“Employees do not trust the Executive Director, and have concerns toward others within the Administrative Staff. The attitude and perception toward the Executive Cabinet must change for things to improve,” according to Training Marbles consultants.
The library board last summer approved a $5,000 contract with Training Marbles, a consultant service, to conduct a climate survey of employees. This survey followed up on another climate survey completed by library employees in 2023.
The Dayton Daily News obtained the survey results, an analysis of the survey, the contract with Training Marbles Inc. and a summary of recommendations through a public records request.
Library officials say they will use the findings of the survey to realign the culture of their workplace, and the HR consultant hired to guide that process says the core of the work is to rebuild trust among staff.
“DML is moving in alignment with the suggestions from the HR consultant and working to implement the Board-approved plan,” said External Relations and Communications Director Debi Chess. “As professionals, our staff have and will continue to deliver the programs and services that our patrons enjoy and are in need of on a daily basis.”
Survey results
Although employees shared that they are satisfied with the nature of their work, those who completed the survey largely said they were dissatisfied with library administration, specifically airing grievances against Dayton Metro Library Executive Director Jeffrey Trzeciak.
“Our Executive Director stated numerous times he does not care about us. And we believe him,” one respondent stated.
Employees in the survey shared multiple concerns linked to communication, transparency and accountability. The survey asked more than 40 questions and gathered the following from employees:
- 73% had job security concerns
- 41% felt there were no improvements in communications from their supervisors, while another 30% felt communication had worsened. Nearly identical results were reported for library employees’ perception of communication from the senior leadership team.
Library employees also voiced discontent over changes to summer hours at library branches, with many expressing that the change created child care issues. Others voiced anger toward the administration for not changing their work schedule in the summer.
Roughly 68% of survey respondents either disagreed or strongly disagreed with the question, “Do you feel included in decisions or changes that affect your job?”
Credit: Knack Video + Photo
Credit: Knack Video + Photo
Employees said they feel measures implemented by the library have improved safety in recent years, but requested more training to handle incidents at their branches and called for an increase in security patrols of branches to deter any dangerous behavior. The survey gathered the following:
- 82% felt safe in their primary work location
- 62% felt the library has taken steps to increase safety at their work locations
Overall, Training Marbles found that employees are reporting burnout and are feeling “punished and not valued.”
“Working here, we are so completely disillusioned, morale is depleted, and we’re fed up,” another employee said in the survey. “And yes, we all know that if it’s as bad as we say it is, we can just leave and get another job. But that’s the thing, for us, this isn’t just a job. If it was, we’d all be gone a long time ago.”
Reporting concerns
In the survey, more than 80% of participating library employees also said they lack a method to anonymously report any kind of feedback to library leaders.
Only 15% of survey respondents were confident that concerns they raised would be addressed promptly, while 50% were not confident and another 34% took a neutral stance.
One survey respondent described an incident within a library department: “They embedded a supervisor in our department to keep a sexual harassment complaint quiet, that person is untouchable, I don’t like how the administration handled that,” according to Training Marbles’ survey summary.
When asked about this incident, library officials shared that “DML has thoroughly investigated and taken the appropriate corrective steps to address and mitigate the complaint.”
Staff also reported positive feedback related to library policies, including the implementation of a chaperone policy for teenage patrons and the addition of a branch homework help liaison position. Staff also said they appreciated communication from the executive staff about library funding changes in Ohio’s budget.
Realigning a workplace
Training Marbles Founder and Human Resources Professional Dyann McDowell said her consultant group recommends creating a dashboard for the library trustees that breaks down training milestones, incident reports, and other metrics; evaluating responses and response times to staff reports or concerns; reviewing performance evaluations for staff and more.
Dayton Metro Library Board of Trustees Member David Williamson told the Dayton Daily News that the library board is taking the survey results very seriously, requiring Trzeciak to give monthly updates on steps taken post-survey.
McDowell will also give quarterly updates to the board about steps the library is taking, Williamson said.
Trzeciak’s first update was during the board’s Monday meeting, where he confirmed the civil division of the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office had approved the library’s contract for the realignment work.
Training Marbles recommends a 12-week-long leadership training for Trzeciak, as well as training for other library leadership.
The HR consultant also recommended that library staff have a mechanism to report concerns.
Lori Rotterman, president of the Dayton Metro Library Staff Association — the library employee union — said the survey results echo what employees have been trying to tell library leaders for years.
“We also look forward to ways in which the suggestions and recommendations contained in this report will be implemented, and to working with the administration to create a more communicative and cooperative relationship to serve the best interests of the library and provide the best services to our patrons,” Rotterman told library trustees.
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