Years ago, when Sterling Drug was located in Aurora, there was a union strike that went on for some time.
The town was less than ten thousand. Most of the employees were Aurora residents.
The Aurora Banner sought anddained an interview with a management spokesperson.
I remember a quote from the story , only one, but it stands out stark and clear in my memory.
The VIP told the newspaper; "We could teach monkeys to do what they do"
I thought; " whatever you have learned mister, you have acquired no judgement whatsoever.
Comments on remuneration yesterday were interesting.
I think judgement is an essential quality of management. It's what we pay for. If it's not there, we are not getting value .
A comment suggests to determine he going rate for the job is how to decide on appropriate remuneration is to
It's the constant measurement used.
On Saturday's budget discussion it was noted the IT department had asked for a trainer position. The request was denied. Suggestion made t seek to share a trainer with the Town of Newmarket.
At an OMA conference a couple of years ago,I attended a workshop on the Work Asset
Management System aka WAMS.
Municipalities in Ontario are having considerable difficulty implementing the system.
In November 2011, Aurora bought a WAMS software program at a cost of $440,000. The IT department were neither consulted nor informed.
The next audit produced a management letter indicating problems in the treasury department linked to a lack of training and direction for hands on staff.
Since the system was purchased additional bits and pieces have been purchased. Council really doesn't know the final tally.
The budget advises of the merits of hand-held devices . Another likely future purchase.
As near as I can determine, field employees are having to come in earlier to input into the computer the daily record of tasks accomplished .
It's what the Work Asset Management System is about.
Hardly surprising many municipalities are having difficulty with the concept.They can't all afford to spend money on a consultant to recommend the purchase of a $440,000 soft-ware program and wait two years for it to be "up and running"
Ontario has 440 municipalities. Not all GTA. Not all collecting billions in extortion money from builders of homes and spending willy-nilly on luxuries and toys and airy-fairy entrepreneur schemes never dreamed of when it was clear and transparent who was footing the bill.
And poor judgement in decision-making was equally conspicuous .
Aurora shares fire protection services with the Town of Newmarket. Our water system is connected.
The transit system is Regional.
The Northern Six municipalities contract garbage collection and insurance coverage.
Now it's suggested an IT trainer might be shared with the Town of Newmarket.
Consultants are retained to tell us what to do next and eliminate a position to save money. Which was promptly done without time to turn around.
So who is accountable?
Did the devil make us do it?
We shift department responsibilities in consultant-led re-organisation and when it doesn't work, we shift them again.
We take out membership in a Canadian Institute of Excellence then we apply for a Bronze Certificate to cover ourselves in glory and tell the nation know how great we art.
In the meantime good employees are thrown away like they were so much flotsam.
I hear at the present time ,Management Team meetings are attended by a conciliator to help the team get along.
Tuesday, 14 January 2014
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
6 comments:
Lovely post, Evelyn
Maybe those meetings should also include that nurse from one of the committees - just in case there is blood-shed
It would appear that all levels of government are guilty of forming committees, retaining consultants - planning and engineering and architectural, authorizing studies and analysis groups.
It seems pointless to commit to a computer software program when the people for whom it is intended know nothing about it, its uses and capabilities. An abacus might have been a better investment - certainly less costly.
Aurora has $20,000,000 committed to a joint use facility on faulty ground. Who is to say the cost might not increase by 50%? It is only when it is completed that taxpayers will know the full cost.
Aurora is contemplating a Heritage Park at an estimated cost of $10,000,00. This is the subject of present studies and apparently negotiations authorized by Council to staff to purchase property. Where is the chicken and the egg in all of this?
It only gets worse the higher up the food chain of government that you go. The provincial Liberal government authorized the payment of $1,000,000,000 to cancel contracts for two gas plants. No one is accountable; the present premier has apologized.
The federal government has contracted for helicopters from Sikorsky that will now be ten years late and multi-billions of dollars over original budget.
And trains carrying oil are exploding all over North America because neither the American government or our own were aware of the sensitivity to explosion of the oil that is coming from North Dakota and have no rules on the books for the railway companies.
I could see this Council in the first year accepting the words of staff as genuinely well-informed and positive for the town. There is no excuse for still blindly following suggestions that were clearly over the top. The computer system was a perfect example. As was continuing to funnel money to the Centre without insisting on at least a show of them trying to reduce their demands.
When you go to the meeting tonight, imagine what the individuals sitting there at this time next year will look like
[ & I know that is not right grammar ]
8:30 and still no streaming. Are you OK ?
Good Grief ! I just read in the Auroran that the town's communications dept. wants an increase. Surely they cannot be serious !
Post a Comment