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Date: September 13, 2020

To: Chris Patrick, Supervisor
From: Cody Petero
RE: A proposal aimed at increasing responsibility and salary

Purpose

My purpose for writing this proposal to convey that I would like to take on more responsibility
within the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District. I acknowledge that the consent decree
standards that we are obligated to uphold have added some additional strain on our workforce.
I feel that I can be a big help to our fleet of field workers if put into more of a leadership
position.

Current Problem

One of the biggest issues that plagues our fleet is a lack of communication and synchronization
between field crews. This has caused countless other issues such as low morale and has
resulted in jobs being rushed or not completed in time. The jobs that do not get completed on
time could yield sanctions from the Environmental Protection Agency and shine a negative light
on the district. Understandably, this has a direct correlation with how field crews are treated by
homeowners. If the homeowner believes that he or she is not getting their money’s worth, they
tend to be unsupportive, uncooperative, and more apt to find or create problems. This can be a
hassle for everyone at the district. Operators have to receive the customer complaint calls,
while field crews have to handle these types of complaints in person.

Proposed Solution

My solution to this problem is rather simple. We create the position of Senior Team Leader for
all three field disciplines. This position would bridge the gap between upper management and
the field crews. The salary increase from adding this position would incentivize people to be
leaders and go the extra mile. As a Senior Team Leader, I would arrive early every day and get a
briefing from the supervisor on deadlines for daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly projects that
need to be completed. I would disseminate new information to the field crews daily. Another
responsibility that I would like to take on is taking control of incidents that take place after
hours. I believe that this would alleviate a lot of confusion and take some unnecessary labor off
of management. This would help with upholding our EPA standards for quality and timing,
which would improve our customer interactions as well. I believe that adding this cog to this
machine, that is the district, would make our daily activities go much smoother.

Salary wise, this position would add a modest three to five dollar an hour raise, depending on
time with the district. This pay increase would provide a big enough raise to incentivize good
employees like me to take on more responsibility without adding the cost of another
management pay grade. Senior Team Leaders could be appointed by the department
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supervisor and approved or confirmed by over team leaders. This would help ensure that all
other team leaders are on the same page.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I believe that adding the new position of Senior Team Leader would help mitigate
many issues that the district faces today. It could help bridge the gap between management
and field crews, while getting everyone on the same page so that we can effectively do our job
in a timely fashion. The pay raise would be sufficient enough to incentivize good employees to
apply for the job while not exhausting funds. This would also help improve customer relations
with the district because of the manner in which things would be accomplished. That is why I
believe that we should add this position and why I would be a perfect candidate for the first
open position.

My strategy to get the approval of my boss is to keep it reasonable. First, the raise that I ask for
will not be outlandish, but not selling myself short. Then I will explain to my employer that I
deserve this raise because of the quality of work that I provide and the willingness to take on
more responsibility when needed. I have found that being reasonable is the best way to go
about this type of situation. People who walk in with a high number in a hope to haggle can end
the conversation before it even begins. That is why I chose the strategy of being reasonable.
This proposal has multiple objectives. First, I want to increase the productivity of the district.
Second, I want to add worth to myself within the district.