TO: FROM: DATE:

CIS Committee Members CIS Sub-Committee on Hiring Practices October 17, 2011

Four members of the CIS Committee formed by the City Manager were asked to review the hiring practices in CIS, and make findings and recommendations for best hiring practices. The sub-committee consists of Civil Service Director Patricia Marsolais; Human Resources Director Molly McCall Carroll; CIS Assistant Director Robbie Porter-Wooten; and Senior Assistant City Attorney Jennifer Carter Huggard. The sub-committee examined documentation and interviewed hiring managers (to the fullest extent possible) regarding the hiring of the following individuals: Karen Carter; Isaac Cooper; Synetheris Nettles; Baron Poitier; Charles Rainbow; Patricia Smith; James Taylor; and Cassandra Watkins. Findings of Review: Most of the individuals were hired by the City on a temporary basis and not through a staffing agency. It is unknown how the individuals learned of any opportunities at the City. There exists little if any documentation of the interview and selection process. The hiring managers reported that efforts were made to ensure that interview panels, when convened, were diverse, although this was not consistently followed. For example, one hiring manager reported that on the day of interviews, one of the panel members became unavailable, so the interviews proceeded without him. Two of the hiring managers reported that temporary employees were placed under their supervision without their input and for one of the hiring managers, against her recommendation. For the hiring managers that participated in interviews, they all reported that notes were taken during interviews. However, no notes could be located in responding to the open records requests or in response to our requests for copies. One hiring manager reported that he may have purged them when he moved offices. One panel member reported that he was required to turn his notes into the hiring manager at the conclusion of the interview and he does not know what happened to them after that. It is the sub-committees findings that procedures that were in place to ensure fairness and competition in the hiring practice were not followed uniformly. For many of the temporary hires, NeoGov requisitions existed for the position occupied by a temporary. Some of the hiring managers reported that a critical need existed that needed to be filled immediately, resulting in the temporary being brought in, instead of hiring a permanent employee. Recommendations: The sub-committee recommends that the City provide training to hiring managers on the processes outlined in the Citys Administrative Directive 3-04 (attached.). Administrative Directive 3-04 is under review and a final updated version should be available soon. It is also recommended that training be provided to hiring managers with the New Employee Hire Process flowchart (attached) which reflects the sub-committees recommendations for better

CIS Sub-committee memo October 17, 2011 Page 2 oversight and accountability in the full time employee hiring process. It is clear that the majority of these steps were in place prior to the events being reviewed and should have been followed. For example, Civil Service processes the NeoGov requisitions, posts the openings, and reviews candidates for meeting minimum qualifications. The sub-committee recommends that the process which requires the Human Resources generalist assigned to CIS certify whether the interview panel selected is diverse be uniformly followed. New to the process is a recommendation that documentation from interviews be maintained by the CIS Assistant Director over the Business Management Services Division, for the two-year records retention requirement. Hiring managers and panel members should be instructed in properly following this process. However, even if this process is followed with regard to the hiring of full time employees, the problematic issues regarding the placement of temporary hires could reoccur. Because of that possibility, the sub-committee has the following recommendations for the temporary hire placement process. The sub-committee identified the three most common situations in which the hiring of temporary employees is necessary: 1) for a limited duration project for which the hiring of a permanent employee is not practical; 2) when an immediate need exists that cannot await the permanent hire process; or 3) when a permanent employee is on leave. For the direct hire of temporary employees when an immediate need exists that cannot await the permanent hire process, the sub-committee recommends that City Manager approval be obtained for a temporary employee who will remain on staff for more than six months, and for each six months thereafter. For a temporary employee in this situation, the department should be required to provide a detailed explanation of the justification for retaining the temporary employee for more than twelve months. As part of the continued approval process, the department must verify with the City Manager that a NeoGov requisition is in place for a full time employee position, report the status of the interview and selection process, and explain the justification for keeping the temporary hire for another six months. If City Manager approval is not obtained, the temporary hire must be separated from City employment. It is the sub-committees recommendation that, when a temporary employee is being hired when an immediate need exists that cannot await the permanent hire process, that to the fullest extent possible, competition for temporary placement should be maintained by consideration of numerous candidates and, with the exception of Civil Service involvement, the New Employee Hire Process be followed. The CIS Human Resources generalist will be required to verify that this process is followed and that the interview panel for a temporary hire is diverse. The sub-committee also recommends that, to the fullest extent possible, for temporary hire placement without competition, that the person who recommended the candidate for the position be prohibited from involvement in the placement process. It is recommended that once these procedures are in place, that a follow-up review be conducted of CIS hiring practices in six months, by a group or department designated by the City Manager, to verify if the procedures are being followed, and to report the findings to the City Manager.

Dallas, the City that Works: Diverse, Vibrant and Progressive