2022-04-08 Merit Appeals Board Minutes

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Merit Appeals Board April 8, 2022 But I remember even personnel files that were kept for the staff—there are two sets—one that's local, one that's on Oahu. And, administratively, they actually had sign in/sign out log whenever it was taken out of the file, which isI don't know how you could implement that by department, but other staff touch these files or folders—and when they take it out, they sign it out, they work on it, and they have to put it back they sign it back in. Someone else grabs it, they sign it out—it's, kind of, simple log, right, but it kind of help bird dog where the file is and who has it. Just a small suggestion. MR. LEOPOLDINO: Yeah. Thank you, Charlie. CHR. CABANAS: I think in—if I remember correctlyI think in our own office when I was working, I think there were only there was only one person that could go to the personnel file in the cabinet file to retrieve a personnel folder. Not anyone could go to the personnel file in the cabinet file. So, that was a, I thought, a very good control because then if we needed a personnel file of a subordinate, that person would go get it for us, give it to us. And when we were done, we would give it back to that individual. That person was the authorized person. So having checks and balance, like what Charlie is alluding to, I think is really a good internal control but that's something that you folks will work out. MR. LEOPOLDINO: And we have continued that practice, actually, that's still in place. Even I don't have access to the personnel files. I don't know where the key to it is so it's pretty—it's a solid system. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. Okay. Thank you so much. Any other questions for either Mr. Benner or for Mr. Leopoldino? MS. MATHEWS: One quick one. Have you gotten any negative feedback from employees or community or—on the—on what you just discussed here? MR. BENNER: Yes, a little bit of negative feedback. Basically, when it's a issue of emotion and that emotion is the guiding principle and it's not really based on the merit of the complaint what this is this tipline does is this is a bellwether to processes that are beginning to crack and break. It does not assure that there's going to be a one-to-one investigation on every phone call that comes into the office. And sometimes individuals don't understand that and they want us to drop everything that we're doing and they expect that as they hang up the phone, we're going to get to the front door of that department. And that is not how we operate. We're looking to solutions and somethings are done with malice, but sometimes people do it because they just didn't know. And there are reasons why things fall out of alignment, which can be easily corrected through a phone call, it can be easily corrected through an email. And sometimes they're expecting a little bit more of a dramatic disposition. Page 25