* Warning: This is an unofficial, introductory copy of the bill.
The official copy considered by the City Council is the first reader copy.
Introductory*
City of Baltimore
Council Bill R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmember McCray
A Resolution Entitled
A Council Resolution concerning
title
Investigative Hearing - Workday Enterprise Resource Planning Implementation
For the purpose of inviting the Director of the Department of Human Resources, the Director of the Department of Finance, the Director of the Baltimore City Office of Information & Technology, and other interested parties to appear before the Baltimore City Council to discuss: the development and implementation process of the Workday Enterprise System; what focus groups or other workgroups were created to identify potential problems during the development process; what offline performance tests were conducted to identify potential gaps in service delivery capabilities; and what corrective processes have been put in place to remedy the countless problems that the city has faced during this implementation process.
body
Recitals
Whereas, Baltimore’s vision for Workday was to implement the modern Workday Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) tool that would manage, automate, and connect key processes within the City’s complex network of agencies, services, and people, by saving valuable time and money;
Whereas, the former employee timekeeping practice that included punching time clocks or submitting paper time sheets was deemed less efficient. To be sure, several similarly-sized jurisdictions to Baltimore have already made the transition to cloud-based software applications, such as Workday;
Whereas, despite soaring expectations, the rollout of Workday was flawed from the outset, with hundreds of City employees being negatively impacted - many of whom are essential workers who continue to be our lifeline throughout the COVID-19 pandemic;
Whereas, many employees have been underpaid or not paid entirely since the Workday
rollout. In some cases, employees have not been paid for 6 weeks. This has caused an enormous
financial strain among our city employees. As a result, many in our workforce have now fallen behind on monthly bills such as car payments, mortgage payments, and credit card bills;
Whereas, throughout implementation of the Workday system, there have been concerns
around inadequate training and resources provided to employees, managers, and supervisors
regarding navigating the system and entering hours worked; and
Whereas, City employees deserve transparency on this matter, and the City needs to provide information about what additional training and resources will be provided to correct the negative consequences that have occurred to our employees as a result of these system failures.
Now, therefore, be it resolved by the City Council of Baltimore, That the Council invites the Director of the Department of Human Resources, the Director of the Department of Finance, the Director of the Baltimore City Office of Information & Technology, and other interested parties to appear before the Baltimore City Council to discuss: the development and implementation process of the Workday Enterprise System; what focus groups or other workgroups were created to identify potential problems during the development process; what offline performance tests were conducted to identify potential gaps in service delivery capabilities; and what corrective processes have been put in place to remedy the countless problems that the city has faced during this implementation process.
And be it further resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Mayor, the Director of the Department of Human Resources, the Director of the Department of Finance, the Director of the Baltimore City Office of Information & Technology, and the Mayor’s Legislative Liaison to the Baltimore City Council.