Friday, April 27, 2007

A Question to Answer

For those of you that have taken the time to post a comment I would like to thank you. For those of you that haven’t I completely understand, and hope that in the weeks and months to come you will feel comfortable enough to respond and let your voices be heard.

To the person that said that management isn’t the problem with EID, but that the lack of communication is the problem I would like to argue one point. As an employee who do you feel is responsible for the lack in communication if not management? I have always been taught that the leader of a team sets the tone and atmosphere for his/her group. If a leader can not communicate with their team, and there is a break down in that team, than the leader needs to take responsibility for it and correct that problem. To date I have yet to see this happen.

While I will admit that a few things in the current regime have been positive for the rate payers and employees of the District, I wonder if the cost of those improvements has been worth it. Every day I get to work with coworkers that I truly respect and admire for their work ethics and their dedication to their jobs. But every day I also see these same people beaten down, falsely accused and belittled for going their jobs. Not because they are unskilled, but because they have values and morels that will not allow them to bend for a management style that is archaic and dishonest.

To the wife of the EID employee: Let your husband know that he is not alone in his feelings. There are many of us out here who spend more time in our work day trying to remove the “targets” off our back, or trying not to get one, than we do actually doing the jobs that the rate payers of this District hired us to do.

Before I sign off let me leave you with one question:
Do you believe that we have seen the worse and things will get better at EID, or will the current environment of retribution continue?

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

To the person that started this website.
It sounds like you have all the answers to everyones problems, but we have yet to hear what your problems are, and the reason for starting this website....
It sounds to me that you need to find a new job if you are so unhappy with EID. Remember you only have 1 life with no second chances. If you are that unhappy, MOVE ON!!!
Just to let you know. I dont appreciate my address being found or given out. I dont know how you got it, but if you work in the office or had someone in the office get it for you, I think that is inappopriate and unauthorized use of personal information. I will try to find out how this information was released, because now all you have caused is paranoia and distrust.
It sounds like to me that you should use the rules of this website in your everyday work life. If you were to communicate at work like you tell people to communicate on this website, you would not need this website!!! Or maybe you are the kind of person that blames everyone else for your problems.
When you write back to try to put me in my place, you will not get another response. I have said all that I need to.
Best of luck to you on this website. Good Day....

Anonymous said...

Now that I have posted my comment, I do see that you have to approve whatever is writen, although I do understand that you need to preread to make sure that nobody is being degraded and that there is no cussing etc. etc. etc.... I hope that you will take the good with the bad and not hide the negative comments against you and your website and keep them from being posted

Anonymous said...

In response to:
As an employee who do you feel is responsible for the lack in communication if not management?

I feel that the responsibility of communication lies with each and every one of us that work at the district. In-fact I think most job descriptions at the district have a line that says something like;

Ability to – Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.

To me this says that every one of us, management and worker alike are responsible for effectively communicating with each other.

In response to:
I have always been taught that the leader of a team sets the tone and atmosphere for his/her group.

You are right. A leader does set the tone and atmosphere for his/her group. And I think that the tone that has been set, and is being set on a regular basis by our management is a positive one.

When people go above and beyond, they are stood up in front of the Board and are recognized and applauded for their efforts.

Just look at this link,
http://www.eid.org/doc_lib/features/30070326_GMawards.pdf

I count 40 names in bold that are being recognized for going the extra mile. That is over 10% of this company being recognized at once.

It is my understanding that before our current management team that this type of thing did not happen on a regular basis. I have also heard countless times from old timers, that things have changed so much for the better compared to the way they used to be. To me it seems that things are headed in the right direction and makes me want to stick around for awhile.

Anonymous said...

To the person who wants us to "MOVE ON".
I agree that your personal info was used inaproprietly. That is an issue you need to take up with managment or maybe even the board.
We are so bold when anonymous.

The creator of this blog is probably a great communicator at work. However, this current managment team is full of people who only hear what they want and retaliate against what they dislike even if its truth. Distrust and paranoia is in their toolbox.
I for one will not "move on" so that a spot is open for them to fill with their cronies. I hope to be here long after they have run the course of managment collapse that is only inevitable when the structural pyramid is upside down and teetering.

Hopefully the board will no longer turn a blind eye and search for truth rather than believe only what is orchestrated for them in a powerpoint presentation.
Start with that 30% chemical cost savings. lol

Anonymous said...

If Management is so great at communication where was the notice we will probably loose our current health plan--per my phone conversation with PERS this has been an issue for a while. As for people who love to work at EID and have no problems good for you because good and qualified managers do exist in the District; for thoes of us who work under unqualified management who are clawing to keep a job title they are unqualified for and running departments they have no clue about we struggle with their paranoia about being called to the carpet and being held accountable. We want to be able to do our jobs and love working at EID too. When we live with retalation for questioning job practices and work ethics it makes it impossible to love your job. I dont want to "move on"; i want to be treated decently. What happened to decency?

Anonymous said...

Its funny how all the comments that seem management based are so angry. Angry about being questioned? That is why there is no communication, it just pisses you off.

pvilleprincess said...

In response to anonymous, I find it comical that you are more concerned about how your address was discovered instead of having a concern that in fact there must be "Something" of great magnitude going on at EID, if someone would take the time and effort to start a blog. Your address is public record. Why not have an open mind and look at it like "Wow, even though I am not being affected personally, someone I work with is and it could be me next" Do you not get mail most everyday that you did not initiate receiving?

Anonymous said...

The person who wrote at 9:40pm sounds pretty angry--maybe scared. Must be management if the threat of hunting you down is involved. Why does free speach scare them--cant someone dislike what someone else is doing? Not at EID--this is exactly what the site is about--this kind of attitude. I like the other person who spoke of employee recognition and posted a link--i cant and many others cant open it up--recognition is so far buried and obscure it cant be found can it?

Anonymous said...

I just wanted to comment about the “recognition” of the 40 or so people at the board meeting. The only reason they were recognized and that Vicky received manager of the season was divert the boards attention from the fact that Vicky had just put 12 people on admin leave for no reason as the “investigation” is showing, given that most of the people are back. I do have concern for the few people who are still out in that Vicky will need to fire at least one person to justify her actions.

These comments are not to take away from the great job that the employees who were recognized did. I just find it interesting to watch the diversionary tactics employed by management to shield the board from what is really happening.

Anonymous said...

To continue the story about Vickie getting an award for Manager of the season, I heard it was based on several items, one of which was the supposed savings on chemicals at the El Dorado Hills Wastewater plant, namely Chlorine. The 100,000 dollars she spent on updating the SCADA controls were supposed to Fine Tune the chlorine use, but from what I understand the operators still have to dose very high to get the desired results, just like before. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, makes you wonder if the money was well spent. Oh, by the way, the people hired to spend this much money were friends of Vickie. I guess the way to get rich off this company is to become good friends with Ane, Setoodah, or Vickie. Hey Vickie, got a spare hundred grand I can have?

Anonymous said...

In response to the person who said that communication lies with each and every one of us and quotes a line within most job descriptions of being able to communicate effectively, I would respond that only works if people are allowed to speak freely and are heard without the fear of being slammed for disagreeing. It appears to me that you have never disagreed with anyone in management or else you would agree that communication within the district is one way, actually two ways, either you agree totally with Ane and Setoodah or else you are considered an enemy of EID and not a team player, I have witnessed the unrealistic method of communication that these two embrace, and know for a fact that it would not bear scrutiny anywhere else.The toneng set as positive, I would think that you have never set foot out of your immediate space and talked to other employees. I travel throughout the district and am constantly disenchanted by the sheer number of negative comments I hear from employees who feel more like endentured slaves than respected and trusted employees. The most common comment made is they are tired of seeing only the SELECT FEW get treated with decency while anyone who is not part of the click get beat up.

Anonymous said...

To the one who said to move on, I also will not be bullied to move on when I have family here and have worked hard to establish roots within my community and church. Is this America where we live in the land of the free or some foreign country where people live in fear of retribution for having an original thought. I will agree with the person that the current management does stand people before the board for recognition, but wonder if the is a smoke screen to cover all the discontent brewing elsewhere. As far as parinoia and distrust, the person who created this site did not create those things, but simply exposed them. When you refuse to respond to any comment that you do not agree with, such as being put in your place, you only show the attitude that is a problem. If you don't agree with me then you are wrong and I refuse to discuss this with you. Are you part of management? That sure sounds like the party line to me.

Anonymous said...

Get ready wastewater are your jobs in jepardy? If Steve Setoodeh has his way you are all on the beach. Outsourcing?