonymous criticism (to shield from retaliation) or give praise that is reflected in annual reviews similar to regular reviews.
Response: This year, the members of the Senior Management Team (SMT) are using a 360 feedback process that allows our manager, SMT peers, direct reports, and several other people with whom we work on a regular basis to provide anonymous feedback on our performance. SMT members are receiving and reviewing our 360 feedback this week. CPCS also is in the process of reviewing and improving our performance management process to ensure that it better aligns with our organizational values and goals. As we move ahead with these improvements, we plan to include a process for anonymous 360 feedback on the performance of managers and supervisors throughout CPCS
Division: Human Resources, Lisa Bacon
Suggestion/Question: Office collection of money
Are there any guidelines in place regarding management/supervisors requesting money from staff for office collections, such as for a wedding or baby shower gift, or flowers for funeral services? For example, say a supervisor sends an email saying “we are encouraging donations of money?” It can cause a dynamic whereby staff feel they have to donate money because it is being requested by those in a position of power. Is this addressed anywhere in CPCS policy?
Response: Thank you for raising this question. There are no written CPCS guidelines or policies that prohibit managers or supervisors from asking staff to donate to office collections for gifts or remembrances when a colleague is getting married, adding a new child to their family, or grieving the death of a loved one. However, it is CPCS’s expectation that no manager, supervisor, or any other employee would pressure another CPCS employee to donate money for such office collections. We understand, however, how an employee could feel pressured to donate even if that is not the intent. HR suggests that when office collections for gifts and remembrances are held employees simply be told the purpose of the collection and who is collecting the money. Employees should feel free not to donate if that is their preference or to donate at whatever level is comfortable for them. I hope this answer is helpful. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to Lisa Bacon, HR Director, or to Delfina Hite, Assistant HR Director, if you have any questions or concerns about office collections that this response doesn’t address.
Division: Human Resources, Lisa Bacon