Cornell made right call in approving retention plan

The City of Cornell made the right call Nov. 18, when council members approved a plan aimed at employee retention.

The plan was aimed at stopping, or at least slowing down, the revolving door of employees in the police department. On some level, turnover in entry-level officers in a smaller community is understandable and should be expected. People have to start somewhere with their careers and for law enforcement, smaller departments are often a place where they can gain a variety of experiences that help them move on to larger communities.

The challenge for municipalities, as it is for any business, is that there are real costs involved with recruitment and with bringing a new hire up to speed. Given the rules and responsibilities regarding law enforcement agencies, this cost can quickly add up to thousands of dollars in background checks and supplemental training.

This is money well spent if an officer is brought on who fits the community and is here for the long haul. It becomes money flushed down the drain if they pack up and move on in just a few months.

Employee churn in law enforcement also extends beyond the budget line items. An essential part of law enforcement is having the respect and cooperation of community members. While law abiding citizens already respect the badge, getting to the point of trusting and respecting the individual behind that badge takes some time.

The goal should be to develop officers to become the seasoned veterans who are valuable assets to any force.

Because of booming economic conditions and demographic realities, recruitment is also growing more difficult. The most recent statistics from the Department of Workforce Development lists Chippewa County’s unemployment rate at just 2 percent.

This is down from 3.6 percent a year ago, and well below the 5-6 percent unemployment rate considered by economists to be “full employment.” The reality is, that the pool of potential applicants is more shallow than ever before, putting a greater emphasis on the need to retain quality staff members.

The knee-jerk reaction for any retention effort is to put the entire focus on hard benefits, such as employee pay scales. While remaining competitive in pay is important, simply throwing more money at a position doesn’t take into account other soft motivations, such as wanting career growth opportunities.

In tying wage growth to ongoing training and education, the city’s retention plan empowers officers, by rewarding them for personal job growth.

City residents and visitors will benefit, not only through savings on recruitment expenses, but in having more highly trained officers able to bring skills learned to the community.

Members of the Courier Sentinel editorial board include publisher Carol O’Leary, general manager Kris O’Leary and Star News editor Brian Wilson.