Aug 4, 2021
HCSS Response
4yWe agree that we have caring and considerate managers at HCSS, and that our compensation, benefits, and campus are amazing!
The 4 highest ranking executives happen to be white males. They also happen to have around 90 years of experience in the industry between the 4 of them. Beyond these 4 individuals is a leadership team full of diversity. Each executive and member of our leadership team is in their position because of their performance and their impact on the HCSS. We admit that at times, we can micro-manage people and projects. Some of this is a result of passion around a project, but it’s also the result of things not getting done. If work isn’t getting done, someone must step in to ensure that progress is made.
The slogan “We don’t do things a certain way because that's how we’ve always done it” is certainly true. You can see that in our day to day operations as well as our company structure. We continue to evolve as our industry evolves. New ideas are always welcome, but a new idea may not always be great for our business, or fit with our overall business strategy.
It’s unfortunate that you feel like your opinions and feedback aren’t valid. Ask Mike (a forum where employees can ask the CEO anything anonymously and he will publish a response) has proven to be a very effective tool for this, with direct action as a response (changes to our maternity leave policy is a perfect example). We also use a survey tool to measure engagement on a quarterly basis, and we have also deployed surveys in the past to understand how people feel about their managers. Sadly, we often don’t receive a large response rate. We can provide the tools to get employee feedback, but can’t force people to use them.
We understand the concern regarding Covid infection, and we are taking additional steps to ensure that employees feel safe when they work in the office. A space will be set aside in Building 3 for employees who want to take extra precautions. Desks will be 6 feet apart, and masks will be required in this area. All employees are asked to wear masks in public spaces, and we are providing an emblem for employees to place outside of their workstation to indicate if masks should be worn when entering their workspace.
The decision to open or close the office has always been based on the decision of school districts, which is hardly arbitrary. The decision to return to the office on September 1st stands as of now and will continue to be evaluated. We believe our culture is important, but so is the safety of our employees. Many businesses returned to normal operations months ago. Many stayed open throughout the pandemic. I believe the decision to stay closed for over a year and a half shows that we want what’s best for our employees and their families.
To our knowledge, no one has been required to work in the office outside of a few individuals. I would hope that you voiced your concerns over this, as well as the other concerns you mentioned, to your manager. Posting your grievances with HCSS on Glassdoor won’t solve the issues you have. But as you mentioned earlier, we have great managers who care about your career as well as your safety. Sharing your concerns with them can open the door for the resolution of the issues. It may also create a conversation so you can understand why some of these decisions are being made.
