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Dear city of Ashland: This is why I’m leaving my job By Morgan Rothborne Updated: Nov 11, 2022 10:13 AM A A Flags are on display at the City of Ashland Council Chambers building. [Mail Tribune / file photo] A summary of exit interviews conducted with outgoing Ashland city employees listed instability in leadership, commuting costs, talk of budget cuts and discord within Ashland’s city government as the most commonly given reasons why staff quit. The summary was drafted as a memo by Ashland’s acting Human Resources Director Sabrina Cotta at the request of city councilors. The city has seen a high turnover rate, especially in leadership positions in the city administration, the document said. Outgoing staff told Ashland HR the city is so frequently either hiring or watching the departure of these key positions that a sense of instability and insecurity lingers throughout the organization. Staff worry their position will be next, leading them to feel they should quit before they’re fired or laid off, a sentiment found throughout the exit interviews. The cost of living in Ashland forces many city employees to live elsewhere, particularly in Medford, leading some employees to seek positions closer to home. While some outgoing employees said they felt Ashland offered a better work-life balance than similar positions in some other cities, they said they could find comparable pay elsewhere without the commute. Some outgoing employees also said divisiveness within Ashland city government contributed to their decision to leave. Some said they didn’t feel appreciated, trusted or supported. Some felt they don’t want to be associated with a dysfunctional organization, the document said. Some employees referenced comments made in City Council meetings, on social media and directly to staff as reasons for leaving. The memo did not detail any specific comments that people interpreted as hurtful or negative. The exit interviews included in the summary were conducted with all employees who have resigned their positions since March 2022. “Exit interviews are pretty typical for organizations. We try to do our best to do them for every employee leaving, whether that's due to resignation or retirement, despite our small staff at Ashland Human Resources,” said Cotta. The recent change to a city manager form of government made for tremendous changes through Ashland’s government, and such changes can have a long-term ripple effect, she explained. Ashland’s high turnover rate was discussed in detail earlier this year during special extended council business meetings in May. City Manager Joe Lessard presented data showing a trend of high turnover throughout the city’s staff going back to 2018. The citywide turnover rate in 2018 and 2020 was 10%, rising to 15% in 2021. The departments with the highest turnover in 2021 were police at 30%; human resources, legal and courts, bundled together, saw 54% turnover; and Ashland IT and Ashland Fiber Network combined at a rate of 37%. Finance saw a 27% rate, according to data presented by Lessard. Reach Mail Tribune reporter Morgan Rothborne at [email protected] or 541-776-4487. Follow her on Twitter @MRothborne.