The report outlined suggestions from employees on how to improve the culture and systems, including human resources support, high-quality training from outside the agency, alternative ways to deal with smaller issues while avoiding cumbersome bureaucratic processes, and better protection for employees — especially those in rural areas.
PEER sent a letter Monday to Charles F. “Chuck” Sams, the Biden’s administration’s nominee for Park Service director, about the report and the agency’s toxic culture. “The Park Service does not have time for another series of listening sessions,” Chandra Rosenthal, director of Rocky Mountain PEER, told HCN. (Full disclosure: Rosenthal is a sibling of HCN’s managing digital editor.) “The frustration and disappointment among the employees that these issues haven’t been addressed, is palpable. It is time to begin the difficult work of undoing the knots that are holding back the agency.”
One employee who asked to remain anonymous described the problem succinctly, telling HCN, “The people who cause the harm are often the ones asked to put the solutions in effect.”
