Update on the Evanston Black Employee Action Group (BEAG) Recommendations from the original letter and action plan. 

The following is a status update on the items recommended by the Evanston Black Employee Action Group (BEAG).  

1. Hire an outside independent agency to conduct a full audit and investigation into the Human Resources policies, procedures, practices and discipline procedures and past discipline actions:

With feedback from the Black Employee Core Group, GovHR was retained to conduct a Human Resources Equity Assessment.  This assessment is in progress and has begun to reveal areas for improvement.  Some preliminary recommendations are being made and implemented during the assessment process to expedite progress. The initial recommendations will be finalized by the middle of August.  

2. Implement the recommendations made by Salvatore, Prescott, Preston & Preston within 12 months from the date of this letter.

Of the Salvatore, Prescott, Preston, & Preston recommendations, 20 of the 21 items were completed in 2022. One remaining item remains in progress and is a collaborative effort with the Law Department and IT Division. This item relates to the document handling process - retention, digitization, destruction, etc.

Recommendation No. 1: Increase supervision of the lakefront.

A new Lakefront Manager, a new Parks & Recreation Director, and two new Assistant Directors have been hired. Additionally, we have established and enforced clear management standards and provided opportunities for supervisor training for all Parks & Recreation Managers. In addition, Lifeguards are now under the supervision of the Evanston Fire Department in close collaboration with the Parks & Recreation Department. A new Fire Department Shift Chief position was added to manage the Lifeguard team. Two newly revised and empowered positions - Lakefront Coordinators - operate under the Shift Chief. The remaining lakefront staff still operate in the Parks & Recreation Department.

Recommendation No. 2: Overhaul the system for hiring and training lifeguards that has historically favored male lifeguards, which downstream contributes to the abusive power dynamics discussed in this investigation.

A fair/qualified lifeguard assessment system has been implemented. Many of the supervisors are now female, and one of the two Lakefront Coordinators is female. Physical requirements are now weighted less, while other requirements (interviews, testing, etc.) are weighted more heavily, resulting in improved gender balance in leadership.

Recommendation No. 3: Standardize lifeguard beach assignments.

Lakefront Coordinators are now coordinating the scheduling of lifeguards, which prevents favoritism and ensures fair assignments across the beaches as visitor conditions necessitate.

Recommendation No. 4: Build clear Human Resources policies and consistently administered training for seasonal lakefront staff, with ongoing Human Resources involvement in the lakefront operation.

Comprehensive sexual harassment and grooming training, including mandatory reporting discussions, has been implemented. In 2022, the Evanston YWCA and the Children’s Advocacy Center assisted the city in creating new training for our Lakefront staff.  This is in addition to the standard training provided by Human Resources.

Recommendation No. 5: Establish a clear application, hiring, and training process for managers, supervisors, and ALCs.

The Fire Department provides additional leadership and management training to Coordinators, Supervisors, and Lifeguards. 

Recommendation No. 6: Formally prohibit the use of physical training (“PT”) as discipline or punishment.

Any use of physical training as discipline or punishment is subject to discipline up to and including termination.

Recommendation No. 7: Revise Human Resources investigation practices and ensure that investigations are handled by trained investigators with adequate capacity.

The HR Division Manager and HR Generalists are now certified in internal investigations, and investigations are conducted alongside the Fire Department and Parks & Recreation Department as appropriate.

Recommendation No. 8: Adopt stronger and more formal systems for documenting and tracking employee complaints.

Personnel folders have been created for all seasonal employees. A new online form is available for employees to report complaints or concerns, which are forwarded to a third party (GovHR) for review and follow-up.  This is a formal system for documenting and tracking complaints. We offer multiple avenues for employees to submit a complaint or concern. Employees can utilize this new system, contact HR, the Law Department, or the City Manager’s Office.

Recommendation No. 9: Consider disciplinary action against certain personnel.

The City accepted the former Parks & Recreation Director’s resignation; the city no longer employs other employees involved. In addition, other individuals are no longer eligible for rehire by the city.

3. Hire an outside agency to review all HR complaints handled and/or mishandled by Megan Fulara and previous HR Manager Jennifer Lin.

Due to the volume of complaints and the departures of Megan Fulara and Jennifer Lin, it is not feasible to review ALL of the complaints. However, as a part of the Equity Assessment, an acknowledgment should be made that not all complaints were documented, which is a problematic process.  

4. Hire an outside agency to assess the actions of Dave Stoneback relating to his treatment of Black Public Works employees during his tenure as the Director of Public Works. As part of this investigation, we strongly recommend oral interviews be conducted with present and past Black Public Works employees.

Oral interviews with past and current employees have been conducted, and GovHR has interviewed Mr. Stoneback.  Final work is being reviewed and completed; the estimated recommendation date is July 31, 2023.

5. Implement racially equitable hiring practices.

City leadership and the Human Resources Division support equitable hiring.  As such, the following are being implemented:

• All city staff will be notified before external posting or sourcing to a recruiter

• All interview questions will be reviewed through an equity lens.

• All interview panels will include participation from an under-represented group.

• A blind process will be used for all initial screenings beginning in Q4 of 2023.

• The new Manager of Organizational Performance and Equity will lead the co-design of an Equity Framework - reflecting best practices including GARE.

• The Manager of Organizational Performance and Equity will review and provide additional updates annually.

6. Increase the number of HR employees, there are too few for the number of City employees.

GovHR, in consultation with the City Manager and Interim Human Resources Division Manager, is recommending a new Human Resources Division organizational chart. The City Manager will seek City Council approval on August 28, 2023, for four new Human Resources positions. If the City Council approves the proposed positions on August 28th, they will be posted immediately. The proposed positions include a fourth HR Generalist (a third HR Generalist was added in 2022),  a new Classification & Compensation Specialist, an HRIS Specialist (this position will be a part of the IT team but will be dedicated to the HR function) and an additional Safety position. In 2022, in addition to the third HR Generalist, a new HR Assistant Manager position was created, and a new Recruitment & Retention Coordinator position was created. Further, the existing Human Resources Division Manager position will be retitled to Chief Human Resources Officer and report directly to the City Manager. GovHR has also recommended hiring a temporary HR Assistant to provide capacity while the new positions are filled. 

7. Overhaul “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” Training

• Training should be mandatory for all employees
• Training should actively highlight racial equity issues instead of tiptoeing around or glossing over them
• Retain an equity director/ officer outside of the City

The City will update its full-staff DEI training to be launched before the end of 2023. The HR Assessment recommends various levels of DEI training, including more comprehensive leadership training. A new Manager of Organizational Performance and Equity Manager position has been hired and reports directly to the City Manager.

8. Pay Black employees equal to our White counterparts. 

Ensuring pay equity will be a primary function of the new Classification and Compensation Specialist, with outside consultant help as needed.

9. Create and implement a Pay Equity Ordinance. 

The Organizational Performance and Equity Manager and the Classification & Compensation Specialist will collaborate with the Law Department on this initiative. Once the Classification & Compensation position is filled, an updated timing will be provided.  

10. Standardize access to training and learning opportunities. Opportunities that include certifications and/or may increase an employees pay should be posted to the intranet. 

Expected completion by the end of October 2023.

11.  Hire an outside agency to conduct a full audit of the Evanston Police Department Field Training Program including procedures, practices, and treatment of recruits.

Chief Stewart offered a survey to all police personnel to gather feedback on this and other issues. Chief has been very proactive in making positive changes with full support from city leadership. Following the internal work, outside resources will be utilized to review the Field Training Program.

12. Create and implement a standardized staff Manager Performance Review across all departments that allows staff to provide feedback on their managers/supervisors.

The City of Evanston will add 360 review processes in January 2024. The process will be piloted in 2023 with the City Manager's evaluation.

13. Create a formal process for complaints (electronic complaint procedure) that includes a tracking feature.

The process has been developed, and the electronic form is completed.

14. Allocate funding in support of Racial Change Action Plan Implementation.

The City Manager requested $200,000 for the FY2023 budget, expecting future budget amendments to be needed in 2023. City Manager will seek additional funding for FY2024.

15.  Establish an Evanston Legacy Leadership program to assist with professional development and advancement of employees from Evanston.

The new Organizational Performance and Equity Manager will lead this action item.

16.  Share this Action Plan and implementation status publicly on the City webpage and via social media outlets.

The City completed this step in 2022.

17. Quarterly Progress Reports to the Implementation Committee (composed of Black employee group members), to City Council regarding the implementation of this Action Plan.

We initially exceeded this request by meeting with the Core Group every two weeks.  As we have progressed past initial planning, we will adhere to the initial action item and provide updates quarterly. We are available to meet more frequently if requested by the Core Group.

18. Establish and implement an Affirmative Action Plan. 

This action item will be a primary objective for the new Manager of Organizational Performance and Equity with support from the Law Department. However, we plan to meet the requested timeline of 12-18 months from the date of the letter.

19. Internally, release complete results of the 2019 Employee Satisfaction Survey including comments and the full unredacted Logan Report.

We will not release the requested information due to privacy concerns. When the survey was conducted in 2019, respondents did not consent to publicizing their open-ended responses. A new Employee Engagement & Satisfaction survey will be conducted in September 2023. The survey will have detailed information on how the organization will analyze, share, and implement results.

20. LISTEN! Black employees are ready, willing, and more than qualified to bring new ideas and solutions to the table. Listen to Black Employees when they tell you what they need.

GovHR has conducted listening sessions with dozens of city employees. These sessions will be expanded to all city employees and will continue as long as necessary. City Manager will seek additional funding approval for GovHR for FY2024.