Potter Promoted to Clerk of the Board

After a few years in the number two position, Andrew Potter has taken over as the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors.

Potter replaces David Hall, who retired March 2. He was appointed by the Board of Supervisors on Oct. 31, following Hall’s retirement announcement.

The office provides administrative support to the Board of Supervisors and a variety of services including access to the official records, passport services, notary public services, and applications for property tax assessment appeals. The department has 29 employees.

You may recognize Potter as he has clerked many Board of Supervisor meetings since joining the County in 2015 as assistant Clerk of the Board. Combined with an earlier stint, he has spent eight years in the department.

He has really hit the ground running in his new position. While getting ready for a remodel of the board chamber at the County Administration Center and temporarily relocating his entire department in June to accommodate the CAC’s Major Systems Renovation Project, he is looking for technology solutions to streamline all public-facing services, increase customer service satisfaction and enhance public records access.

“I want to build on the department’s past successes by pursuing new and innovative ideas to modernize processes, improve access to official Board records, and foster relationships with our internal and external partners,” he said.

Stepping into Potter’s position as Assistant Clerk is Erin Demorest. She joined the County last month from the City of San Diego where she served as the Director of Legislative Affairs.

Employees Can Join Formal Dress Drive at Two County Sites

All 33 of the County’s Library branches are collecting gently used formal gowns for any high school student who needs one for the prom or other special occasion.

County employees who would like to join the collection drive can drop off special occasion dresses at two additional sites.

Library headquarters at the County Operations Center is taking dress donations between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at 5560 Overland Ave., Room 110, now through April 15.

The bookmobile will also accept gowns during its regular Friday stop at the County Administration Center from noon to 4 p.m. this week.

The gowns will be donated free at Library giveaway events at the Vista branch on April 20 and the El Cajon branch on April 27. Teenagers can sign up to get a dress through the Princess Project.

PerkSpot: Save on Tax Preparation

The tax deadline is quickly approaching. Filing your taxes can be stressful, but PerkSpot is offering County employees 20 percent off at H&R Block, up to $30 off TaxAct or up to $20 off TurboTax preparation services. Don’t wait until the last minute – take advantage of the savings today.

PerkSpot offers benefits and discounts through more than 400 service providers and retailers. Go to SDCounty.PerkSpot.com and shop. If you are new, click on “Create an Account” to register.

Get in the Game; Enter Basketball Tourney

Hustle up for an important announcement. Employee Wellness’ 2nd annual March Madness intramural basketball tournament will be held Saturday, March 23 at Spring Valley Teen Center/Gym. Register your team today.

Celebrating Generational Diversity in the Workplace

Take a minute to think about the people in your office: Your director, your supervisor, your administrative specialist, your IT coordinator, your counterpart. More than likely, you have a couple, if not a few, different generations working within your own team. And that’s something to celebrate!

In December 2018, the County of San Diego’s workforce was comprised of:

• 3.2 percent Post-Millennials (or Generation Z)

• 39.8 percent Millennials

• 39.9 percent Generation Xers

• 16.8 percent Baby Boomers

• 0.2 percent employees from the Silent/Greatest Generation

“For the first time, we’ve got five generations working side by side,” said Carmina Vasquez, president of the Emerging Workforce Association.

The EWA is one of many employee resource groups here at the County. The group was created by millennials to help bridge the generational gap and recently hosted its “inaugural signature event to honor generational diversity in the workplace.” Not only was this event to celebrate generational diversity, but it was also a chance for said generations to learn a thing or two about each other.

As part of the event, a panel of notable County employees that represented different generations spoke on topics ranging from legacy to common misconceptions of each respective generation:

• Andrew Strong, CAO Chief of Staff, identifies as a “cusper” or between Gen X and millennial.

• Don Steuer, Assistant Chief Administration Officer/Chief Operating Officer, identifies as a Baby Boomer

• Nadia Moshirian Binderup, CAO Staff Officer, identifies as a millennial

• Marvin Mayorga, Management Fellow with the Probation Department, identifies as a millennial

“First of all, when you think of Boomers, you think of people who are work-centric, goal-oriented,” said panelist Steuer. “And the misconception of it is we’re inflexible or unwilling to listen to other opinions or new opinions or creative ideas. But I feel like that couldn’t be further from the truth. In a way, Boomers feed off the younger generations.”

Millennial panelist Moshirian Binderup quashed the misperception of her generation’s constant need for affirmation.

“I constantly get teased about the ‘gold star’ for any type of recognition,” she said. “We don’t need those physical awards – we thrive off guidance. We love teamwork.”

Steuer was quick to interrupt and ask Nadia if she could provide some technical guidance to Strong, who was having microphone difficulties during the event.

“See? Millennials aren’t tech savvy,” quipped Strong.

The playful nature between the different generations was testimony to just how complementary different generations can be to each other. Each panelist brought in different perspectives regarding leaving a legacy at the County and the definition of “emerging,” and yet they shared a common thread when it came to their words of wisdom for their fellow employees regardless of generations – embrace shared wisdom.

“Find a mentor who’s in this organization,” said Strong. “Or be a mentor! Share that knowledge and institutional knowledge you have.”

Mayorga, who’s been with the County just two years, was a bit modest when sharing his advice.

“I laugh because I’m so young and new to the County,” he said. “But I encourage people in my generation to have patience. Opportunities come and go, and sometimes we need to remind ourselves that every step we take is one step closer to what we’re working toward – patience is very key.”

His sentiment is one shared by all of the panelists, who spoke throughout the event to the importance of learning from others and from your experience to help you grow inside an organization.

“It comes down to the journey of leadership. There are three primary components to that. One is talent, which we all have, one is wisdom, which we continue to gain, and one is influence, which some of us never reach,” Steuer said, gaining chuckles from the audience. “But I think it’s important to remember when emerging – you have the talent, and now you have to continue to grow and take personal responsibility to gain that wisdom to be able to influence not only the culture of our organization but also the decisions that are made regardless of what level of the organization you represent.”

Learn more about the County’s Diversity and Inclusion initiative or take a look at EWA and see what they’re all about.

InTouch – How Engaged Are You? Results from Our Survey

This month I want to talk about the results of our recent Employee Engagement Survey. But before I do, I want to acknowledge Employee Appreciation Day and offer all of you my sincere thanks for the work you do.

Though we’re singling out today to make a big display of gratitude for your efforts, please know I feel it in my heart every day. We could not be a successful organization without YOU. I’m always humbled by your dedication and proud of your desire to make life better for our residents. And, like many people, I need to be better about saying it more often! Thank you! You are amazing, and I’m truly grateful you have chosen to work here at the County.

I think it’s timely that the results of our recent engagement survey coincide with Employee Appreciation Day. The survey is a look into how we feel in our County jobs. “Employee engagement” can be kind of a fuzzy concept. It describes your emotional relationship with the organization.

I want each of you to feel engaged, one, because I hope on a personal level that you have a sense of connection and fulfillment in a place you spend so much of your life. But two, as the one tasked with overseeing this operation, I have a strong interest in performance. Research shows an engaged workforce has higher goal achievement and higher retention rates. An engaged employee is a happy employee, and a happy employee is more productive. A happier workforce is also a healthier workforce, and that’s one more way we make Live Well a reality.

We emailed the survey out in December and about 22 percent of you responded. Not bad, but definitely the first area of improvement to work on. It’s important to hear from as many of you as possible, so we want to get the number of responses up.

I won’t go through every question, but here are a few results.      

Seventy-four percent of you say you feel motivated to work for the County, and 78 percent get a feeling of personal accomplishment. A solid majority of you feel you’re making a difference in the lives of those you serve. That’s pretty good but an area where maybe we can do a little better.

Ninety percent of you understand how your job contributes to the success of your department. I’m encouraged by that. We spend a lot of time on aligning efforts to strategic goals. It’s easy to get caught up in details and lose sight of the big picture, but the number tells me we’re on the right track there. 

Seventy-three percent say your skills are being used effectively. Pretty good, but it also sounds like a fair amount of untapped potential, so that’s an area we’ll need to work on.

Are we getting along? Eighty-nine percent say you have a good relationship with co-workers, while 82 percent say you have a good relationship with your supervisor. Not hard to see how that makes employees happier, and in turn, more productive and again, healthier.

About three-quarters of you feel your department values diversity and inclusion, and that you can be your authentic self at work. We made D&I one of our priorities a few years ago, so I’m heartened by these results and will continue to focus on ways to further our D&I efforts as they go directly to employees’ comfort level at work and our ability to meet the needs of all our customers.

OK, our biggest Needs Improvement grade: recognition. We know how important this is. It’s part of our General Management System. It’s part of our Journey to a Positive Customer Experience. But only 43 percent of you feel you’re frequently rewarded or recognized for good work. We’ve got to do better than that.

Putting in hard work feels so much different when you know someone sees it, appreciates it, and most of all, shares it with others. More formal recognition and awards are great. But don’t forget the day-to-day thank-yous and acknowledgments. Research shows the more immediate the recognition, the greater impact it has. We should be maximizing impact in anything we do.

A lot of that message I’m directing at supervisors. Let’s really work on it. But no one should overlook peer-to-peer recognition, either. It can mean a lot to a co-worker to hear from someone who understands exactly what their job takes. 

This is where we need your help, too.  As I’ve mentioned, recognition can mean different things to different people. If there’s a specific way you like to be acknowledged for good work, make sure to talk with your supervisor about it. We want to make it meaningful to you!

This is the first year we’ve done the Employee Engagement Survey, so this let us set our benchmarks. Here’s an overview of results for all the questions. We’re sharing it with our leadership across the organization, and they’ll be working out how we boost that engagement.

This all brings us back to Employee Appreciation Day. I hope we can make it not just an opportunity to show our thanks, but a day we commit to building habits of gratitude, as individuals and as an organization. That will have a big part to play in how engaged everyone feels.

Only one way to end this: Thanks again, so much, today and every day, for all you do.   

You’re the Best of the Best!

Today we applaud you—all 17,000+ of you! With much gratitude, here are some videos, photos and notes of appreciation from across the County.

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Vital Records Team, thank you for your commitment to each other and our customers! You’re awesome!!!

Amy Menolez, Chief Deputy Registrar

Public Health Services, Office of Vital Records and Statistics

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“Thank you each and every one of you – you are all appreciated on this team and an important member!”

-Carrie Hoff, Deputy Director

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The South Bay Regional Probation Offices Celebrated Staff Appreciation Day with a pizza lunch.

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Auditor and Controller – Accounts Payable Team - Thank you for all your hard work and dedication!

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Thank you, Central Payroll team, for the great work you do every day!

Bernadette Javate

Manager, Auditor & Controller

Central Payroll Administration

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Thank you Central CWS for all of your hard work, HEART, and advocacy for our children and families! You are the best.

Crystal & Lauren

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Behavioral Health Services Employees are Sweet! Thank you!

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Employee Appreciation Day at Agriculture, Weights and Measures Pest Exclusion in San Marcos with ice cream, charades, and Honorary Awards.

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THE Central Region, Southeast Family Resource Center team Is appreciated!

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The “POP STARS” OF South Region Live Well Center at Chula Vista

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Jeffrey Johnson - Epi and Immunization Services

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Thank you for all the hard work that DEH does every day.

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Celebrating Employee Appreciation Day at the South Region Public Health Center

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Thank you to Anna-mai Trinh, Monica Manquero and BeJeannette Gutierrez for being an awesome Office Support team for TB Control. Every time I have been pulled away for a major project you have stepped up as a team and made sure everything was still completed in a timely manner (including my duties). It’s an honor and privilege to lead this team with such amazingly talented, committed, supportive, team work-oriented people.

Janis E. Flippo

Senior Office Assistant

TB Control and Refugee Health

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The Office of Audits and Advisory Services had brunch and a “Employee Wall of Fame.”

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Pass the Appreciation On

While there are countless ways to recognize your peers that help you reach your goals and make work fun, the simplest is to write a thank-you note. Share your thanks—send an email thank-you card.

Get Ready for Employee Appreciation Day!

On Friday, we will celebrate the third annual Employee Appreciation Day. It is a chance to recognize the hard work you do every day to make San Diego County a great place to live.

Kindly return to InSite tomorrow for a special thank-you message.

10 Colleges Offer Tuition Discounts to Employees

Continuing your education provides you with a variety of benefits, including learning new skills and possibly advancing your career with greater earning potential. Why not save money while pursuing a degree? The following 10 universities and colleges offer tuition discounts to County employees:

Argosy University: County employees are eligible for a 20 percent savings on tuition for courses offered online or on campus.

Brandman University: The university offers a range of discounts to employees.

Chamberlain College of Nursing: County employees are eligible for 15 percent off tuition.

DeVry University: County employees are eligible for 10 percent off tuition and waiver of application fee. The discount does not apply to Master of Science in Education and graduate certificate programs.

Excelsior College: County employees and their spouses/domestic partners are eligible for a 20 percent tuition reduction in the associate and bachelor’s degree programs, and a 15 percent reduction on all master’s programs.

Grand Canyon University: County employees are eligible for 10 percent off tuition.

National University: County employees are eligible for 15 percent off tuition and waiver of application fee.

Penn State University: County employees are eligible for a 5 percent tuition reduction when enrolling in any online courses, certificates and degree programs.

San Diego Christian College: Employees are eligible for $2,000 off tuition.

University of Phoenix: County employees are eligible for a 10 percent tuition reduction when enrolling in any degree program, certificate program or individual course.

To be eligible for the education discount, be sure to indicate you work for the "County of San Diego" on your college application or notify your college representative.

 For additional information, please visit the Tuition Reimbursement page.