AGENDA #5c
BUDGET WORKING PAPER
TO: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
FROM: Pam Eastwood, Human Resources Director
SUBJECT: Report on Turnover Rates for Town Employees for 2002 and 2003
DATE: March 30, 2004
BACKGROUND
The turnover rate for Town employees is an important factor in the Town’s ability to provide essential services to citizens in a timely way. Changes in turnover rates may also be an early indicator of potential problems in the Town’s pay and benefits programs, as these are intended to attract and retain high-quality employees to carry out the services provided by the Town.
DISCUSSION
The turnover data shown below is organized by calendar year and shows the number of terminations for 2002 and for 2003 by Town department. The percentage shown is a comparison of the number of terminations to the number of authorized positions in the department.
|
Department |
2002 Separations |
Number of Positions |
Turnover Percentage |
2003 Separations |
Number of Positions |
Turnover Percentage |
|
Engineering |
2 |
13 |
15.4% |
1 |
13 |
7.7% |
|
Finance |
1 |
13 |
7.7% |
5 |
13 |
38.5% |
|
Fire |
2 |
73 |
2.7% |
5 |
74 |
6.8% |
|
Housing |
0 |
17 |
0.0% |
2 |
17 |
11.8% |
|
Human Resources |
2 |
7 |
28.6% |
3 |
9 |
33.3% |
|
Information Technology |
0 |
5 |
0.0% |
0 |
5 |
0.0% |
|
Inspections |
2 |
10 |
20.0% |
1 |
11 |
9.1% |
|
Library |
3 |
36 |
8.3% |
5 |
36 |
13.9% |
|
Manager |
1 |
5 |
20.0% |
1 |
5 |
20.0% |
|
Mayor |
1 |
1 |
100.0% |
0 |
1 |
0.0% |
|
Parking |
0 |
14 |
0.0% |
0 |
13 |
0.0% |
|
Parks and Recreation |
0 |
23 |
0.0% |
0 |
24 |
0.0% |
|
Planning |
1 |
16 |
6.3% |
1 |
16 |
6.3% |
|
Police |
15 |
134 |
11.2% |
15 |
137 |
10.9% |
|
Public Works |
8 |
126 |
6.3% |
8 |
129 |
6.2% |
|
Town Clerk |
0 |
4 |
0.0% |
0 |
5 |
0.0% |
|
Transportation |
7 |
154 |
4.5% |
8 |
169 |
4.7% |
|
TOTAL |
45 |
651* |
|
55 |
677* |
|
|
|
|
2002 |
6.9% |
|
2003 |
8.1% |
* The number of positions includes part-time positions.
The departments with the highest turnover percentages in calendar year 2002 were Human Resources, the Manager’s Office, Inspections and Engineering. The departments with the highest turnover percentages in calendar year 2003 were Human Resources, Finance and Library. The primary reason for the turnover in Human Resources, Finance, Library and Inspections during this period is retirements of long-term employees. The Manager’s Office is so small that even the one turnover event in each year creates a rate of 20% for the work unit.
When these anomalies are set aside, the turnover among the four largest departments: Fire, Police, Transportation and Public Works, which represent 75% of all Town positions, is as follows:
|
Department |
2002 Rate |
|
2003 Rate |
|
Fire |
2.7% |
|
6.8% |
|
Police |
11.2% |
|
10.9% |
|
Public Works |
6.3% |
|
6.2% |
|
Transportation |
4.5% |
|
4.7% |