ML19308C839
| ML19308C839 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 06/08/1979 |
| From: | Hartfield R NRC - NRC THREE MILE ISLAND TASK FORCE |
| To: | Cornell E, Deyoung R, Parler W NRC - NRC THREE MILE ISLAND TASK FORCE |
| References | |
| TASK-TF, TASK-TMR NUDOCS 8002070590 | |
| Download: ML19308C839 (17) | |
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StbNARY FINDINGS-M[
The purpose of this summary is to provide a general, overall picture of the employees' attitudes at He Office of Inspection and Enforcement. This sumnary is not intended to supplant a thorough reading of the detailed findings presented in this report.
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Overview s
ne large majority of employees rate IE above average compared to other govemment e
agencies they know or have heard about. Administrative staff employees are considerably o,
more critical of IE as a place to work than are other employees and also are substantially e.
below the mean favorabic rating of employees in other companies ORC has surveyed.
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- e. When asked to compare IE to private companies as a place to work, all employee groups :
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j; give lower. favorable ratings to IE than they did when asked to compare IE to other J
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govemment agencies. The ratings by all IE employee groups are substantially below oc the comparative nom on this question.
The largest group of employees believes IE is not as good now as it once was as a e
place to work.
Ionger service employees are more likely to express this opinion than are shorter service employees.
Over six employees in ten in the nonmanagement ranks believe the Agency is losing e
touch with its employees.
Over a third of both professional cnd administrative staff employees give a below average rating to employee morale where they work.
1 Most employees report that they like their job.
Professional and administrative e
staff employees at headquarters are the only groups where a sizable minority report F
they do not like their job.
When asked to select the factors that are most important to them in a job, IE e
employees most frequently mention opportunity for advancement, doing interesting and challenging work, and having a supervisor they respect.
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e Nearly half of all IE employees have a low level of identification with the Agency.
Management employees ha've a much higher level of identification than do nonmanagement employees.
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. e When asked what issues IE should address itself to in the future, employees most l
. frequently mention advancement opportunitics, developing a more effective inspection program, improving management, and improving employee relations generally.
Basic Conditions of Employment
- Substantial percentages of employees at all levels give an above average rating to pay, benefits, working hours, and co-workers. When compared to employees in other companies, IE employees are above the norm on the issues of pay and co-workers, while they are near or below the nom on employee benefits and working hours.
e Most employees are satisfied with their working conditions; however, employees at headquartets are more critical of their working conditions than are their counter-parts in the regional offices.
Specifically, parking, temperature, ventilation, and work space receive the most criticism from employees.
Management-Employee. Relations e Management-employee relations at IE are criticized more by nonmanagement employees than by management employees. Professional and administrative staff employees are especially critical of IE with regard to dealing fairly with all employees and acting on employee complaints.
IE compares favorably to other companies-ORC has surveyed on the issues of management e
and employees being able to work together and employees being able to speak their minds to higher-ups.
IE does not compare favorably on showing respect to employees.
- Only 12% of all employees believe policies and work niles are applied the same way in all departments.
All employee groups are well below the nom on this item.
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Supervisory Relationships
- Slightly less than half'of all employees believe IE does a good job of providing supervisors that employees can respect.
- A majority of management employees rate their supervisor above average on all. traits relating to human relations, communications, and job skills. Administrative staff
. employees, however, are much more critical of the supervisors.
Over a third rate a
' their supervisor below ave' rage on taking action on employee problems and complaints, encouraging suggestions for improvements, letting employees know what kind of a job i.:
W they are doing, making decisions promptly, and giving emplo need to do a good job.
c M!r Job Security, Opportunity for Advancement and Perfomance Review e,t ",qi.f
. *' Job security at IE is rated highly by all employee groups -- at least two-thirds of.:
.I, i the ' employees in each group rate job security above average.
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- Nonmanagement employees are much more critical of advancement opportunities at IE.
t Thirty-nine percent of all professional and 61% of all administrative staff employees rate advancement opportunities at IE as " poor" or "very poor."
- 'IWo-thirds of all employees believe that IE does not have much interest in their
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Eighty percent of first line managers express this opinion.
A sizable percentage of employees also believe that they will not be able to achieve their career objectives by remaining at IE.
- When asked what is the best way for an individual to advance at IEi employees most o
frequently mention knowing the right people and being willing to relocate.
- Upper and middle management employees are the only group to have a majority of employees who say that favoritism does not play a role in promotions given at IE.
- Approximately half of the employees say they have applied for another job at IE, but only 24% say they were satisfied with the explanation they received of why they did or did not get the job.
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- The large majority of employees say they have had a perfonnance review within the last year and most say they found the review very or somewhat effective.
Managerial Effectiveness IE employees perceive the management style at headquarters as more directive than developmental in style.
- Six in ten employees believe that many mana'gers practice a " don't-rock-the-boat" l
philosophy.
Nonmanagement employees are mare critical of managers on this issue.
- There,is a need for more training in management skills among managers and supervisors il at IE"according to most employees.
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- Many employees are critical of the decision-making process at IE. A majority in every group say that decisions are often made by people unfamiliar with the actual situation and that decisions are often made at a high level that could be better made at a i
lower level.
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- Eight employees in ten believe that there is too much unnecessary paperwork at IE.
- Interdepartmental cooperation and duplication of work effort are areas of concem to many employees. At least a fourth of all professional and administrative staff employees rate IE below average on these points.
. Administrative staff employees perceive more lost time due to poor planning than do t
either management or professional employees.
Nearly half of all administrative staff employees also say that IE does a below average job of having enough people to do the work.
- Most employees at all levels believe that their job makes good use of their skills and abilities and that much of their work could not be done by someone with less training or experience.
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xiii Comunications
+ Only half of the employees at IE believe that the Agency keeps. them ff.ty or fairly i
well informed about the Agency. Over 40% of the first line managers, professionals, and administrative staff employees say they receive only a limited amount of infqmation from IE.
- A sizable minority of enployees also express doubt about the credibility of the information that is released. This is especially true of first line managers, pro-fossionals, and administrative staff employees.
6 f * 'Iko thirds of the employees at IE say that the information released by the Agency is
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outdated.
They have already heard it from another source.
- Employees at all levels say they would prefer to receive infomation about the Agency
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,from their own supervis.or, liwever, a large number of employees at all levels A f. c* ' :
- t ndicate they currently depend on the " grapevine" for most of their information.
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Management and Professional Employee Attitudes Toward the Inspection Program '
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- Forty-four percent of all employees say that they have an excellent or good understandi of the resident inspection program.
110 wever, only 13% of the Inspectors say they have
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, an. excellent understanding of the program.
- Opinion is divided ori how the Resident Inspection program compares with the current ii Inspection program.
- A large number of employees say they do not have a good understanding of the Performance Appraisal Team program.
Also, many employees say they do not know enough about the program to say how effective it will be in evaluating the inspection program.
- A sizable percentage of management and professichtal employees do not feel the long-range plans of IE are clearly defined. A majority of managers and professionals also believe there is a need for a formal method to qualify or certify the competence,of Inspectors.
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- While the majority of employees believe that multi-Inspector inspections are well g
coordinated and that most on-site. time is productively spent, most employecs do not ik feel.the "on-site Time Policy" is an effective goal of the inspection program.
' 'Ihe large majority of employees criticize the " response time" by headquarters to technical issues or questions. Employees in the regional offices are much more ritical on this issue than are employees at headquarters.
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- Employees in the regional cffice are more likely to feel IE Manual chapters on
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Inspection Procedures are not well organized.
Inspectors are especially unhappy with this situation.
- Inspe~ctors are also the most critical group with regard to Inspection Procedures not providing adequate guiJance to plan an effective inspection and not providing adequate technical guiduce.
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- Most employees arc sctisfied with the report format and the time allowed to write 4
a report. Ilowever, pnfessional employees are less favorable in their rating of the report review process than are management employees.
Management and Professional Employee Attitudes Toward Enforcement Programs Management and professional employees are generally satisfied with the emphasis placed a
on enforcement programs by IE. However, among those dissatisfied with the emphasis placed on enforcement, opinion is evenly divided between those who feel IE places too much emphasis on enforcement and those who feel IE places too little emphasis on enforcement programs.
Management and professional employees have differing views on the effectiveness and fairness of enforcement methods.
A majority of management employees believe IE has effective enforcement methods and that tt.ce methods are used fairly.
Opinions among professionals are split on both issues.
Regional enforcement actions are seen as being more timely than headquarters enforcement methods.
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- Opinion is divided on possible ways to improve the effectiveness of enforcement o"
programs and license performance. 'Ihe only issue where there is a consensus is that the conducting of management meetings with licensees is effective in ' improving licensee performance.
Training Issues L
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- One-half of all administrative staff employees rate the training provided for their
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,present job as poor.
Mmagement and professional employees are generally satisfied lj
. with th training provided for their current job.
However, 40% of the employees in -
y each g oup give a poor rating to the training provided to help them qualify for a 4
better job.
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- 20ver three-fourths of all management and professional employees believe that experienced j '- i jinspectors should be involved in the training of new Inspectors, and the majority.also
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,5!*l A sizable minority of professionals find IE training courses ' deficient in providing I'. l lp '. - (
'needed theory and relevant infonnation.
- Mosk employees are satisfNd with the IE training courses with regard to classroom
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, arrangement, texts, hando.
, and the use of visual aids.
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- Most. c5 oyees give an above average rating to the training they have received from 1
an outside organization. 'Ihe level of favorability drops among both employae groups.
when asked to rate IE-sponsored training courses.-
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RESEARDI IWLICATIO4S 4
The sumary of findings points out several primary problems among employees of the i
Office of Inspection and Enforcement. These problem areas are:
0 Low employee morale -- a lack of recognition and respect i
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Perceptions of favoritism within the Agency l
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Conflicting roles of first line managers (supervisors) e ilE Physical working conditions at Ileadquarters e
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Inadequate channels of downward communications e
' e Ineffective decision making n.
iii ORC does not presume to know all the factors in the Office of Inspection and Enforcement that contribute to these problems. Nor can ORC propose a blanket program to solve ii!
these problems.
However, the nature and patterns of responses to the survey make it d
possible for ORC to suggest to the management of IE approaches to ' solving the problems, The survey has identified the general problem areas.
h' hat remains, following the survey, are the processes of defining the problems in greater detail, the development of solution strategies and tactics, and the implementation of solutions.
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n Each of the. problem areas is discussed in terms of the survey indicators that the problem exists, how management can further define the problem, and possible solutions.
'y It must be noted that, as management proceeds, they..should consider their own ideas in tems of problem d3finition, solutions, and imp > mentation, as well as potential employee ideas.
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xvii low Employee Morale Indicators e Over a third of all nonmanagement employees rate morale at IB as " poor" or "very poor."
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Many employees feel the Agency is losing touch with its l
e individual employees.
t Many employees say that management and employees at IE e
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are not working toward the same goals.
li Problem definition Small group discussions can be an effective process fc. getting at the causes of these problems. Survey results can be used to introduce the topic area and to direct employees' attention to the issues of recognition and respect. Based on experience, ORC has discovered that it is -likely that the desire for respect and recognition will come out in terms of specific complaints and possibly accusations. The nomal inclination is to defend and deny. Ilowever, with an effective moderator these discussions can be very helpful.
Management should then review the results of these discussions to detemine to what extent morale is, in fact, a problem. Management would then be in'a better position to respond to salaried employee needs.
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xviii Perceptions of Favoritism Within the Agency Indicators A majority of employees rate the Agency " average" or Norse" in e
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dealing fairly with all employees.
" Knowing the right people" is frequently nentioned as the way e
many employees have gotteri ahead at IE.
A majority of employees suspect that Agency rules and policies e
are not administered the same way in all departments.
y Problem definition Four dimensions of Agency policies at IE are important here -- 1) fairness,
- 2) understanding, 3) equal application, and 4) favoritism.
ORC has found in the past that when employees express these concems, it is tisually due to two factors -- 1) too many rules have been developed to cover situations that m
rarely occur, and/or 2) there are so many rules that employees cannot understand them all.
Consequently, supervisors in different departments differ in their applica-tion of the policies and rules, and many individual supervisors might apply the rules only when it is convenient *to do so.
ORC suggests a thorough examination of all personnel policies and rules to condense and/or remove those that are clearly not fair. 'Ihose that are too readily subject to misunderstanding or misinterpretation should also be restructured wherever possible.
i Adding to this problem is the uncertainty expressed by many employees about the use of Civil Service Regulations, as well as the Agency'id they did not know whether s own regulations.
During the exploratory phase of this project, many employees sa Civil Service Regulations or the Agency's own regulations applied in a 'given situation.
In the questionnaire, many employees indicated that they were unsure as to whether emphasis should be placed on Civil Service Regulations or the Agency's regulations.
In order to improve this situation, the first step should be to clarify to employees the cases when' Civil Service Regulations apply and when the Agency's own regulations apply.
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I Lack of Opportunities for Advancement 4~
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Indicato'rs e
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Forty-two percent of all employees rate the opportunities for e
advancement within IE as " poor or "very poor."
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~ e rate of advancement for employees within IE.
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First line managers and management employees also express doubt l
e about the fairness of promotions at IE.
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.I e IE is criticized for not providing training to employees to help
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them qualify for better jobs.
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Problem definition 1
j During the exploratory interviews, ORC noted a difference between the feelings of management and nonmanagement employees on the subject of advancement opportunity,
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[j at IE. Management employees feel that the advancement opportunity at IE is one -
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of the strong points of the Agency, while nonmanagement employees criticize th~e survey results.
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lack of opportunities available to them. This hypothesis is confimed by the y"
n-n On another issue, survey results indicate. that job security is. rated..very. highly 9
by all employee groups.
Individuals who see no path for growth, and who also work i
in a very secure environment, tend to lose their initiative.
To assist-IE in making a ccmmitment to broadening advancement opportunities, manage-ment should seek ways of ccmmunicating to employees that their individual perfomance l
detemines Company success, which in turn leads to individual advancement and rewards.
i In addition, groups of employees could meet to discuss the reasons behind the feeling i
that enployees cannot advance at IE.
Is it because of age, race, education, or i
other reasons? Employees could also generate alternative career paths in which they may be interested and then have management examine these.
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m To further comunicate management's concern about this issue to employees, 7
current training programs should be analyzed and appropriate new programs imple-mented to aid employees in preparing for future openings.
Conflicting Roles of First Line Managers (Supervisors)
Indicators In many cases, the response pattern for first line managers is e
closer to that of nonmanagement employees than it is to upper and middle management employees, Many employees feel there is a need for more training in basic managerial e
skills among managers at IE.
While many employees say that working for a supervisor they respect is important to them in a job, slightly less than half of all employees say IE does a good job of providing them with a supervisor the) can respect.
Problem definition Supervisors often have conflicting roles in.that,.while they. are part of management and are expected to deal impartially with nonexempt employees, they are usually closer to the people they supervise than they are to the people who. supervise them.
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The following recomendations deal with improving supervisory relationships, Initiate regularly scheduled ccmmunications meetings between o
upper management, middle management, and supervisory personnel.
f The objective would be to provide a steady flow of communications
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both up and down; it would give management more direct exposure In addition, it would supply supervisors with.information that
-' fpf.j to supervisors' prob 1 cms and supervisors to management's concerns.
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..i they can pass along to.their employees -- this is smething that
.i nonmanagement employees have. expressed a desire for.
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iH managerial and decision-making skills. This might best be accom-
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- e. Training could be provided to help supervisors improve their N,.:
oi; plished through actual case discussions and role playing among.
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Il Improvement of Physical Working Conditions at Ileadquarters e
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Indicators-
.c Ventilation, temperature, and work space are criticized by many e
employees at headquarters.
d The ratings of specific working conditions given by headquarters e
personnel are much lower than those given by employees in the regional offices.
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i Problem definition The response by employees does not indicate that working conditions are considered to be one of the more serious problems at IE. Ilowever, reacting to the complaints that do exist can provide a quick and visible, positive comitment to employees by management.
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In general, such problems tend to be the easiest to correct and can, therefore, provide management with one of the earliest opportunities to demonstrate.to
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tu employees that the survey results are being taken seriously. As soon as possible, i
management will want to take steps to improve specific working conditions which can be clearly identified from the survey results as problem areas,.such as
- p ventilation, temperature,and work space. Workgroups can and should be enlisted in generating specific ways to improve these conditions, especially since the e
level of complaint varies by location.
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Inadequate utannels of Downward Comnunications M
Indicators i"ii Mediocre ratings of IE on keeping employees informed.
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A sizable minority of employees are skeptical of the credibility iid;.
e of the infonnation received from the Agency, Nonmanagement employees, especially the administrative staff, e
are not getting Agency infonnation from their preferred sources.
Employees feel they do not get enough background information on
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e Agency activities.
U The infonnation that is released by the Agency is " dated" (not e
current), according to employees.
Problem definition
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Employees have indicated a preference for more infonnation fran their supervisors and in group meetings. As was mentioned earlier, meetings between
, jll management and supervisory personnel would supply supervisors with more Agency-related infonnation. Supervisors should then be encouraged to pass this infonnation along to their employees and re-enforced for doing so.
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One method for passing this information along would be to schedule meetings with employees. Management should make a point of using such meetings to have supervisors relate "hard data" to employees, telling them how their workgroup is doing and how the Agency as a whole is doing.
In addition, theee meetings could be used to explain new programs such as the Resident Inspection program and the Performance Appraisal Team program. The detailed findings will show that many employees, especially the administrative staff, say they do not 3
iiim know a great deal about these programs. 'lhese meetings should also provide s
th employees with the opportunitiies to ask their own questions.
Supervisors should always say, "I'll find out," if.they don't know the answers'to any
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questions raised by employecc.
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In the beginning, these meetings should be established to discuss survey results.
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Later,.the-sessions can be use'd to discuss the underlying causes of the ar'oblems n
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highlighted by the survey as well as any new problems generated during the ses-i ~
sions.
It is also suggested that management respond to all complaints -- taking correc-tive action on scue but certainly answering all. hhere action cannot be taken,.
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employees should be informed of the reasons why not.
Ineffective Decision-Making Process Indicators Employees feel decisions are made at too higha level.
e Employees complein that management makes decisions without e
first consulting with those who will be affected.
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3 Some employees give negative ratings to IE on interdepartmental m
e cooperation and avoiding duplication of work efforts.
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5 Ji Problem definition There are several approaches.that management can take iniattempting to further lll!!
define the problem.
.l!n One approach would be to undertake an examination of recent decisions made at IE.
For each decision, management should investigate the reasons which precipi-tated the decision having been made: Kho was consulted before the decision was made; hho actually made the decision; llow the decision was comunicated to those affected; IIow did these people react to the decision; Did any problems arise as a result of the decision and, if so, what steps were taken to rectify the situation.
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in These issues should be reviewed by management, keeping the following questions in mind:
Did the decision maker have enough infonnation? Could the decision be made at a lower level? Ilow can the process be improved?
As a result of this review, an attempt should be made to delegate decision making to the lowest-possible, relevant level. As previously mentioned,
.g meetings between management and supervisory personnel provide an opportunity
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for each group to see an issue from the other group's point of view.
in Perhaps the most difficult aspect of delegation is the expectation that j;;
supervisors or employees will make judgmental errors.
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or employees need to have this experience if they are to learn and develop in by living with their own errors (and successes).
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!!F As management follows through on the survey findings, it is suggested that the solutions developed be employee-oriented with, in. fact, many solutions generated from the " bottom up."
hhat is iJnportant here is that management re-establish the contact with employees that has been lost over time.
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