Marble Hill city employees question supervisor system

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- A week into a system of putting two new supervisors alongside a seasoned city supervisor and redistributing the city maintenance crew's workload has created some dissatisfaction among city employees.

Along with the change of work schedule came a new, more detailed system of keeping track of employee time. City Administrator Ron Lutes told the board of aldermen Monday night he is satisfied the new time-tracking system will improve communication and will paint a clearer picture of how the city is allocating its money for public works.

Alderman Kenneth Trentham said city workers have told him they feel like they're being watched too closely for comfort, and he agrees. The employees also fear the new timekeeping method might work against them when paychecks are being written.

"If I had to work under that scrutiny, I would say, 'I'm out of here,'" Trentham said. "Why don't we go to the supervisors if we want to know what the guys did?"

Alderwoman Beverly Johnson and Mayor Nick Hendricks support the new method.

"Kenny, you've always worked for yourself," Johnson said, adding the city needs to know whether its employees are up to the task or whether it needs to outsource some work, "like we did the lawn mowing in the summer."

Hendricks said the company he works for uses the same kind of record-keeping that gives an accurate accounting of employee productivity and allows the company to make better financial decisions.

Trentham said city employees believe the time sheets are too detailed -- they have to record not only the time they spend on task, but also the time it takes to get from one task to another, which is stated on the form as time not working, which they fear might affect their pay. Lutes agreed the "non-working" should be changed to a less-confusing designation. He said if employees turn in a completed work sheet, they will be paid.

Added supervisor Tim McCain, "They feel like they're constantly looking at the clock writing down stuff."

"I want you to be aware of the time and how much time they are spending," Lutes said. Lutes said that a little planning could save some down time that could be spent more productively.