Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
REMARKS
Deputy Commissioner Sanabria details DOB attrition rates and retention challenges
4:22:34
ยท
129 sec
Deputy Commissioner Mark Sanabria provides an in-depth analysis of attrition rates and retention challenges faced by the Department of Buildings. He highlights the impact on both technical and inspectorial workforces.
- Reports a 16% attrition rate in the inspectorial workforce as of January 2025
- Identifies salary as a primary reason for staff leaving to private sector or other city agencies
- Describes the robust 14-week training program for new inspectors
- Explains the ongoing struggle to maintain net staffing gains due to high attrition rates
Mark Sanabria
4:22:34
So we did we did a very deep dive into attrition at the agency both on the technical level, meaning people that perform architectural engineering type position work and both the inspection side.
4:22:47
And one of our findings was in January of twenty five, we had a 16% attrition rate in our inspectorial work force.
4:22:56
And when we looked into that dive we noticed that folks were leaving either into the private sector or to other city agencies.
4:23:03
And try to find out why they're leaving and for the most part it's because of salary.
4:23:08
In some cases, when they go into the other agencies, they actually going back into the trade.
4:23:13
The council member may raised elevators and some of our folks are going back to NYCHA to actually do elevator repairs.
4:23:20
Some cases they go into PD to do plumbing repairs and DCAS and some of the other agencies.
4:23:25
So attrition is and when we looked at the ages of how long they were with the agency on average with the agency five years.
4:23:33
And so when we bring in new inspectors they go in through a very robust training academy.
4:23:39
It's fourteen weeks, nine weeks in the office, five weeks out in the field learning with their superiors.
4:23:46
So we put a lot of time and effort into training up our guys.
4:23:50
They are the best inspectors in the city without a doubt, is why other agencies are coming to get them.
4:23:56
But we have challenges with salary.
4:23:58
We have challenges with the industry.
4:24:01
When the industry is doing well, they come back to us to to take our guys because they know the rules, they know the the codes.
4:24:08
And just at a very high level, this year we had a 18 a 13 people attrite out of the agency.
4:24:15
And we're onboarding up a 75.
4:24:18
So the net gain is really only 62 new people, which makes the struggle that HR is having in terms of the recruiting effort somewhat you know like quicksand.
4:24:29
Right?
4:24:29
I'm working my team is working super hard to get them in the door, and we're trying to keep them in the door.
4:24:34
And that's a challenge that the commissioner and I discussed the other day.
4:24:38
And, you know, we have some ideas about trying to attack this from different fronts.