Human resources chief: City agency has changed
Herbert, Pugh respond to inspector general’s report of department ‘culture of fear’
Mayor Catherine Pugh and the interim director of Baltimore’s human resources department defended the agency and its progress after an investigation by the city’s inspector general documented a “culture of fear.”
Quinton Herbert, the city’s labor negotiator, took over the agency Aug. 6 at Pugh’s request after the previous department head, Mary Talley, resigned when a preliminary version of the inspector general’s report was produced in July.
Herbert said in an interview that there have been significant staffing changes at the agency since this summer. While he said he was not immediately aware of the report’s early findings, he quickly began to hear of problems in the agency from his new staff — and what he heard was “disconcerting.”
“Thelast thing an employee should worry about is workplace bullying or whether they're going to endure ridicule,” he said.
The inspector general’s investigation, based on interviews with more than 40 witnesses and released Tuesday, found that department leaders ridiculed and demeaned subordinates, employees in other city agencies and members of the public. Employees told investigators they were reluctant to share new ideas and lived in fear of being fired or retaliated against.
The inspector general also questioned a smoking cessation program featuring actors dressed as a cigarette butt and a tobacco leaf and the $425,000 cost of the 2017 WorkBaltimore job fair backed by Pugh. Investigators said the department hadn’t gathered enough data to show whether the event was effective at getting people into work.
Pugh defended the job fair at a news conference Wednesday, saying it encompassed a month of activities and involved 880 workshops.
“People were lined up outside the door of the convention center,” she said. “People were saying, ‘Thank you.’ People were actually crying because this was the first time something like this had happened in Baltimore City.”
Herbert declined Tuesday to provide specifics of staffing changes, citing personnel rules, but said, “There have been major leadership changes since the departure of Ms. Talley.”
He said he moved quickly to foster a more open climate among the depart- ment’s 70 employees, who provide services to agencies across city government.
“We have had more team-building exercises and have an open-door policy so communication has flowed more freely in the department,” Herbert said. “Aside from building a collaborative workforce within, I’ve also extended myself to other agency heads to restore relationships there and build camaraderie.”
That contrasts sharply with the environment Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming said she found, with department employees afraid to take part in her investigation.
“We were meeting people at various locations,” Cumming said.
Talley has declined to comment on the investigation’s findings.
Herbert wouldn’t say whether he’s applied to lead the department permanently, but said the mayor has given him the authority he needs for nowto make changes. In addition to a director, the city is seeking a new chief for the department’s recruitment division, according to a job listing.
Cumming said the inspector general’s office has heard from employees in the wake of the investigation and “has received positive feedback about the changes that have taken place.”