FARGO (KFGO) – The City of Fargo has launched a new program. It’s called a stay interview where employees have internal discussions with employers about any concerns and recommendations that might improve their jobs and also help retain employees.
The Fargo Police Department is the first city work group to conduct the stay interviews. Human Resources and Administration Teams worked over several months with 90 police staff members, many who remained anonymous, on the voluntary interviews. The City’s HR Team intends to launch stay interviews in all City departments
Some of the concerns;
Communication, ill-advised decisions being made, not informing or weighing options;
one way communication.
Chief lays our message/vision, then plays telephone game as it goes down, employees
don’t understand the message to give to staff; Chief not there.
Micromanagement, snap decisions, everyone gets worked up.
Some strengths listed:
Feel committed to being here – deeply committed to police department.
Wanted to be in Fargo and work for the best department. Like the culture and
camaraderie. Expectations have been and are still being met.
Community involvement, helping people, and the variety of the work.
Good reputation, pay, and benefits.
Feels like being part of a family and appreciates the relationships that have been made.
After assembling the findings, the Stay Interview Implementation Team provided six recommendations on the next steps for the police department. It includes;
Organizing team discussion groups and development of a plan to advance the recommendations gathered through the process.
The City’s HR Team intends to launch stay interviews in all City departments
