Areas for Action
The following table notes primary report recommendations, each followed by a brief description of related findings and a list of countywide actions proposed for moving the recommendation forward. The list does not include department-level actions and may not be a complete representation of all work being done in this area. Additionally, while some examples of benchmarks from the 2024-2028 Workforce Equity Strategic Plan (WESP) are provided, these are not the only aspects of the WESP that relate to these findings.
Promoting diverse representation of the communities we serve across all levels and departments
The organization has become more racially and ethnically diverse over time. While limited data presents a challenge to assessing all demographic categories, they indicate that the County is becoming more diverse in many and intersecting ways (e.g., disability, gender, sexual orientation). However, representation is uneven across departments and levels of the organization.
| County Actions | Related Benchmarks from the Workforce Equity Strategic Plan |
|---|
- Create and increase talent pipelines (e.g., College to County) that are consistent across departments.
- Review, update, and develop accountable and consistent policies that address historical inequities; acknowledge that this work requires time, intentionality, and support from leadership.
- Assess the consistency of recruitment efforts (e.g., internal vs. external recruitments) across departments.
| - Incorporate training for Human Resources teams related to anti-bias and add targeted questions around anti-bias for HR candidates during the interview process. (Benchmark 2.7)
- Evaluate departmental programs and services to recruit and maintain staffing resources for LGBTQIA2S+ individuals and people with disabilities. (Part of Benchmark 6.2)
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Supporting new employees
Involuntary separations were particularly high among Black or African American employees. This result is consistent with the recently released Equity Audit. Involuntary separations were more likely to take place in the first year of employment since this is the trial service period for many employees. In an exit survey, a number of employees noted the need for better onboarding procedures, as well as the need to assess succession planning for existing employees to help make transitions smoother.
| County Actions | Related Benchmarks from the Workforce Equity Strategic Plan |
|---|
- Create and increase mentoring programs for new employees and new managers to provide support throughout their first year.
- Ongoing efforts: College to County, the Health Department’s Mentoring Matters program; Promote Employee Resource Groups and Communities of Practice as additional resources to find peer mentors and coaching
- Assess consistency of onboarding across departments
- Ongoing efforts: Employee Foundations and Manager Success Learning Journeys tracks; mentor assignment and onboarding functionality in Workday; New Employee Welcome events.
| - Create a centralized accommodation unit within Central HR to oversee the accommodation process by:... Developing a standardized onboarding process that includes assessment of any needed ergonomic and/or adaptive equipment. (Part of Benchmark 2.8)
- Each department to implement or enhance their employee onboarding experience by integrating equity topics (e.g., Inclusively Leading with Race, microaggressions, Safety, Trust and Belonging, etc.), best practices and core competencies into departmental new employee orientations. (Benchmark 4.4)
- Enhance the current department trial service process for employees during their first year at defined intervals based on union contract or personnel rules. Manager to provide support and ensure success through results gained using the New Employee Hire Survey. (Benchmark 4.5)
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Creating clearer pathways for career growth and development
While many employees reported feeling like they had professional development support, they did not feel that they had the ability to advance within the organization. The promotion rate for the government sector generally is relatively low. For example, the median promotion rate for the government sector was 4% in FY 2022, compared to 7.7% for the County in the same year.
| County Actions | Related Benchmarks from the Workforce Equity Strategic Plan |
|---|
- Develop and increase career progression support for staff
- Ongoing efforts: Central HR offers several career development resources, including training in Workday, one-on-one career consulting, and career maps.
- Planned efforts: Included in Annual Performance Reviews, check-ins functionality in Workday for 1:1s, Manager Leading through Feedback workshop, Manager coaching workshop, Career Management Module in Workday, 360-degree performance review options in Commons.
| - Implement an accountability framework for managers to consistently engage with staff. (Benchmark 1.1)
- Investment in and enhancement of culturally specific professional development opportunities for all employees. (Benchmark 4.6)
- Evaluate the barriers (such as adequate levels of staffing) for employees to participate in Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), community-building events, equity work and wellness benefits. (Benchmark 3.5)
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Addressing the attrition of Black and African American and Queer employees due to higher separation rates
The separation rate was statistically significantly higher for Black and African American non-supervising staff in FY 2023 and Black and African American managers in FY 2024. For Queer employees, the voluntary separation rate in FY 2022 and FY 2023 was statistically significantly higher than the Countywide rate. These results are consistent with the Equity Audit.
Note: There may be differences in other groups that are relatively small or that lack completed data (e.g., employees with disabilities), but there are limitations in statistical analyses to show these differences. Furthermore, there are groups that are not tracked in Workday (e.g., immigrants and refugees) and limitations in our ability to assess the role of intersecting identities on employment trends.
| County Actions | Related Benchmarks from the Workforce Equity Strategic Plan |
|---|
- Gather best practices to support Black and African American staff, especially during onboarding
- HR intervention when staff reach out for support
- Manager skill-building
- Ongoing efforts: “Leading through Feedback” campaign, 1:1 check-ins between staff and their managers, manager coaching
- Empowering staff and managers on cultivating and sustaining diverse and inclusive team cultures
- Ongoing efforts: Organizational Learning services, such as team retreat facilitation, conflict resolution, and diversity, equity, and inclusion training.
- Promote Employee Wellness, Employee Resource Groups, Communities of Practice, and professional associations as proactive resources and opportunities for community building and peer coaching.
| - The Office of Diversity and Equity (ODE) implements manager stay interviews annually for a representative sample of managers countywide and provides an annual report of the findings, with a specific engagement focus on capturing the experiences of Black, Indigenous, and other managers of color. (Benchmark 3.1)
- Identify pain points experienced by County departments demonstrating an increase in turnover rates of managers identifying as Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), and identify strategies for rectifying the issues with assistance from ODE, Central HR and departmental HR. (Benchmark 3.3)
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