Council Subcommittee

MINUTES OF THE GILBERT COUNCIL SUBCOMMITTEE ON CIVILITY, FEBRUARY 21, 2018, AT 5:00 P.M., ROOM 233, 50 EAST CIVIC CENTER DRIVE, GILBERT, ARIZONA COUNCIL PRESENT: Councilmembers Scott Anderson, Eddie Cook, and Brigette Peterson COUNCIL ABSENT: None. STAFF PRESENT: Lisa Maxwell, Clerk’s Office; Jolean Fleck, Human Resources; Melanie Dykstra, Manager’s Office; Kory Parker, Public Works; Kelli Collins, Public Works; Michael Burkhart, Fire Department; and Linda Ayres, Parks and Recreation CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 5:04 p.m. A MOTION was made by Councilmember Peterson, seconded by Melanie Dykstra, to name Eddie Cook Chairman of the Subcommittee on Civility. Motion carried 10-0. AGENDA ITEMS 1. Discussion regarding the purpose of the Subcommittee on Civility and the desired outcomes. Chair Cook said he attended leadership workshop and he was fascinated by a session on leadership in the workplace. People often talk about having respect and valuing opinions but not about being civil. The book used for the class was Mastering Civility, A Manifesto for Civility in the Workplace by Christine Porath. Ms. Porath was not treated well at her job so she did research to find out how to make changes. Chair Cook said he was encouraged to create a policy on civility for Gilbert so he got Council to add that item to an agenda and a subcommittee was created. Chair Cook reported he has chatted with business leaders about having a civility policy and no one he has spoken to has one at their workplace. Chair Cook said he wanted to have people from variety of positions in Town to contribute their ideas to this policy. He believes this will be the first Civility Policy created at any level of government in Arizona. Councilmember Anderson is hoping to add the policy that comes out of this subcommittee to the documents being created in the Human Resources Department. He said civility is an employee’s total experience with the Town. It starts with the recruitment practices and continues into connecting with other employees and customers, email etiquette, and how employees are evaluated. Civility goes on to influence life away from work and it comes into play when we working with our neighbors. Linda Ayres said she is interested in this topic and she believes it is important in this day and time. The Town has a “Be Kind” motto but this goes beyond that. It is how we get along with each other and how we act. She appreciates that Gilbert can be a trendsetter in this area. Jolean Fleck said she is obsessed with the Town’s culture. This includes a focus on an employee’s experience, connecting with the Town brand, and moving on after employment with the Town is ended. She is interested in creating a handbook that sets the Town apart. Often times, personnel rules are a list of things not to do. She would like to see something that sets employees up to succeed. At Google they talk about psychological safety which is the combination of empathy and communication. They look at whether communications are equally distributed and they recognize when someone becomes withdrawn. Mastering this concept is a must if Town is to be innovative. Melanie Dykstra enjoys working on policy and exploring ways the Town can become more diverse. Civility helps the Town have an understanding of the culture we are setting. This applies to not only what we do as employees but what we do on behalf of the community. Ms. Dykstra said she appreciates the shift she has seen on the Council and how they can have civil conversations even when they disagree. She believes this creates a good image to the community. Councilmember Peterson believes society in general has lost a level of respect. She believes this is a great way to spread respect and civility to each other and the community. Kelli Collins said she is interested in serving on this committee because she wants to make a difference. She believes employees need to feel appreciated and to feel they work in a safe place. The Town’s culture is what can make a difference. She is excited to be a part of creating something that is trendsetting and that can help her grow as a person. Kory Parker is interested in learning more about civility. He believes civility is needed in order for a team to be successful. Mike Burkhart said the ability to agree to disagree without being disagreeable is important. People need to be able to have professional discussions with each other. His job is to serve our citizens and with the Fire interacts with the community every day. He feels it is important to create a policy and drive the framework going forward. Chair Cook said he was not ready to set an end date for this project. Since it will be owned by Human Resources, he asked for input from Ms. Fleck. She said she believed a policy could be completed in four to six months. The majority of the time will be deciding on the content. The group can start with a skeleton and identify what is most important. Councilmember Anderson said there were good starting points in Mastering Civility. Ms. Dykstra said it would be helpful if we all read the book so we would all be using the same language. Lisa Maxwell said she could order a copy of the book for the subcommittee members Councilmember Peterson said we can also look for other books or articles on civility. Chair Cook said he would like to have the first draft in six months. It should be short with bullet points, a definition, and expectations. Councilmember Peterson said she believes the Town values of respect and integrity need to be folded into a Civility policy. Ms. Dykstra read a definition civility which was concerned with how you speak to someone. There was discussion about whether civility should be forced. Mr. Burkhart said it is fine for civility to be forced because it is setting the tone for how you conduct business. Councilmember Peterson noted it required a person to consciously think about what they are saying. Mr. Burkhart said we should have to be nice to everyone, whether they are nice to us are not. Chair Cook said he is interested in having a one team culture and this is a pillar of that culture. Councilmember Peterson suggested adding it to the pillars posted in Council chambers. The next meeting will be at 5:00 p.m. on March 21. At that time we will begin creating bullet points A MOTION was made by Councilmember Brigette Peterson, seconded by Melanie Dykstra, to adjourn. Motion carried 10-0. ADJOURN Chair Cook adjourned the meeting at 5:36 p.m. ATTEST: ___________________________ ___________________________________ Chair Eddie Cook Lisa Maxwell, CMC, Town Clerk CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Subcommittee on Civility of the Town Council of the Town of Gilbert held on the 21st day of February, 2018. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and held and that a quorum was present. Dated this ____ day of ____________________. ___________________________________ Lisa Maxwell, CMC, Town Clerk