Number
181296
Version
SUBSTITUTE 1
Reference
Sponsor
ALD. COGGS, LEWIS, STAMPER AND JOHNSON
Title
Substitute resolution directing the Director of Employee Relations to work with departments to explore policies for disincentivizing employees from separating from City employment after receiving a significant investment in training from the City.
Analysis
This resolution directs the Director of Employee Relations to work with City departments to explore policies and strategies for disincentivizing employees from separating from City employment. Priority should be given to those employees who receive a significant investment in training from the City. Policies shall be developed in consultation with the City Attorney and reported to the Common Council within 6 months.
Body
Whereas, The City of Milwaukee invests heavily in training employees to perform their job functions, providing formal training, on-the-job training, apprenticeships, and other learning opportunities, depending on the position; and
Whereas, Such training is often specialized and technical, and may not be readily available elsewhere or lend itself to acquisition in an academic setting; and
Whereas, City employees that receive extensive training, including Urban Forestry Specialists, Residential Code Enforcement Inspectors, and those in a variety of electrical and mechanical positions, are highly sought after by other employers, including suburban municipalities in the Milwaukee area; and
Whereas, The City has become a de facto training academy, taking on the investment costs for training employees, only to have those trained, valuable employees subsequently lured away by other employers who may pay higher wages, subsidized in part by the City of Milwaukee because little or no on-the-job training is necessary; and
Whereas, The number of City employees resigning from City service has been steadily increasing since at least 2010, as shown in the table below, reflecting an improving economy, greater workforce mobility, and, to some degree, poaching of the City’s trained, experienced personnel by other employers:
|
|
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018* |
|
General City |
37 |
57 |
71 |
84 |
116 |
137 |
149 |
146 |
161 |
|
Sworn |
38 |
44 |
40 |
51 |
58 |
52 |
59 |
77 |
80 |
|
Total |
75 |
101 |
111 |
135 |
174 |
189 |
208 |
223 |
241 |
*Projected
; and
Whereas, According to the Society for Human Resource Management, the costs to an employer like the City for replacing trained employees are significant:
• Direct replacement costs can reach as high as 50-60% of an employee’s annual salary.
• Total costs associated with turnover can range from 90-200% of an employee’s annual salary.
• Employers spend the equivalent of 6-9 months of an employee’s salary to find and train a replacement.
; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, By the Common Council of the City of Milwaukee, that the Director of Employee Relations shall work with City departments to explore policies and strategies for disincentivizing employees from separating from City employment; and, be it
Further Resolved, That priority shall be given to focusing on those employees who will or have received a significant investment in training from the City; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Director shall consult with the Office of the City Attorney in the developing these programs to ensure that these policies and strategies are appropriate and enforceable; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Department of Employee Relations shall present a report to the Common Council within 6 months of adoption of this resolution.
Requester
Drafter
LRB172864-2
Dana J. Zelazny
11/29/18