Dear Editor,
I have been deeply saddened to read about the personnel issues that have arisen in our beautiful city.
Granted, we do not know all the facts, but there seems to be reason for concern.
“Reorganization” is a common pretense used by employers to let older workers go.
That may not be the case here, but a caring community like ours might want to implement a “best practices” severance policy that will be helpful to the city and its employees, and thereby avoid even the appearance of discriminating. As part of this policy, the council might want to ask questions when they are alerted that an employee with good performance reviews starts receiving nitpicky emails or comments to ensure that the employees are not being unfairly set up.
Why cause ill feeling if a legit reorganization is underway? Severance pay, and often some benefits continuation, are generally offered to employees to maintain goodwill and a healthy work environment for current and future employees. Additionally, it is offered to avoid/ release liability for claims including discrimination.
In a small city like ours with challenging hiring issues, it seems particularly important.
Also, sudden notice, handing an employee a contract to sign “or else,” is poor practice and causes unnecessary tsouris. Employees should be given a reasonable period of time to consider.
As to the employees mentioned in the news, why not now offer at least a week of regular pay multiplied by the years of service and then double it for the poor manner with which it may have been handled?
Thank you.
