Submitted by acao162 on
in
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BLUF: In the face of a public outcry, am I missing anything with my staff?
Background: I work for a small city government and a recent Council decision has caused a massive uproar in the community. The issue is not about personnel but you could substitue personnel for the issue and our reaction would be the same. We can't (and won't) talk about it publicly.
The difference internally is that all my staff know exactly what is going on and are involved to some degree. They need to be, it is part of their duties.
Here's what I've done so far:
- Met with each person individually to explain the issue, answer their questions & quell any hurt/angry feeling they have
- Reminded them this is business, not personal. We are not picking on anyone, we are doing what Council wants, and according to normal protocol. We are not treating this particular issue any differently this time as we will the next time or the time before.
- Reminded & got agreement that we *do not* disclose this information to anyone except for those legally entitled to it.
I feel confident that everyone understands how serious this is & our responding to it can do no good.
This is likely to drag on for the next 6 months or so to varying degrees. Other than checking in at O3 time, is there anything else to be done? I want to be calm, professional and effective as we let the issue and the media sling their mud.