Ethics Group - May 15

A City That Works - May 15, 2008
Ethics Discussion Group at Einstein Medical Center

The Ethics Group had 14 participants, with an equal number of women and men.  Many had worked in government. All are civic minded, and many are active on their blocks.

-- Eddie Battle

What does this goal mean to you?

• Frustrated employees aren’t able to do their jobs because of limited resources.

• Citizens also are frustrated in dealing with city agencies.

• To be able to complain when one sees something wrong, not later.  (Citizens should be able to complain about issues or problems with city government at the time they occur, not to be required, by government, to wait until a later time to file a complaint).

• Do it right the first time.  (City workers should do the job right the first time).

• Accountability.

• Problems are resolved.

• To care about helping others.

• Honesty and transparency.

• Obligation (of city workers) to be informed and forthright.

• City government should operate with integrity:

            → Do what you say you'll do.

            → Do right when others aren’t looking.

            → (Have) integrity and (be) accountable for what you say.

• Treat others as I want to be treated.

• Willing to take risks in doing the right thing.

• Connect to others.

• Acknowledge what is wrong and or that you don’t know.

• Required training on how and what to do.

• Citizens have a clear recourse.

• Compassion for others.

• Trust in the system comes from it being fair and addresses complaints

• Responsiveness and follow-up

• Standardization that comes from training and knowledge

Performance measures (What success would look like)

• 100 percent (or some other high percentage) satisfaction:

            → Feeling that they (city government) are trying.

            → That they are entertaining my complaint.

• Treat all ethic groups the same.

• They (city workers and or government) tell me the truth:

            → Steps taken to solve problems.

            → Results, results happen as they says it would happen.

• The same mistake doesn’t happen again.

• Have tracking units and or systems that generate accountability:

            → Write-ups of workers, consequences for poor work.

            → Progressive practices.

• There should be call-backs to citizens to let them know what is being done about their complaints.

• Citizen should have tracking numbers in order to monitor their problems.

• Results are more important than being nice; empathy without results is empty.

• Within 14 to 30 days, a letter should be sent to citizens in response to their complaints.  The letter would tell what’s happening to their complaint.

• Increased training leads to:

            → Lower turn-over ratios of conflict resolution. (The time it takes to resolve conflicts are lowered.)

            → Higher percentage of problems resolved in a timely fashion.

• Monitor the kinds of problem that need to be addressed.  Then, use that information to lower or stop that kind of problem from re-occurring in the area and other areas of the city.

• Do it right the first time.  There should be a steady decline in the number of mistakes or problems made.

• Bosses and citizens should treat employees well, as human beings with reasonable expectations.

• Respect worker’s complaints.

Customer-service standards

• Response (by city operators) is most important:

            → Answer every phone call.

            → Operator should tell citizens if they can’t do the request and why.

            → Direct citizen to the right person (someone that can address the request) in a timely fashion.

• Accountability is not empty words.  Do what you say or explain why not.

• Operators are responsive to callers, even if they didn’t take the original call.

• Shorter response rates by city.

• Treat walk-ins with respect.

• Offices should be professional environments, nice, clean and well lit.