At a moment when morale is at an all-time low among staff in the Chicago Public Schools, top managers in the last few days have sent out two autocratic — and threatening, some staffers say – directives to its central office employees.
On Saturday, the Sun-Times reported that a directive went out mandating that central office staff show up at Saturday’s Bud Billiken back-to-school parade. After the memo went public, CPS communications said no one was forced to go.
Nonsense. of course they were. The message came through loud and clear:
“All salaried exempt employees should plan to attend the parade and walk with the CPS float. If you are unable to do so, you must inform your cabinet level officer.”
That’s not exactly a soft sell. That kind of memo from the boss, in the real world of the workplace, is an order, pure and simple.
I’ve also learned of a second directive. CPS wants staffers to help at two school “beautification days,” on Aug. 20 and 21. That’s a good idea, just like encouraging people to show up for the Saturday Billiken parade. This even makes more sense than Billiken, seeing how Aug. 20 and 21 are regular work days.
But the message is show up or you’ll be punished. An email went out on Thursday, requiring staffers to sign up that very day. “If you are unable to stop by and do so by EOD today, a selection will be made for you.”
That was followed on Friday by a reminder email extending the deadline by a day. It also noted an excessive numbers of people bowing out, either out of the beautification day or other obligations, I’m not sure. The note said the number of “exemptions” (reasons for not showing up) is higher than expected and “will be reviewed with scrutiny.”
We get that CPS is besieged – it’s being attacked for school closings and budget cuts — and needs a show of force behind its initiatives. But staff tell us they feel intimidated and threatened by these directives, particularly since CPS has been aggressively laying off staff.
“People feel threatened and afraid with all the cuts and layoffs, that they are using us to try to show we all support the CEO,” is how one person who got the emails put it.
