Mayor Gregor Robertson says city manager Penny Ballem is working to resolve problems with employees after a damning report authored by senior staff members criticized the “new style of management” at city hall.

Robertson said Wednesday the concerns raised in the report from the Vancouver Association of Civic Managerial and Professional Staff are not being taken lightly.

“It’s a significant list of concerns that I know the city manager is taking seriously,” the mayor told the Courier. “We have a lot of staff who do feel good about their working conditions and opportunities with the city. So we’ve got to balance it all out and work to address those concerns.”

Robertson said Ballem continues to work to improve morale and productivity at city hall. But the economic recession and the work involving the 2010 Winter Games has meant “enormous pressures” for staff, he said.

“She’s fully conscious of all the challenges and is working to resolve that,” Robertson added. “It’s good to see all this get aired, frankly. It’s important that it isn’t stifled and that people feel they can speak their minds. “

The senior staff association represents more than 700 non-union managers and other staff. The association’s president Bill Boons and vice-president Christine Warren co-authored the report.

Boons is the city’s assistant director of development services and Warren is the director of development services. Boons wouldn’t comment, except to say the association is meeting with Ballem and the city’s corporate management team.

Boons’ report, which is dated June 17, was leaked this week to political blogging website citycaucus.com, which was founded by former NPA mayor Sam Sullivan’s chief of staff, Daniel Fontaine.

Boons confirmed the accuracy of the report posted on the website but wouldn’t release a copy to the Courier, which has since filed a Freedom of Information request with city hall.

The report says that after 21 meetings with 225 staff, the association identified “strong and consistent themes”, including:

• A loss of respect and trust throughout the organization.

• Managers have lost their ability to manage, with decision making centralized.

• Staff are fearful of reprisals which is leading to a “heads down/don’t rock the boat” attitude.

• Creativity and excellence are not being stimulated.

• Staff retention is becoming an issue; the city is losing corporate knowledge on significant scale.

• Reports, decisions, memos and letters are delayed because of excessive review.

• Inefficient and expensive processes have replaced methods which were cheaper and more efficient.

Boons identifies the concerns as coming from administrative managers, general managers, superintendents, professionals, department directors and “many others in between.”

“Our information suggests that the current environment is such that the current environment is such that the business of the city is not being carried out in the most efficient manner,” Boons wrote.

Robertson and his ruling Vision Vancouver fired then-city manager Judy Rogers during the party’s first week in office and replaced her with Ballem, who has more than 30 years of experience in senior management positions in the Canadian public sector. She is also a trained hematologist and former deputy minister of health.

The Courier requested an interview with Ballem Wednesday but she had not returned a call before deadline. Ballem earned more than $300,000 last year, according to city financial reports.

mhowell@vancourier.com