What if they gave a war and nobody showed up? Why would nobody show up? Because their grievance went away.
In promotional testing Management wants two things and Labor wants two things. All we have to do is set it up so each group gets their two things. So what are those?
Management (Chiefs, HR Directors, and Civil Service Commissions)
- Hire the best and brightest
- Not get sued every time
Labor (Union Leaders, Union Members, Police Officers, Firefighters, and EMTs)
- Be chosen for merit – not who you know
- Ensure diversity
All four of these needs can be met by following a certain Protocol, elaborated in the book Emergency Services Personnel Testing Practices (excerpts used here with permission). They are:
- Decide on book list, SOPs to be included, other sources, and in what percentages.
- Decide on the other factors that will affect score (time in service, time in grade, veteran status, etc.)
- Decide on instruments to be used – written test, assessment center, drillfield exercise, oral interview, psych testing, etc.
- Identify any desired demographic goals – (increase % of one group or another)
- Identify and assemble Stakeholders – Chief, HR, Union, Fire Commission, etc.
- Present plan to them, and require their approval. Give them time to consider it, make suggested changes, etc., but in the end, everyone must sign off.
- Execute the plan.
By presenting the plan to the Stakeholders BEFORE testing, and allowing everyone their input, there can be no reasonable challenges AFTER testing – when the results are known, and people might be tempted to lodge challenges more because of their low score than a genuine concern for the integrity of the process.
And, truly, everyone’s needs are met:
- The best and brightest are indeed chosen (if the testing instruments themselves are sound)
- Management is far less likely to face challenges, grievances, and/or lawsuits afterwards
- Candidates are indeed selected on demonstrated merit, not smoke-filled rooms
- Diversity is ensured – in large part because that element was made public as a goal in the plan, up front.
People who are getting what they want have no motivation to fight. What if they gave a promotion test and no one grieved it? What if? Find out. Follow the protocol.