Communication and control are the keys to changing the climate at Douglas County's "dysfunctional" highway department, according to report presented by consultant Jeff Thompson last week.
Douglas County Highway Commissioner Paul Halverson said the overall tone of the evaluation was positive.
"It's something that's going to be worked on," he said. "There will be improvements made."
The assessment, commissioned at the request of Halverson, noted department employees appreciated improved facilities and more efficient equipment now available, but morale was extremely low. On a scale of 1 to 10 -- 10 the highest -- the average morale rating for hourly employees was 2.82, Thompson wrote. He traced the source to a lack of open and effective leadership and a small group of disgruntled employees who take the job for granted.
"Even the most positive employees in the department have indicated they are actively looking for work elsewhere because of the tension and stress created on a daily basis in the work culture," he wrote, adding many former employees left the department to escape the "dysfunctional atmosphere."
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Rich Thompson, a member of the Douglas County Highway Committee, said the evaluation was long overdue. "It's a much-needed thing," he said.
The study included 16 recommendations to move the department in a more positive direction.
"There's some things management needs to do and there's a lot of things employees need to do," Halverson said. "It's not all one-sided. It's definitely some of both."
Although it was fairly critical, it gave the department a starting point to fix current problems, Douglas County Administrator Steve Koszarek said. "This isn't a matter of who was wrong, but where do we go from here to make it better."
While disciplined structure is necessary in the workplace, the consultant wrote, an autocratic leadership style will always make workers feel unappreciated. Those in leadership positions -- Halverson and Patrol Superintendent Keith Armstrong -- need training in how to effectively communicate and value people, the study recommended.
The study also questioned the involvement of the highway committee.
"There has been a history in this department, of governance [board] mixing with management as it relates to the department," the consultant wrote. If employees know they can discuss department issues with committee members, Thompson noted, it can result in divided allegiances.
John "Jack" O'Brien, a highway commission member, echoed that sentiment. The committee should be focused on the big picture -- improving roads -- not on "penny-ante" items, he said.
