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Hayward employees use Public Service Recognition Week to air concerns over leadership changes and return-to-office policy
Summary
Multiple Hayward city employees and union representatives spoke during the meeting’s public comment period, criticizing sudden personnel moves and a unilateral return-to-office directive; council agreed to hear concerns and acknowledged staff unrest but took no immediate employment actions.
At the May 6 Hayward City Council meeting, a series of public comments from current and former city employees raised complaints about recent administrative actions, including the sudden removal of the human resources director and a new return-to-office (RTO) mandate.
Several employees who identified themselves by title described a leadership style they called abrupt and top-down. Emily Huang, a management analyst in the Community Services Division, said staff were “surprised” by an April 29 email announcing the immediate transition of the HR director, whose previously communicated last day had been May 9. Huang said the staff member “walked out of City Hall in tears” and that the decision “sent a clear message to our staff. Loyalty and service mean nothing here.”
Manny Grewal (who identified himself as an analyst for maintenance services and as a union treasurer) criticized how Administrative Regulation 2.97, the city’s RTO policy, was implemented. Grewal said the rollout ignored bargaining groups and staff input and described an atmosphere of fear about speaking up. “Any communication after the policy was already finalized was just to check off a box,” he said.
Dr. Amber Green, who said she resigned on April 15 after the city manager notified staff of the RTO mandate, said the policy contradicted the city’s stated values of “caring, openness, and integrity.” She also criticized the appointment of a contract employee as interim HR director and an interim finance director from outside the city.
Another employee, Rick Rivera, said he was diagnosed with autism in December and urged the council to consider employees with invisible disabilities in remote-work or accommodation policies.
Mayor Salinas and council members acknowledged the speakers. Assistant City Manager Regina Youngblood delivered the city manager’s comments earlier in the meeting (primarily announcements about community events) and was listed as the evening’s presenter for those items; she did not respond directly to employee grievances during the public comment segment. Interim Finance Director Sharif Edmond later noted that his proposed budget assumed a 12.5 percent transient occupancy tax (TOT) projection rather than the staff-recommended 14 percent, a separate fiscal note that council discussed later in the meeting.
Council members said they were aware of staff concerns; several elected officials asked that labor relations and policy implementation questions be addressed in internal forums and through bargaining, but the council took no immediate disciplinary or personnel actions at the meeting. The public comments highlight a period of internal unrest and multiple resignations or departures; employees urged the council to restore trust and engage staff in policy decisions that affect morale and daily operations.
