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Council asks HR to develop standard employee-evaluation program after public complaint about responsiveness
Summary
After a resident complained about poor responsiveness from city staff, council directed the city HR department to develop a standardized, citywide employee evaluation process and report back with options, including two-way feedback.
A public speaker on Sept. 16 urged the Columbus City Council to require measurable performance evaluations for city employees to improve accountability and responsiveness. Dr. Natalie Nicole, who identified herself as a local school and business leader, said she experienced unanswered calls and asked whether city employees receive performance standards and formal appraisals.
Deputy City Manager Danielle Hodge and HR staff said the city maintains an evaluation process that departments may use but that a formal, standardized annual evaluation is not currently mandatory for every department. Councilors responded by directing HR to prepare a proposal for a consistent, citywide evaluation policy. Several council members said the policy should include annual goal-setting, midyear check-ins and year-end reviews and asked HR to consider two-way feedback such as 360-degree reviews for managers.
Councilor Byron Hickey said departments should not be able to make evaluations optional; Councilor Kogel suggested adding a mechanism for employees to evaluate directors and for the HRIS system to support performance-management features. City staff agreed to return with a recommended policy or update and a description of the HR information system functionality at an upcoming work session.
Deputy Manager Hodge emphasized that employees are held accountable under existing processes but acknowledged council’s interest in a uniform form and training. Council asked staff to report back with proposed timelines and implementation steps.
