If we offer to one dept, do we have to offer to all depts?
HCA
72 Posts
We are a governmental agency with approximately 20 departments (treasurer, health, attorney, sheriff, clerk of court, etc.) We want to offer CPR classes to our employees. The cost will be $6 per employee. I am going to suggest that the departments split the cost with their employees (department pay $3 and employee pay $3.) I suspect that some department heads with only a couple employees will just pay the entire fee. However, some department heads are refusing to pay for any part of it for their employees ("If the employees want it, they have to pay the $6 themselves. It's not coming out of my budget!") Are we in trouble, if some departments pay for class for their employees and other departments require their employees to pay for themselves?
Comments
Margaret Morford
theHRedge
615-371-8200
[email]mmorford@mleesmith.com[/email]
[url]http://www.thehredge.net[/url]
Having worked in local public sector HR for almost 30 years, I can tell you that you may offer it for different agencies if that is the thinking of the powers that be (the County Board of Supervisors/Commissioners; Chief Administrative Officer; or the quivalent authorities in city jurisdictions), although Margaret Morford and you have it pegged right aobut the morale and turnover aspects if it is training employees want to have.
Many times various differences, such as funding issues -- whether the funds the agency receivis is primarily federal (such as public sassistance) or state or local -- may be the criteria (e.g., the governmental authority may not want to use local funding for the training but a federally-funded agency within the jurisdiction may have the ability to do it). But that may only be one rationale. It really doesn't matter. Unless there is a union contract provision that requires all employees in a certain classficaiotn across the governmental jurisdiction be treated to the same "training" it may be based upon the different agencies.
My question is this: Is CPR training an issue you employees will care at all about, either negatively (required to go) or positivly (desire the training)? There is potential to cause hard feelings with this at the cost of $3-$6 per employee. Maybe I work at a wierd place, but if employees in one department had the cost paid and others had to pay themselves, this would cause lots of conversation and ill will.
Also, a possible way to reduce the cost to your organization is to have your own employees trained to teach the class. The Red Cross and local hospitals provides the instructor calsses. Then all you will need is the books (which can be shared) and the testing stuff. See if the local Red Cross, hospital or EMS provider will loan the equipment for the class to your instructors.
CLP
File this under "M" for "more than one way to skin a cat"...
If the training is work related then your organization should pay 100% of the cost. If its strictly a voluntary program, I would have the employees pay 100% especially since you have negotiated an excellent price.
If we offer the class, the commissioners decided it would be a good benefit to offer and allow to occur on county time. We would run two seperate sessions so that the offices could be split (1/2 attend while the other 1/2 operate the department). There won't be any overtime issues. The employees will have to work out how to be there. We would give plenty of notice so the employees can make arrangments. Those that don't will just miss out.