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It may be a “great day in South Carolina” for Governor Nikki Haley, but that is not the case for state residents dealing with 11 percent unemployment and a beleaguered public workforce. So instead of spreading cheer, an odd demand from the governor is creating controversy and angering employees.
Gov. Haley, a Republican elected to office last November, issued an order at a cabinet meeting last week that all state employees reporting to cabinet-level agencies are to answer their phones with the polite and syrupy phrase “It’s a great day in South Carolina.” Those failing to comply may face punishment, though no formal policy has been put in place as of yet.
The ‘great day’ greeting, the governor insists, will put apparently grumpy public workers in a “better mood” and that the public “will feel better, too.”
Critics are already jumping on the decision, calling it “inappropriate” and “juvenile.”
South Carolina’s governor is ordering state workers to cheerfully answer phones with the phrase “It’s a great day in South Carolina.” Never mind the state’s 11.1 percent jobless rate and the fact that one in five residents are on Medicaid.
Republican Nikki Haley issued the order at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, saying the phrase will put workers in a better mood and remind them that they work for the public. She also says the public will feel better, too.
While Haley wants South Carolina residents feeling upbeat, there’s no word yet whether workers who refuse to use the greeting will suffer any consequences.
Democratic Party Chairman Dick Harpootlian called the greeting juvenile and, in many cases, inappropriate. He says it’s a great day for someone living in the Governor’s Mansion.
Reaction from the public employees that are the targets of Gov. Haley’s efforts to boost their morale are mixed, reports The State newspaper.
Leaders of state agencies appointed by the governor are thrilled and report no complaints, but some state workers are concerned that an unusually happy phone greeting at some departments, such as the state’s substance abuse hotline, may upset residents that are calling in.
Also at issue is that the state employees now directed to tell callers what a “great day” it is in the Palmetto State have not received raises in a decade and may face layoffs thanks to spending cuts proposed by the governor and the Republican state legislature.
Gov. Nikki Haley’s requirement that state workers answer their telephones with a cheery “It’s a great day in South Carolina” is getting mixed reviews.
Haley told her Cabinet directors Tuesday the greeting should be used whenever state workers at Cabinet agencies answer the phone. The Lexington Republican said the greeting would help her market the state and boost state worker morale while reminding them they work for the caller.
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Reaction from agency directors has been positive so far. Several agency heads expressed approval of the new policy Tuesday.
“It seems fine to me,” said Bob Toomey, DAODAS director, Wednesday, adding he has heard no complaints about the new policy.
But some state workers think the greeting could be inappropriate – particularly for state workers at agencies that deal with health issues.
For example, Haley’s Cabinet includes the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services where the mission is to work to prevent/reduce substance use and addictions. The Cabinet also includes the Department of Corrections that oversees the state’s prisons.
“For some of those callers, it’s not a great day,” said Carlton Washington, director of the South Carolina State Employees Association.
Washington said calls from upset state workers were steady all day Wednesday. He said he wishes Haley would focus more on the needs of state workers.
State employees have not received cost of living increases in four years and no merit-based raises since 2001. Layoffs and furloughs have been commonplace in the last few years. The General Assembly is talking now about making cuts to their pension plans.
It may take more than a demand to change phone manners to improve morale for grumpy South Carolina public employees.
Gov. Haley, like many newly elected conservative governors, has taken a hard line with state workers, threatening to restrict collective bargaining and proposing billions of dollars in cuts to their health care and retirement benefits.
Haley has also attempted to whack labor unions for workers in the private sector. She has asserted herself with a highly public and controversial role in the case of airplane manufacturer Boeing’s attempts to shift much of its manufacturing operation to anti-union South Carolina in a bid to eliminate most of its workforce that belongs to organized labor.
Haley has fought off investigations by the federal National Labor Relations Board that Boeing is engaging in “union-busting,” accusing the Obama administration of a “rogue” investigation that will “kill all our American jobs.”
And the “great day” greeting is not Nikki Haley’s only unique approach to a controversial issue that could be described as a publicity stunt. 25 South Carolina residents will be getting free rides from the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles to local offices so they can obtain now-vital state ID cards that are required for state residents to vote.
The trips come after Gov. Haley promised free rides to state residents needing new ID cards in an effort to combat criticism that a new state law championed by the governor would disenfranchise over 200,000 South Carolinians.
The Department of Motor Vehicles has arranged to give 25 people a free ride to get a photo identification card to comply with South Carolina’s new voter law, agency officials said Tuesday.
DMV Executive Director Kevin Shwedo said that of the 675 people who called the agency seeking information on the law, most wanted to know how to get a card.
“The vast majority of the calls we received were from citizens who simply wanted to know what they had to do to get an identification card,” Shwedo said, adding that many went ahead and got them on their own.
The new law requires voters to present a driver’s license, DMV photo ID, passport, military ID, or a new photo voter registration card that election officials expect to start making in every county in December.
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Last month, Gov. Nikki Haley offered anyone who needed it a free ride to a DMV office to obtain the cards. DMV officials wearing grey uniform shirts and DMV badges will drive the people to 20 offices across the state Wednesday morning, said agency spokeswoman Beth Parks.
Speaking to reporters after a Cabinet meeting, Haley said she was pleased that 25 people were being helped.
“There were a lot of people saying there were thousands of people not able to get to the DMV. None of us knew what we were getting into, but we were prepared whether it was 25 or 2,500,” Haley said.
Also on Tuesday, Election Commission spokesman Chris Whitmire told The Associated Press that new figures show 216,596 voters lack a license or DMV-issued photo ID. That’s up from 178,000 voters in January 2010, when the commission initially compared its voter lists with DMV records at legislators’ request as they debated the measure.
This is just the kind of innovative, out of the box thinking that Republican elected officials are bringing to the table to solve our nation’s problems!
Why doesn’t she just do what she has to to help the people she represents, this is utter nonsense, I wouldn’t vote her to be a dog catcher, actually dogs are far superior & cats as well to our governor!
When employees are happy with their job, they convey that to their customers. Treat them right, pay them well, and then you won’t have to demand anything of them. You can ask and they’ll deliver. To demand they be “cheerful” and try to cut their health benefits and collective bargaining at the same time is sadistic.