Since its inception, the Employee Participation Team has met monthly to work on each initial issue as well as others that have come up since. Team members look forward to the meetings, where they kick around ideas and refine implementation plans. The following is a short list of their accomplishments to date:
The meetings are fun-filled as different thoughts—including off-the-wall concepts—are proposed and considered. At the end of each discussion, the team always makes sure it has an action plan to implement or promote something tangible that will benefit the entire department.
“In my previous workplaces, I had not experienced any organized method for promoting teamwork, so this is a new and exciting opportunity,” says Hill. “It is an excellent method to establish and build team spirit among coworkers.”
Another benefit is that areas of the department that had felt left out are now feeling included. “The personal interaction that happens at activities held outside of the workplace allows people to know each other in a more open and unstructured environment,” says management analyst II Jill Thomas.
As for our idea of developing and using a department mission statement: Staff members worked on an encompassing statement to make sure it touches all the service areas for which our department provides. The mission statement now accompanies staff signatures in the outgoing e-mails:
“To enhance the quality of life and preserve the city’s heritage and charm through timely response, effective design, environmental sensitivity, quality construction, and neighborhood improvement.”
— Abbaszadeh is engineering and building director for the city of San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
