At PeopleService, it’s our pleasure to be a resource answering questions that come to us. What I’ve found is that often the questions asked are similar so it led to this idea to share the questions and answers here as they might be relevant to what you’re going through now, too. Check this one out from a city manager in Missouri and if you have a question, send it to us in an email to info@PeopleService.com. If selected for this enewsletter, we will send you a cup of poo, ok, it’s not really poo but a coffee mug and poo emoji.
We are looking at options due to the difficulty of finding the correct licensed operator, and when we do find them, they license up and then leave for more money. My question relates to the current staff. We value them but they do not have the appropriate license to keep us compliant. When you partner with cities, what do you do with our current staff?
Great question! This one is definitely on the minds of many and in some cases, even prevents them from considering outsourcing their water and wastewater operations. We understand that business is about people and we are not in the business of throwing people out on the streets. We prefer to connect with existing staff, let them interview for the positions, learn about PeopleService and why our employee tenure exceeds ten years on average, go over benefits, and more. It is ultimately between the employee and the hiring manager on-site to decide, but we prefer to bring someone on board who is already part of the community and familiar with the system(s). Rest assured, we are human and understand the fears and anxiety associated with the decision of outsourcing. We are confident that when given the chance, your current staff will see the benefit of having PeopleService on board. We gain great people and your city gains the confidence that your water/wastewater is taken care of – and that headache is removed. We value our people and it shows. My wife jokingly said she will come work for PeopleService knowing how she will be treated by me, to which I replied in my charming way, “Honey, that won’t work because I don’t bring work home.” (Note to self: Get a more comfortable couch.)