The Office of the Clerk at the Legislative Assembly should have a SA国际影视传媒減ressure valve,SA国际影视传媒� according to the action plan created in response to complaints of a toxic work environment there.
Frederick Blake Jr., Speaker of the House, released the Workplace Review Action Plan on Dec. 21.
SA国际影视传媒淭he creation of this action plan is an important step in improving workplace culture, but itSA国际影视传媒檚 only the beginning,SA国际影视传媒� Blake said. SA国际影视传媒淚 look forward to overseeing the planSA国际影视传媒檚 implementation and want to thank staff for actively contributing to its development.SA国际影视传媒�
The pressure valve the plan refers to is a human resources position within the clerkSA国际影视传媒檚 office that would help defuse interpersonal conflicts. That would address a SA国际影视传媒済apSA国际影视传媒� created in the clerkSA国际影视传媒檚 office when HR for the territorial government was centralized in the Finance department in 2005.
The plan recommends that in the meantime or short-term, Finance department HR staff should spend some time at the Legislative Assembly each week, and that managers be trained so they SA国际影视传媒渉ave a standard level of human resources knowledge.SA国际影视传媒�
The clerk, Tim Mercer, must report progress on the action plan to the Board of Management each time it meets. The Speaker must report progress to the whole of the Legislative Assembly once per sitting.
The 16-page document contains recommendations for the short-, mid- and long-term under seven SA国际影视传媒減roposed next stepsSA国际影视传媒� including the pressure valve, addressing the perception of conflicts of interest and preferential treatment related to staffing, improving communication and breaking down SA国际影视传媒渟ilos,SA国际影视传媒� and addressing SA国际影视传媒渋ssuesSA国际影视传媒� between clerks and research advisers (also legislative assembly employees), SA国际影视传媒渋ssuesSA国际影视传媒� with MLAs regarding their interactions with Office of the Clerk staff and the SA国际影视传媒減erception of proximity between managers and MLAs.SA国际影视传媒�
Short-term is defined as before March 31, 2022, mid-term items are to be completed before the end of next September.
Other priorities
To address perceptions of inappropriate hirings or appointments, the plan recommends adopting specific guidelines for direct appointments and transfer assignments (in the short term) and adopting guidelines SA国际影视传媒渢o address real and perceived conflicts of interest for participation on staffing selection committeesSA国际影视传媒� in the mid-term. Also in the mid-term, the code of conduct for the Office of the Clerk should have a section on SA国际影视传媒減erceived and actual conflicts of interestSA国际影视传媒� added.
It says a succession planning framework for the Office of the Clerk is in progress and should be completed in the mid-term.
To improve communication, the plan says clerkSA国际影视传媒檚 office employees should be engaged in an internal communications strategy, and a digital sign should be installed at the entrance to the legislature which SA国际影视传媒渓ists events or meetings happening each day and week as well as important building-wide announcements.SA国际影视传媒�
It also recommends, in the mid-term, hosting annual events that celebrate SA国际影视传媒淚ndigenous languages and cultures in observation of National Indigenous Peoples Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.SA国际影视传媒�
Clerks, advisers, MLAs
The plan recommends, in the short-term, going out-of-house to rebuild the relationships between clerks and advisers by hiring an outside facilitator SA国际影视传媒渢o help them identify and agree on updated roles and responsibilities.SA国际影视传媒� It also directs that a review of the organizational structure may reveal other ways of SA国际影视传媒渁ddressing issues between clerks and advisers.SA国际影视传媒�
The action plan says there should be a SA国际影视传媒淩espectful Workplace or Lateral Violence Awareness SessionSA国际影视传媒� for MLAs and that those MLAs be surveyed about their satisfaction with the services provided by the Office of the Clerk each year. It also says MLAs should be re-introduced to clerk staff in small groups at the start of a series of impending caucus meetings, and that there should be SA国际影视传媒渆nhanced trainingSA国际影视传媒� on the role of the clerkSA国际影视传媒檚 office and how to work with it.
In addition, it calls for the reinforcement of BlakeSA国际影视传媒檚 statement as Speaker, that SA国际影视传媒渦nfair or inappropriate treatment of staff will not be tolerated, and that members (MLAs) will hold each other accountable when this occurs.SA国际影视传媒�
In order to reinforce a healthy division between Legislative Assembly employees and MLAs, the plan recommends a SA国际影视传媒漵lightly more formal waySA国际影视传媒� of addressing MLAs be used by all staff in the legislature and that clerk office staffers be educated on SA国际影视传媒渘ecessary and appropriate working relationships and boundaries between employees, managers and members.SA国际影视传媒� It also says that the code of conduct for the clerkSA国际影视传媒檚 office ought to be revised to include a section on SA国际影视传媒減erceived or actual relationships between management and members,SA国际影视传媒� and a staff conflict of interest policy that requires the disclosure and management of SA国际影视传媒渘ew or pre-existing friendships or family ties between employees and members.SA国际影视传媒�
The action plan is the result of a workplace review conducted by a consultant hired by the Board of Management. They interviewed 30 current and former Legislative Assembly employees. Many spoke positively about Mercer and the environment in the Office of the Clerk, but some said accused him of SA国际影视传媒渂ullying, yelling at employees, impulsiveness, and (having an) inability to control his temper.SA国际影视传媒�
