Employees of the Fargo (N. Dak.) Public Library were warned in an April 28 directive by Library Board Vice Chairwoman Virginia Dambach not to make any of their grievances public. The notice read that any communication with the public or the press regarding “internal affairs or management/personnel issues” would be treated as “conduct unbecoming a city employee” and considered a violation of city policy, according to the April 29 Fargo Forum. Dembach said she considered the employees who passed the document on to the paper to be in violation of confidentiality.
The warning stemmed from turmoil over the animosity between the staff and Director Dave Davis, who was granted a medical leave of absence April 25 after being reprimanded for an offensive comment he made to a pregnant employee. Employees claim his tenure since March 1999 has been marked by staff alienation, high turnover, and poor management decisions, the paper reported April 26.
Brenda Kaspari, a conflict-resolution consultant hired by the board, began meeting with the staff in group and individual sessions the first week in May to identify workplace problems. Her report is slated for the board’s next meeting on May 16.
Posted May 8, 2000.