ANNUAL REPORT FY County of Albemarle Department of Human Resources

Transcription

1 ANNUAL REPORT FY County of Albemarle Department of Human Resources

2 COUNTY OF ALBEMARLE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT Fiscal year Annual Report The Human Resources Department is pleased to provide the Local Government Annual Report. This report contains information about ongoing initiatives, recent accomplishments, workforce demographics and future objectives. Our work is focused on our department mission - to be a premier customer service-focused team dedicated to aggressively providing excellent human resource support to Albemarle County Public Schools and Local Government. The support HR provides includes: recruitment and selection, total rewards (compensation and benefits), training and organizational development, safety and wellness programs, employee records, compliance and employee relations. We work to achieve our mission by: Aligning as a strategic partner with customers Attracting, staffing, and retaining the best talent Improving HR-related processes, policies and procedures We cannot achieve our vision and goals as a county without recruiting, retaining and developing the highest quality employees, and we remain focused on that priority. Lorna Gerome Director, Human Resources P a g e 1

3 Human Resources Department Mission To be a premier customer service-focused Human Resources Team dedicated to aggressively providing excellent human resource support to Albemarle County Public Schools and Local Government. Strategic Plan The Department s Strategic Plan, which was first adopted in 2002, drives the development and implementation of its annual projects and programs. Following is a summary of significant accomplishments achieved by the Department during FY11: Learning Needs Assessment: The Organizational Development (OD) team solicited feedback from department heads on existing and desired professional development opportunities. This information is being used for planning future training. Goal 1: Align HR as a strategic partner with customers Local Government Staffing: Efforts continued to focus on filling positions seen as core to the organization. Recruitment and hiring efforts were focused mostly within the Community Development, Fire Rescue, Social Services and Police Departments. Additionally, HR successfully recruited and positively impacted the hiring of four department heads (Police Department, Human Resources Department, Parks and Recreation, and Finance Department). Three of these recruitment processes took place over several months, were comprised of national searches, and comprehensively utilized feedback from community stakeholders and relevant staff. Goal 2: Attract, staff, and retain the best talent Succession Management Program: Continued to work with department heads and managers to establish plans for filling critical positions held by those individuals at or near retirement eligibility. Wellness Initiatives: Continued to promote employee health and wellness by instituting on-site physicals for Fire Rescue personnel, conducting workstation ergonomic assessments, and continuing the Medically Supervised Weight Loss Program. Organizational Development: Offered more than 100 courses to County P a g e 2

4 employees designed to enhance productivity, provide opportunities for professional growth, and build the required skills necessary for the future success of the organization JOIN Albemarle: HR staff assumed the management responsibilities for the SAFER Grant funds for the purpose of recruiting and retaining volunteer fire rescue personnel. The JOIN Albemarle, campaign included the development of a uniform marketing and advertisement strategy that was designed to meet the many diverse needs of our volunteer fire rescue system. The campaign included a website, radio and television commercials. Online Annual Training: Conducted a mandatory online training (OATS) program to ensure that all employees understand the County s personnel and administrative policies related to the prevention of sexual harassment in the workplace, Fair Labor and Standards Act (FLSA) guidelines, and the County s technology policy. Goal 3: Improve HR processes Access Albemarle: HR staff members continue to be integral in the development of the County s soon-to-be integrated Access Albemarle. As with any software development and transition, significant time and effort is required to ensure that the organization s short and long-term needs will be met and that efficiencies will be realized upon implementation. While this integration is still on-going, significant time and effort is being exerted in Access Albemarle s many developmental phases. FLSA Training and Electronic Recordkeeping: While the launch of this compliance effort took place last fiscal year, the necessary on-going maintenance process began in FY-12. Employment and Staffing For the purpose of this report, departments and offices are divided into two groups: Group A departments are governed solely by the County, its policies, and rely entirely on the County for funding. 12 Group B departments are offices or boards (including elected officials) that adhere to some County policies and procedures, that may or may not rely solely on the County for funding, but receive support on different levels from the Human Resources Department - e.g. Sheriff s Department, Commonwealth s Attorney, Regional Jail. 1 The Emergency Communication Center (ECC) is included in Group A, but does not receive its funding solely from the County. 2 See Appendix A for a list of departments in Group A. P a g e 3

5 Overall, the Human Resources Department supported the hiring of 73 new employees in FY11, approximately 26% more than FY10. Departments in Group A saw an increase, hiring 46 new full or part-time employees, an increase of approximately 44% from FY10. Group A departments with the most new hires included Social Services, Fire Rescue, Police, and Emergency Communications Center (ECC), all of which provide core services to County citizens. HR also provided guidance to the Sheriff s Office, and other Group B departments, on matters of job classification and salary. Recruitment The County s recruitment practices have changed drastically compared to previous years due to the need to freeze additional positions. Due to the focus on recruiting internally, most of the County s advertising was completed online. Although the Department s focus was on internal recruitment, the process used to fill positions was more labor-intensive than in the past as it required a methodical, individualized evaluation of each position and employees eligible for those vacancies. When a vacancy occurred, HR strived to ensure that all internal candidates either applying for the position or being reassigned were appropriately matched. Assessing employees and vacant positions primarily focused on necessary skills, past performance evaluations, job description review and conversations with all supervisors. As previously mentioned, the increase in new hires was primarily seen in public safety and human services departments. For these recruitment processes HR advertised externally online and in local and professional publications. The County s website as a source of job referrals increased to 47% from 41% last year. However, recruiting police and fire rescue employees tends to be a nationwide/regional effort that requires more broad recruitment efforts that reach beyond the County s website. Turnover Employee turnover for the County during FY11 remained low at 6.44% - a slight increase compared to FY10 when the turnover rate was 5.1%. When retirements are considered, however, overall employee turnover increased from 6.61% in FY10 to 10%. This overall increase in turnover is due to the increasingly stable economy, and employees reaching retirement eligiblity. Turnover information by department is included in the chart in Appendix A. FY 10 FY 11 Turnover 5.1% 6.44% Turnover Including Retirements 6.6% 10% P a g e 4

6 New Hires For FY11, the number of new hires in Group A departments increased from 32 in FY10 to 46, a 44% increase. Among those hired, the number of male and female employees were almost evenly split (21 female/25 male) while in FY10, 50% were female and 50% were male. The percentage of minority new hires increased slightly to 13% in FY11 compared to 12.5% in FY10. Staff Demographics As of June 30, 2011, 263 of the County s 590 employees were female, a decrease of approximately 1.8% from the previous fiscal year. The number of minorities decreased 3.3% to 86. HR continued its efforts to maintain a workforce that represents the diversity of the Albemarle County population by: Identifying and utilizing websites and print publications with high female or minority readership for advertising and recruiting (when filling a vacancy externally) Training all new employees as well as those seeking a management role or newly placed in a management position, on the County s Equal Employment Opportunity and sexual harassment policies Encouraging minority participation on County interview teams Recruiting at minority career fairs and colleges (this may decrease this year as budget constraints will likely diminish the County s presence at career fairs and college fairs) Featuring women and minorities in recruitment materials Employee Ethnic Distribution 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% White African-American Hispanic Asian Employees Residents American Indian Other *Resident data source: Albemarle Community Profile 2009 Supplement P a g e 5

7 Number of Employees During FY11, the HR completed the required EEOC report for all departments receiving federal dollars. These departments included Fire Rescue, Police and the Sheriffs. While efforts to increase minority representation in these departments existed when comparing to prior reports, increasing the minority population in these departments has been identified as a current need; especially considering the increasing Hispanic population in the County. Years of Service The average age of County employees is 45 while the average number of years of service is Due to the one-time retirement incentive offered in FY10, the average age was expected to decrease. However, it remained consistent with FY09 s data -- further evidence of the effect the economic downturn and weak job market are having on the County as an employer. 100 Employee Age Distribution < Annual Report FY Retirements FY11 witnessed a significantly higher number of employees opting to retire. Twenty employees retired in FY11 compared to 8 employees in FY10. Based on recent age distribution data, a steady increase in the retirement rate is expected to confront the County in the coming years. As shown in Appendix B, 171 employees are more than P a g e 6

8 Number of Retirees 50 years old, representing slightly more than 29% of the workforce. Thirty-eight of those employees (6%) or (22% depending on how you read the sentence) are over 60 years of age. Of the twenty employees who chose to retire in FY11, 5 opted to do so with reduced benefits, rather than wait for full retirement. 30 Retirements 25 Regular Disability As the graph below indicates, employees eligible for retirement will continue on an upward trend. Given that the average age of department heads is 54, significant turnover in high-level leadership positions due to retirements is expected in the next several years. To prepare for this, HR will aggressively continue to develop leadership capacity throughout the organization. P a g e 7

9 180 Employees Eligible for Retirement June 2012 June 2013 June 2014 Full Benefits Reduced Benefits VERIP The County s Voluntary Early Retirement Incentive Program (VERIP) is designed for employees who have already met VRS retirement eligibility standards, but are not yet 65. This program provides eligible employees an early retirement option consisting of two types of benefits as described below, both payable on a monthly basis for 5 years or until age 65, whichever comes first: 1. A stipend equivalent to the Board medical contribution given to active full-time employees; and 2. A benefit based on the difference between the estimated VRS benefit the employee would receive by retiring early and the benefit the employee would receive with 5 additional years of service. As was foreshadowed during the budget process for , a gradual phase-out of the VERIP stipend was adopted by the School Board and Board of Supervisors. The phase-out schedule keeps the benefit unchanged for two years, and then drops by 20% each subsequent year until eliminated in The elimination of the VERIP stipend was the result of market data that indicated these supplemental retirement benefits exceeded market levels. The number of employees eligible to take advantage of VERIP is as follows: P a g e 8

10 June 2012: 125 June 2013: 144 June 2014: 155 Unemployment Claims The County experienced an increase in unemployment expenses in FY11 due to the downsizing that has occurred in both local government and the school division, along with the federal government s extension of unemployment benefits paid to eligible individuals. Given the federal government s recent extension of unemployment benefits, this trend will likely continue in FY12. Decisions about eligibility for benefits are determined by the Virginia Employment Commission. Health, Safety & Wellness Efforts in the areas of occupational health, safety and wellness are becoming ingrained into the culture for the Local Government Occupational Health and Safety It is apparent that employees are taking more responsibility for their own safety and the safety of their work environment. We have started meeting with those departments who have a higher incidence rate in order to review accidents and develop a strategy to assist in reduction. Wellness The mission of the Wellness Team is To provide opportunities that will promote and improve the overall wellness of employees and their families. To support this mission, a medically supervised weight loss program was created. This was a collaborative effort with Southern Health, ACAC and several local healthcare providers. To date, 43 local government employees have completed the 6-month program which includes weekly educational meeting to address nutrition and behavioral changes and 3-5 months of an exercise program. It is our hope that the positive lifestyle changes that have occurred will impact future healthcare expenditures. A variety of additional wellness programs have been offered at various locations throughout the County. Examples are: Flu shots Mobile Mammography Weight Watchers at Work Smoking Cessation Program sponsored by our local Health Department FIT Extension sponsored by the Virginia Cooperative Extension Office Charlottesville s Women s and Men s 4 Miler events P a g e 9

11 Organizational Development The Organizational Development (OD) team continued its Learn Local initiative, opening classes to local organizations such as the Albemarle County Service Authority. The program generated $6,212 in revenue for the County. The team also continued to transform the County into a learning organization, focusing on these three goals: Create an infrastructure that supports continuous and consistent learning Develop talent and build the required skills necessary for the future success of the organization Create a partnership to build the required technology skill set throughout the organization Continuous Learning: Planned, designed and delivered print (on demand) and electronic Learning Catalogs for both fall and spring semesters. Using a train-the-trainer model, worked with several County employees to design, develop, and deliver classes to their colleagues in their respective areas of expertise (such as Understanding the CIP ) Continued to offer free online classes for all employees through the Virginia Municipal League Assisted Albemarle County Fire/Rescue with its departmental self-assessment processes using the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence Loaned out over 60 books, CDs, and DVDs to County employees from the OD Learning Library Provided over $3,000 in tuition reimbursement to 12 employees (up to $300/employee) Worked with County Executive s Office to launch inaugural Innovative Leaders Institute Managed annual OATS training to ensure that all employees understand the County s personnel and administrative policies such as prevention of sexual harassment, Fair Labor and Standards Act (FLSA) guidelines, and the County s technology policy Organized book swap for County employees Facilitated the attendance of two County representatives to the UVA Weldon Cooper s LEAD program Develop Talent For Future Success Offered more than 100 training classes New class topics included: Creating Self-managed, Empowered Team, Drive: The Truth about What Motivates Us, Developing Effective Feedback Mechanisms to Measure Customer Service, Personal Safety in the Field, Project Management, and Managing Gen X and Gen Y Employees. P a g e 10

12 94% of course evaluation respondents indicated that HR-sponsored training will help them in their career with the County 57% of employees took at least one class in Fall 2010 and 55% took at least one in Spring Worked with most departments to provide customized training, such as Spanish for Social Services employees Provided training and coaching for reallocated employees and their managers Continued to implement succession management program, working closely with department heads and managers to put plans in place for dozens of critical positions that are at or near retirement eligibility Created orientation and mentoring onboarding program for newly-hired department heads Building Technology Skills Managed roll-out and training for Office 2007, working with each department to schedule over 40 classes to train almost 300 employees on the new software Closely involved in Access Albemarle implementation and training plan. This equates to hundreds of hours spent ensuring that employees will effectively transitioned from current technology to Access Albemarle programming. As a result of several of the aforementioned achievements, the County s Organizational Development team received the Human Resources Excellence Award from the Albemarle- Charlottesville Human Resource Association. Compensation and Benefits Joint Boards Adopted Total Compensation Strategy In November 2000, the School Board and Board of Supervisors approved a Total Compensation Strategy to target employee salaries at 100% of market median and benefits slightly above the market. The Joint Boards follow a process to establish the annual merit increase and salary scale adjustment. Due to revenue shortfalls, the Boards did not fund merit increases or adjust pay scales in FY11. Employees did receive a 1% salary increase, effective July, Merit Pay for Performance While not tied to salary, the performance review process provides an opportunity for managers to have meaningful discussions with employees about their strengths, opportunities for development and their potential to grow professionally. Overall, performance evaluation ratings and scores stayed consistent with years in which annual salary increases were awarded. HR provides training for all managers and supervisors on the full performance management cycle. After three years of no merit or scale increases, HR is seeing evidence of salary compression. This occurs when there is only a small difference in pay between employees in the same job, P a g e 11

13 regardless of their skills or experience. With no merit increases, an employee hired two years ago may have the same salary as a newly-hired employee, for example. Pay compression can have many negative effects, including low morale, decreased productivity, and high turnover. Adverse affects of compression became more evident in FY11. Hiring offers for external candidates were increasingly turned down as a result of lower salaries being offered. Lower salary offers for external candidates are a result of the concern for internal equity with current employees possessing similar experience and qualifications. HR continues to monitor, however compression is having a negative impact on current and potential staff. Long Term Classification Plan To ensure that jobs are appropriately classified, HR conducts comprehensive reviews of all local government departments on an ongoing basis. Priorities are based on identified internal equity issues, substantial changes in position descriptions, as well as market data. HR began the classification process of ECC, Police Department, Sheriff s Department and Fire Rescue in FY11. With more than 200 employees positions being reviewed, this process was long, but thorough. This process concluded well into FY12 and resulted in adjustments for a vast majority of public safety departments. However, the adjustments equated to similar increases for all staff, further compounding compression at the minimum of all payscales. Anecdotally, employees who have been with the County for 2-4 years received a modest increase due to the classification study and still find themselves being compensated similarly to a new hire with no experience. Benefits Administration The County offers a wide range of benefits options that promote a healthy lifestyle and contribute to financial security. County sponsored benefits include: health and dental insurance, flexible spending accounts (Beneplus), life insurance, paid leave (annual, holiday, sick, sick leave bank), an employee assistance program (EAP), and retirement benefits through the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) or the part-time pension plan. Employees and their families have differing needs. As such, the County offers additional voluntary benefit options that encourage individualized financial planning, including: voluntary group term life, personal accident insurance, tax deferred savings (457) accounts, and roadside assistance program. The County s Total Compensation strategy is to target benefits slightly above the market. The Health Care Executive Committee has the charge to develop strategies and recommendations regarding the medical, dental, and wellness plans that will support that strategy. The committee strives to continue to offer affordable and market-competitive options for employees. The health insurance plan offered by the County is compared against those of other employers in our adopted market. To increase employee understanding and appreciation of their benefit package and total compensation, HR continues to refine the online Open Enrollment website and communicate through various methods, including benefits orientation sessions, information on the County P a g e 12

14 website/intranet, financial education and pre-retirement seminars, monthly on-site availability of our deferred compensation vendor representative, and informational workshops. Employee Recognition Program The Employee Recognition Program is one piece of the County s Total Rewards strategy to acknowledge extraordinary employee contributions. Despite a significant cut in funding, participation in the program remained strong with 104 employee recognitions made during FY10. The objectives of the Employee Recognition Program are to: Provide the employees of Albemarle County Local Government a set of performance criteria so that they may identify exemplary behaviors Give the employees of Albemarle County Local Government options to formally nominate and reward employees for exceptional performance Provide departments with the flexibility and guidelines to implement a program that best fits their needs and culture Funding for this program is provided at the departmental level, based on the number of full-time equivalent employees in the department. HR works with departments to define recognition standards and establish clear and consistent expectations for performance. Employee Recognition: Rewarded Behaviors Performing above & beyond expectations Providing exceptional customer service Exemplifying teamwork Innovation: quality improvement/cost saving Department-specific award Exemplifying integrity, stewardship, or learning 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% P a g e 13

15 Service Recognition The County s Employee Recognition Program is designed to acknowledge both personally and publicly employee dedication and length of service. Employee recognition is conducted both within the employee s department and at the annual recognition ceremony held in the fall of each year. Recognition items include: For 10, 15, and 20 years of service, employees receive an attractive gift For 25+ years, employees choose from a selection of gifts Employees with the longest length of service and who reach a milestone are recognized with a special presentation and gift at the annual Employee Recognition Ceremony On November 3, 2011, 147 employees were recognized for service milestones that occurred between October 1, 2010 and September 30, P a g e 14

16 GOING FORWARD In these challenging financial times, it is especially critical that the County maintain a high-quality and high-performing workforce. To retain and motivate our employees, HR strives to create a positive working environment by continuing to focus on compensation/benefits, performance management, organizational development opportunities, work environment quality and health/wellness issues. Next Steps HR is committed to helping the County accomplish its mission by providing the highest quality customer-focused workforce. During this upcoming year, the Department will strive to achieve this by: Conducting reviews of County pay practices to ensure compliance and create organizational efficiencies. Assisting in the recruitment and selection process of several key leadership positions Conducting an employee climate survey Working with public safety management to re-tool promotional processes to ensure the County will have sound leadership in the short and long-term Perform a Best Practices review for Fire Rescue and Police recruitment, retention, training and promotional programs and processes. This review will provide HR and public safety organizations an opportunity improve departmental programs vital to retaining and promoting devoted and high-performing staff. Assess public safety compensation best practices to ensure that we re able to attract the best and most qualified candidates necessary to provide the appropriate level of quality to the County s citizenry. Assessing current employee-paid benefits options and communications methods by surveying employees and holding focus groups. The information will be used to improve benefit programs and communications. Providing support and training as HR prepares for the scheduled implementation of Access Albemarle in 2011 Expanding succession management plans. Currently, plans are in place for almost all critical positions (20+) that are at or near retirement eligibility. The next phase is to put plans in place for all director and assistant director/deputy positions. The Human Resources Department looks forward to continuing to proactively provide services and solutions that meet the needs of Albemarle County employees and citizens. P a g e 15

17 Budgeted Positions (FTE) Actual FTE Count Actual # of Employee Count Exempt Non-Exempt Emps. w/ 5+ yrs.of service w/ County Avg. yrs. Service w/ County Average age New hires to the County Probationary Voluntary, Non-Probationary Involuntary, Non-Probationary Total Retirement or Death In Service Turnover (Terms/Actual Employee Count)** Turnover (includes Retirees) (All Terms/Actual Emp. Count)** Grievances COUNTY OF ALBEMARLE DEPARTMENT STATISTICS Terminations Departments - Group A Board of Supervisors (non-board members) ** % 0.00% Commission on Children & Families % 0.00% Community Development % 5.08% County Attorney % 14.29% County Executive % 14.29% Emergency Communication Center % 12.24% Finance % 6.25% Fire/Rescue % 15.58% General Services % 18.18% Housing % 0.00% Human Resources % 16.67% Information Technology % 5.26% Office of Facilities Development % 0.00% Office of Management & Budget % 0.00% Parks and Recreation , % 22.22% Police % 9.35% 1 Social Services % 7.84% Subtotals % 10.00% Subtotals % 6.61% 6 Departments - Group B* Blue Ridge Juvenile Detention % 3.03% Board of Elections % 33.33% Board of Supervisors (Board members) % 0.00% Circuit Court ** % 0.00% Clerk of Circuit Court % 20.00% Commonwealth Attorney % 0.00% Extension Program ** % % Planning Commission % 0.00% Regional Jail % 14.86% Sheriff % 4.00% Soil & Water ** % 0.00% Voter Registration/Elections % 0.00% Subtotals % 11.24% Subtotals % 9.49% 0 GRAND TOTAL : % 10.37% Subtotals % 7.46% 6 Note: Employee statistics as of 6/30/11. Numbers not reported for departments with fewer than 3 employees. *Group B are Boards, Commissions, and other departments for which Albemarle County serves as a fiscal agent and/or provides HR services. Informational data only -- numbers are not included in the report. **Turnover equals number of terminated employees divided by actual number of employees on 6/30/11.

18 Appendix B EMPLOYEE PROFILE FOR DEPARTMENTS - GROUP A (regular employees only) The average regular County employee is years of age with years of service with Albemarle County. Overtime Status Exempt from overtime (18%) Non-exempt from overtime (82%) Total By Paygrade Min. Max. Paygrade 1... $19, $25, Paygrade 2... $19, $27, Paygrade 3... $19, $29, Paygrade 4... $19, $31, Paygrade 5... $21, $33, Paygrade 6... $22, $36, Paygrade 7... $24, $38, Paygrade 8... $25, $41, Paygrade 9... $27, $44, Paygrade $29, $47, Paygrade $32, $51, Paygrade $34, $55, Paygrade $36, $59, Paygrade $39, $63, Paygrade $42, $67, Paygrade $45, $72, Paygrade $48, $78, Paygrade $52, $83, Paygrade $56, $90, Paygrade $60, $96, Paygrade $64, $103, Paygrade $69, $111, Paygrade $74, $119, Paygrade $79, $127, Paygrade $85, $137, Paygrade $92, $147, Paygrade $98, $158, Paygrade $106, $169, Paygrade N/A... N/A... N/A... 3 Years of Service < > By Age < > Average Pay Full-time... $22.90/hr Part-time... $21.34/hr Pay By Salary Level (full-time only) <$16, $16,000-$20, $21,000-$25, $26,000-$30, $31,000-$35, $36,000-$40, $41,000-$45, $46,000-$50, $51,000-$55, $56,000-$60, $61,000-$65, $66,000-$70, $71,000-$75, $76,000-$80, $81,000-$99, >$100, EEO Female Male Minority (non-white) Non-minority By Type Regular full-time Regular part-time Boards and Commissions... 16