New Search
Employee Observations and Recommendations <br /> Responses to open -ended question: "If you could make one change to improve the delivery of <br /> services to Eugene residents, what would that change be?" <br /> Respondents most often cited hiring more staff as the one change they would make to improve <br /> the delivery of services to Eugene residents, followed by increasing public information to keep <br /> residents informed about City services, placing greater emphasis on customer service, speeding <br /> up City processes, and improving supervisors' ability to detect and respond to service issues. <br /> Increased staffing would improve service delivery, according to many employees; one <br /> respondent asked for "more staff so we have time to be more hands -on and proactive." Another <br /> commented that "staffing levels need to come up to better serve the community." <br /> Many respondents felt that it was important to communicate more effectively with the public to <br /> "improve public understanding of what we do" and give residents a better idea "about what they <br /> get for their tax dollars." Some recommended improved access to City information by phone; <br /> one suggested "more single -focus numbers to assist citizens rather than transferring to <br /> departments all over the City." Another called for "more staffed answering points throughout the <br /> city; the inability to reach staff frustrates citizens." <br /> Increased emphasis on customer service was a recurring theme: "Encourage front line workers to <br /> be creative and go the extra mile for patrons," suggested one respondent. Another advocated "a <br /> `we can do it' attitude from every employee." <br /> A number of respondents called for "more rapid processes" as a way to improve service delivery. <br /> One suggested that the City "spend less time on process, more time on action." <br /> Some suggested that supervisors focus on working with line staff to improve service delivery. <br /> One respondent recommended that supervisors "listen to concerns about systems that give poor <br /> service and take action promptly." Another noted that "supervisors need to check field <br /> performance and spend less time in meetings and on e- mail." <br /> Responses to open -ended question: "What is the single greatest challenge facing your division? <br /> What could you do to help deal with it?" <br /> When asked to identify the single greatest challenge facing their division, short staffing was <br /> mentioned most frequently, followed by budget woes, increasing workload, supervisor issues and <br /> poor communication. Some respondents felt they could do nothing to help deal with those <br /> challenges, while others felt they could help by being efficient and communicating well. <br /> "Inadequate staffing" was a key challenge for many employees, who worry that about having <br /> "too few people to do the job effectively." <br /> "Budget pressure" was a concern for many others, who expressed concern about the ability to <br /> continue "doing quality work with the budget cutbacks." One respondent spoke of not having <br /> "enough resources to operate effectively," while another was troubled by "unstable, <br /> unpredictable long -range funding prospects." <br /> 32 <br />