What policies have changed?
In 2009 a LLNS employee was unfortunately ran over by his own vehicle and died. There was a “lessons learned” afterward. Not revealed at the time, was this employee had just been “Niffed” (unilaterally let go from his NIF assignment) and was in the process of moving to a new office. Very sad. Did LLNS employment polices change as a result of that 2009 tragedy? A few years later, a NIF tech was given an “intent to dismiss” (your being fired) letter and a few days later commits suicide, with small children left behind. His NIF managers refused to address his loss to his coworkers in any way to relieve their collective grief.
Has Lab Director Kimberly Budil, addressed the issue of manager specific appropriate and inappropriate treatment of employees to eliminate or significantly reduce these kinds of tragedies?
Wednesday, January 10, 2024
What policies have changed at LLNL?
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10 comments:
Over the years NIF has lowered facility accidents by learning from precursor incidents and modifying work activities accordingly. Workflow “business need” or not, that is still fewer people getting hurt on the job.
Unfortunately, precursor employee/manager interactions leading up to OFF facility accidents and tragedies, are sadly not on the “business need” radar. If it was, the catalysts for these human losses would be addressed.
When the director basically tells the employees in an all hands Q&A that she didn’t value their work during the stressful Minimum Safe operations on site I don’t know more what to say.
Not like cares
The LLNS players have not been made to own up, admit, or correct their roles involving these horrible human losses. LLNS employees that are removed from their assignments are treated like yesterday’s trash. High blood pressure, stress, heart attacks, and worse, matters not. Very sad. the We can do better.
Within a day or so of the accident, the rumor mill had hit our area (not NIF) about the details of the accident, the victim's potential mindset after being kicked out of NIF.
One of my co-workers stated "I wonder what kind of web class we will have to take for this one?"
No web class followed.
I viewed with anticipation the video of the Deputy Director (A Bechtel carpet-bagger) to see if the after action report would mention the layoff and its repercussion. No such luck. We got to hear that one should have the keys in their hand when exiting the vehicle (key less ignitions were just starting to come out) and of course wear your seat belt.
Then we were told that the victim might have not been familiar with that big pickup truck. Then the talk veered off into such possibilities that BIG TRUCKS were bad and perhaps the lab should switch to Smart Cars - the feeling that they would do less damage when hitting someone. We were informed that lab people tended not to pay attention to vehicle traffic when crossing the road, outside of crosswalks, which was the reasoning for the Smart Cars. In addition, it was suggested that in order to protect the clueless lab employees from large delivery vehicles that perhaps deliveries should be delayed until the off hours to keep the pedestrians away from the big bad trucks. I remember that last little tidbit thinking good luck for our building, we locked up the delivery dock at the end of the day.
The Bechtel fellow took another position at another DOE Lab, I guess he wore out his welcome.
And we never heard anymore out of that debacle until DOE/NNSA did their report. At least they mentioned that they employee's emotional disturbance may have been a factor, but admit any culpability - that is not the lab's way then, and I don't think things have changed.
“but admit any culpability - that is not the lab's way then, and I don't think things have changed”
Continuing resolutions, funding reductions, and layoffs, at LLNL will occur again. Something should change. Working with LLNS employees in good faith consistent with expected workplace practices during these downturns is a good place to start.
“good faith” definition:
“Good faith is a broad term that’s used to encompass honest dealing. Depending on the exact setting, good faith may require an honest belief or purpose, faithful performance of duties, observance of fair dealing standards, or an absence of fraudulent intent.”
In the absence of good faith efforts, abrupt LLNS employment status changes are usually done on the down low.
Now there is a whole new generation at LLNL that doesn’t understand this era, didn’t have to fight for their .2 or .3 advancement, see pay freezes or $0.10 raises while the cost of benefits exploded.
The good thing is we have a new ranking system this year.:)
I remember when the ridiculous raises were less than the interest rates on savings!
And in some years, there were stellar evaluations but no raise. Just praise!
I am glad to find out that for the new folks, the raise matches the raise!
“Now there is a whole new generation at LLNL that doesn’t understand this era..”
Do you mean the “era” where empathy for your fellow Lab employee was important, and not overshadowed by undeclared raises, and bonuses as incentives, if one will unquestionably toe the line?
Yes, the next generation may not have the same reference points. Hopefully not a lucrative race to the bottom observation for Lab missions. But, do you think the “the next generation” will be any less prone to stress, high blood pressure, heart attacks, or worse? I don’t.
1/15/2024 7:10 AM
Some people are sure clueless about what management has done the past 4 years.
“Some people are sure clueless about what management has done the past 4 years.”
Enlighten the “clueless” if you will.
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