Image provided by: SEIU Local 503; Salem, OR
About The Oregon state employee. (Salem, Oregon.) 1944-195? | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1949)
13 ployees faBl^|than ^ m adfjjl^ O gggg&a prior to that time. I Let us consider here how Oregon compares' with successful industry in dealing with its employees at the prj?s:£?; ent time. The test is made on the basis • ^^>f the thinking and attitudes , of the ■ fc a te ’s .administrative and supervisory I . staffs: \ ^/Regjintly a proposed new state office -- 'building, H Salem, designed by~a;repu- table firm of architects, was changed by aw a pbointive commission from its I original design “ to save money.” The “saving” wjas- reported /to have been I .made H the sacrifice of controlled fresh air and ventilation to its working areas and by^ehminating other fear“' tures that were designed jto^^w fibut^ to the^health and comfort of those who are to work in the byiidingi-Concern ing ventilation and air condi- Wfion,/it was np.t5 ed in the Wall Street Journal of October 3, 1949, that “baby will be born in a deluxe hog. hatchery equipped—whether I he ap- preciates it or not—with air condition ing in summer and radiant heating in winter.” This is proven to cut cost of I producing pork by 30 per cent and to ^provide more meat and lesgliat. Recent a<f§ in the same paper, togmterest renters of office space, stressed the I existence of air conditioning in their building as increasing1 worker effic iency and decreasing absenteeism due to sickness. It is also reported that Oregon’s new cell blocks at the peni- II tentiary are provided with year-round air conditioning. Many employees sense that their emplovCTSi^ess inter- ested in them as people than ar^^^^w employers in pigs and convicts! Vacation leaves! for state employees I are set out under^Ciyil Service rules °n a peculiar policy that a vacation Of w work" d a v ^ a t o w ^ the epa- ployee six days of credit. earned by him at one day per month of service Many departrnents set up their own rulings/about the employee’s vacation periods to such extent that many em ployees -aren’t sure whether they/will get a vacation and if ||fb^when. They can be spared when sick, but vacations seem to come begrudgingly. The state has a ^policy regarding working hours and compensation for overtime. Several departments arbi trarily set their own differing policies which engender dissatisfactions and? misunderstandings between d e p a r t ments and their employees. Many em- ployees are forced to take compensa- tory time off in unseasoned,.,weather for overtime work required during better weather; others are lucky to get what is their due at any time. Some '-em pl^^s wonder if their in-, terests are ewéjT'Considered under such policies. I Personnel officers dis appointed by many/ departrh t S adm iK trat||l to handle their personnel relatons and to correlate activities under Civil Service. Cases have arisen where some, by their actions, show no concern for the em ployees and have been actually detri mental to te s tate’s interests in im proving public senyice. I know of? but few instances where an employee Would go tb his personnel officer for help or advice; yet industry relies/hn their personnel men to really know the employee and to be helpful to him. The/'state offices provided for em p lo y e e s .^ notorious for their lack of, proper light, for their poor air, heat in summer, cold in winter, drafty ven tilation and crowded conditions. These/" conditions do not improve the workers1 attitudes, but they do result in/colds, ill health, poof eyesight, strain and loss of time andj Efficiency. In some buildings the ad m in istrais enjoy the Ko cotter offices .and special comforts?'1 The above are just a few highlights of state level mattersnhat beatson per s o n n e l relations. The employees see weaknesses of administration on all SjjjjBS use of state/ e iS on private busi- B ^ ^ g f a voritism in appointments and Krombfi(g^B|discouragement of initia- tive, lack of organ îlfflM h esitan ^ | g delegate authority but eagerness to de- man d^jr éjsnonsibiS fe g quick criticism and slow praisgglack of interest on a K ^ M S />ïbaS whipB i f e king, pres sure-tactics, et cetera, I On the credit side, of the ledger, thé H H l c a n point with pride to Its re- tirement act, its Civil Service act and B S r eiB ^abgl good wage scale. These pri.de,, are the direct ■ jffjgsult of -employee-spg^ÿred changes wrought, in large measure, by their
