The thoughts and feelings expressed by employees in written form added depth to the information gathered in Parts 1 and 2 of the survey. Consistent with last year s response many employees expressed gratitude for having the opportunity to give their opinions. Generally speaking, they express a cautious optimism that anyone will use the information to actually make improvements. The other half specifically related to the need to adopt a plan to compensate employees based upon merit. Employees strongly encourage action to deal with poor performance and strongly advocate compensation based primarily upon performance.
Employees express an intense interest in the value of fair treatment.
There were several areas where fair treatment was an issue, but their major concern was related to compensation. The central focus for this concern revolves around the distribution of money allocated by the General Assembly for compensation. There is strong feeling that special interest groups get more than their fair share of the funds. Employees are frustrated with the fact that new hires are often paid more than employees with years of service. Other fairness issues involve hiring practices, career opportunity, and inconsistent application of policies and procedures.