McKenzie County to Deliberate Proposal to Address Exempt Employee Burnout
M.K. French
Farmer Staff Writer
It is no secret that county leadership positions come with long hours, but there is a point where dedication can turn into a genuine health concern. During the July 7, 2026, meeting of the McKenzie County Board of Commissioners, Human Resources Director Stephanie Raver brought this issue before the board, emphasizing that the county currently lacks a defined process to support leadership staff facing consistently heavy workloads. This topic continued a theme of several other discussions at the meeting, which centered around county employee recruitment, retention, and compensation.
Raver explained that some of the county’s hardest-working exempt employees may be facing burnout that is unsustainable for their well-being and their home lives. Recognizing that “money is not going to fix the situations that we have,” the board began a thoughtful conversation about how to better protect the people who keep the county running.
To address the issue, Raver proposed a tiered evaluation framework that would trigger an HR review when exempt staff exceed specific hour thresholds:
Tier 1: 50 or more hours per week over eight consecutive weeks.
Tier 2: 60 or more hours per week over four consecutive weeks.
Emergency Trigger: Any single week exceeding 80 hours. In theory, upon hitting these thresholds, HR would conduct a review to determine if the workload is temporary, due to project demands or staffing shortages. and develop a mitigation plan, which could include restructuring duties, delegating tasks, or hiring additional help.
Raver also introduced the concept of a temporary “workload recognition payment” as a small incentive for extraordinary effort during these high-intensity periods. The proposed model suggests a payment of $500 to $1,000 per pay period for a six-week duration, contingent upon board approval and the implementation of a long-term mitigation plan.
Raver noted that while compensation is a helpful short-term tool, the long-term solution must focus on structural changes. “I think the most important part of that is having a plan and bringing in some additional help” she noted.
The Board of Commissioners expressed support for the concept and directed the HR department to formalize these guidelines into a concrete proposal for a policy. Raver is expected to present a draft policy for the board’s review at their next meeting in late July. “It sounds like we’re in favor of effectively the outline that Stephanie has proposed if we pass this motion,” one commissioner noted during the discussion. The commission expressed its intent to seriously deliberate this proposal, signaling that they value the longevity and health of county staff.