MCC President Vicky Smith before Thursday night’s meeting began. It was a two Diet Coke night. The Board went into secret session just after eleven. The meeting started at 6:30.
An employee left a comment about his or her contract that readers might find interesting.
The gist of it is that the contract in question does not prohibit employees in that bargaining group from talking to MCC Board members.
Here’s the comment:
“I agree with so many bosses.. if the spirit is of efficiency and lean management- this is fine.
I”f it becomes a means to limit my communication with the Board as an employee- it is just plan wrong-
“I am a taxpayer and MY contract does not include any language that limits my contact with the trustees.
“If I have something I would like brought forward without a filter, I feel as a taxpayer I am free to do so.
“It does not matter what Vicky’s contract says-
“MINE does not limit me from access to the Trustees.”
Very well said. Dictatorships everywhere.
This county is LOADED with them.
Many good people are willing to serve but hard for them to get voted in or appointed.
Keep plugging away.
Never give up.
Voters WAKE UP.
Cut the heads off of the snakes.
Sheriff’s Department is a good place to start.
Actually this is a very tricky idea.
One would think, “Hey freedom of speech, and right to communicate!”
However, that is not really efficient nor desired.
If you want to talk to the board as a tax payer, have at it, you can talk about whatever you want.
HOWEVER, if you want to talk about your job or “conditions” or blah blah blah, you should go through your boss.
If you think about it, just for a little bit, it will make sense.
To Watching: I would not say “tricky”, rather, calling for judgment, which is exactly why we elect people.
If employees come to the trustees with numerous trivial complaints, especially about their boss or their fellow workers, the trustee should listen politely and do nothing.
Their job is to make policy, examine outcomes, and be watchdogs for the taxpayers and students — NOT to micromanage.
If, on the other hand, employees come to them with complaints about substantial problems, problems that may well be being covered up by people above them, then by all means the trustees should listen and act.
If you rely solely on the chain of command to provide you with all the information to make decisions, you provide a powerful incentive to those below you to filter the information you see.
That’s why every good book on management talks about the necessity of developing informal chains of communication.
It seems that if the filter is at the level of trustee, then you are adding too much to their plates. (or you could be in the wrong situation).