Join the Asian Pacific Alliance of County Employees (APACE) at noon on Monday, May 9 for a virtual gathering about mental health in the Asian American Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community in light of AANHPI Heritage Month and Mental Health Awareness Month. The guest speaker will be Dr. Emily Do, the County’s chief pharmacy officer.
Join the webinar via MS Teams or call in (audio only) 619-343-2539; 907 732 253#. No RSVP is required.
The County has 10 great Employee Resource Groups (ERG). They are each led by a respective board who all demonstrate commitment and stewardship of its members to the various sectors of our community.
Get to know San Diego County Latino Association Secretary Alex Talaro, an administrative analyst II with Self Sufficiency Services.
Q: How long have you worked for the County and what departments have you worked for?
A: Four years total with the Health and Human Services Agency – 3 years as a permanent employee (Self-Sufficiency Services) and one year as a graduate student worker with The Knowledge Center (TKC).
Q: What do you do in your role/what are your job responsibilities?
A: I am a contracting officer representative (COR) for a few contracts with Self-Sufficiency Services and the Office of Military Veterans Affairs. I also oversee the tuition reimbursement program for Self-Sufficiency Services and assist with administrative and fiscal tasks.
Q: What’s your workplace superpower?
A: I would say my superpower is being observant. I have a keen ability for being observant and I like to think it helps me pinpoint creative solutions.
Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself outside of work.
A: I am currently training for long distance running with my amazing running coach – my dad! I also enjoy cooking delicious meals with my family, traveling to new places, trying out new restaurants in San Diego in search of the best tacos, and taking an Orange Theory class!
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I am passionate about spending quality time with my family, improving on personal goals such as running, growing fruits and vegetables, spending time at Orange Theory with my favorite coaches 😊 and continuing the journey of a lifelong learner!
Q. What is the best advice you’ve received from a mentor?
A: Happiness is not the absence of problems. It’s the ability to deal with them.
You’re not stressed because you’re doing too much, it’s because you’re doing too little of what makes you feel most alive.
The lesson you struggle with will repeat itself until you learn from it.
Q: What are some resources that you find useful and recommend to others?
A: For personal development: “Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom” by Don Miguel Ruiz.
Other resources: Live Well San Diego and the San Diego County Library have tons of resources for the local community. Programs like Mana de San Diego also.
Q: Tell us about your ERG.
A: The San Diego County Latino Association is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to Latino employees in County government by improving their access to promotional opportunities, promoting the public service profession within the Latino community, and building and strengthening members’ professional, career, and social development. We seek to foster cultural awareness and expression for members while supporting County initiatives and serving as a resource to our County leadership.
Q: Why are ERGs important?
A: ERGs serve various purposes:
They are a platform for member conversation and dialogue on important career and community issues.
They are a vehicle for county employees to pay it forward in our community by volunteering and supporting initiatives.
They are professional networks systems to build personal and professional development.
They are a pipeline to give input and feedback to County leadership staff on various employee, career, professional development, cultural and socio-economic perspectives.
Q: What is your ERG looking forward to this year?
A: SDCLA has a clothing exchange coming up on May 7 at a local coffee shop and upcoming summer events like a Chicano Park tour, lunch and learn leadership workshops, hikes, and a Petco Park Hispanic Heritage Celebration! Lots of great events will take place this year!
Get To Know MEERG President Mehdi Khalili
Get To Know EWA Board Member Diana Eid-Chammas
Get To Know LGBTQ&A ERG Board Member Ryan Trabuco
Get To Know APACE Vice President Annamarie Hernandez
Get To Know PISCE Treasurer Isobel Kinsang
Get To Know AAACE Secretary Nikki Horton
Get to Know DiverseAbility ERG Secretary Valerie Prado
Get To Know VALOR Secretary Thomas Velasquez
The County Administration Center was lit in blue Monday night in recognition of Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week. The disorder affects the nervous system, causing involuntary movements. It affects half a million people in the United States.
Did you miss the Employee Resource Group Council’s Fireside Chat on Thursday, April 28? Have a listen to the informal session now! The event was hosted by the Emerging Workforce Association employee resource group and featured their two executive advisors: Chief of Staff Natalia Bravo and Caroline Smith, director of the Office of Strategy and Intergovernmental Affairs. The two discussed career progression and the challenges that shaped their professional journeys.
After watching, take the event survey.
Bravo and Smith were unable to get to all the questions in this lively session. The two answered these additional questions.
Resources discussed in the Fireside Chat:
Watch the first Fireside Chat on mentorship.
Resources on InSite:
Training Opportunities:
Talent Development: Successful Interviews Course
Talent Development: Mock Interviews
Talent Development: Resume Preparation (eLearning course)
Talent Development: Supervisor in the Making (eLearning training series)
Talent Development: Administrative Support Academy
Talent Development: Emerging Leader’s Academy
In addition, the Fireside Chat support team provided career progression resources.
These virtual conversations, held in partnership with the County’s DHR Equity Diversity and Inclusion team, will be hosted by an employee resource group and rotate quarterly. Stay tuned for the next one!
Note: Recording of this session started approximately 5 minutes into the event.
Message from the Diversity & Inclusion Executive Council
As we prepare for the next fiscal year and the opportunities to come, we want to pause to gather your feedback on County diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
To date, our article series has been a reflection of the accomplishments over the last couple years. The next article will be looking forward to the goals we’re setting for the next fiscal year. The D&I Executive Council wants to know:
What resonated with you?
What would you like to see more of?
Tell us your stories of what impacted you most.
We are grateful to journey with you and look forward to what we can accomplish together!
Take the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Survey by May 13.
Results of the survey will be shared on InSite in our next article on D&I.
Also read: Steps Taken in Diversity and Inclusion
Changes are coming to the County’s employee timekeeping system. For one, what most have been referring to as Kronos switched a while back to UKG, for Ultimate Kronos Group. We’re going to start calling it UKG.
UKG is getting an upgrade that is scheduled to go live on May 10. Here’s what you need to know about the upcoming changes and a planned system outage:
Signing On and Look
UKG uses a single sign-on that means if you’re already signed into a County system, like InSite, you will no longer need to enter your username and password.
Once in UKG, it will look similar to Kronos. The most significant change is a navigator view where the menus/widgets are now displayed on the right-hand side of the page.
New Website Address
Effective May 10, UKG will have its own link, different from Kronos. You’ll be able to get to it from Top Links menu on the InSite home page as “Employee Timecard” and not “Kronos/Employee Timecard.”
If you currently get to Kronos from a shortcut or saved link in your Favorites list/bar, you will need to update that link.
UKG Mobile App Update
If you use the UKG app to review and approve your timecard, you’ll need to update the Server URL under the UKG Workforce Central Settings on or after May 10. Further instructions will be posted on Kronos Korner on May 10.
Planned Outage
During the upgrade, the system will go down Friday, May 6 at 9 p.m. then be available the morning of Tuesday, May 10.
UKG Training
UKG training is available in Learning Management System (LMS). The training will be in “Assigned Training” or “Current Training” sections of your “My Learning” page. In addition, there’s a Frequently Asked Questions document.
The County Administration Center was lit in red, green and white Saturday night in recognition of Arab American Heritage Month.
Each April, the County celebrates its lab workers as part of Medical Laboratory Professionals Week.
This year’s theme of the nationwide event is Giving the Gift of Health. The weeklong celebration recognizes laboratory professionals for the contributions they make to support the health of communities and fostering health equity.
The County’s lab workers have shouldered a particularly heavy load during the pandemic and we are grateful for all they do to improve public health and patient care.
The County has 10 great Employee Resource Groups (ERG). They are each led by a respective board who all demonstrate commitment and stewardship of its members to the various sectors of our community.
Get to know Emerging Workforce Association (EWA) Board Member Diana Eid-Chammas, a manager with Auditor & Controller.
Q: How long have you worked for the County and what departments have you worked for?
A: I have worked for the County for over 16 years. I worked for the Auditor and Controller’s Financial Accounting Division for 8 years and then took a promotion with the Auditor and Controller’s Office of Revenue and Recovery.
Q: What do you do in your role/what are your job responsibilities?
A: Currently I am an A&C manager in the Office of Revenue and Recovery overseeing the Fiscal and Operations Divisions. I am lucky to lead a team of 30 talented and dedicated team members. I manage and oversee tasks that include County and court-ordered accounts receivable management services, distribution of collections- including victim restitution, state reporting, and providing excellent customer service to our County departments and the public. This is only made possible by investing time in developing our processes, workforce and relationships – all of which I take pride in and responsibility for in my job.
Q: What’s your workplace superpower?
A: I think my workplace superpower is my tenacity and my ability to motivate others and get results. I am always up for a challenge and will go the extra mile. I lead by example, give credit where credit is due and shine a spotlight on individual and team accomplishments.
Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself outside of work.
A: Outside of work I am a mother to three incredible children who continue to teach me things about myself and help me see the world through a different lens. I have called San Diego home for over 17 years and cherish my Lebanese roots. I enjoy the music, the food and the tight-knit family festivities. I love San Diego and take every chance I get to go to the beach, take a hike, or just spend time outdoors with my family.
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: Kindness. Whatever you do, be kind. Simple acts of kindness have lasting positive impacts.
Q. What is the best advice you’ve received from a mentor?
A: Don’t underestimate your abilities and accomplishments.
Q: What are some resources that you find useful and recommend to others?
A: Join an ERG! Find a mentor!
Q: Tell us about your ERG.
A: I have been on the EWA board for over 2 years. Throughout this time, EWA has been constantly evolving and growing. Its leadership is dynamic and ambitious and brought on a whole new meaning to the word “emerging.” 🙂 EWA embraces members in different phases of “emerging.” Whether you are a new County employee or veteran employee embarking on a new journey, EWA is a place to connect with others and find support.
Q: Why are ERGs important?
A: Joining EWA has been a great and rewarding experience. I think ERGs are a great way to meet people outside of your “work bubble” and learn more about the County from people who work across different County departments. Although ERGs are a great place to network and “get your name out there,” they are also a great place to share tips, ideas and resources that you can bring back to your department and incorporate in your daily work as well.
Q: What is your ERG looking forward to this year?
A: This year I am excited to support EWA in various activities and County initiative inspired events such as the Fireside Chats, mentorship opportunities, and building awareness and outreach to promote ERGs and their role in shaping the County workforce.
Get To Know MEERG President Mehdi Khalili
Get To Know SDCLA Secretary Alex Talaro
Get To Know LGBTQ&A ERG Board Member Ryan Trabuco
Get To Know APACE Vice President Annamarie Hernandez
Get To Know PISCE Treasurer Isobel Kinsang
Get To Know AAACE Secretary Nikki Horton
Get to Know DiverseAbility ERG Secretary Valerie Prado
Get To Know VALOR Secretary Thomas Velasquez
Many of us have delayed routine health care visits during the pandemic. But as COVID-19 case numbers go down, it’s a good idea to schedule all those routine visits you may have fallen behind on over the last two years. And this includes eye exams.
If you haven’t had your vision checked in a while, take advantage of your benefits and schedule your eye exam now.
In addition to the County’s vision insurance provider VSP, both medical insurance providers offer some vision coverage. So, it is clear to see that caring for your eyes has benefits!
VSP
If you are enrolled in vision coverage through the County’s vision insurance provider VSP, you can review a summary of benefits, locate an eye doctor and even find exclusive member extras including discounts on frames and contact lenses all on one webpage. VSP offers quite a few perks. Check out the offers here: VSP Special Offers on Glasses, Contacts, LASIK and more. There’s even a rebate program for eligible purchases that includes a $50 or $100 gift card when you select enhancements on your purchase of eligible frames.
Additional plan coverage questions and resources, visit VSP online or by calling 800-877-7195.
Whether you are enrolled in VSP or not, you also have options through the County medical plans.
Kaiser Permanente
There is no copay for HMO plan members for annual eye exams with a KP optometrist. For members with a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP), the copay is 10% of the office visit fee (the plan deductible does not apply).
After your eye exam, peruse KP’s optical centers that have over 1,000 frames to choose from with prices starting at $19, and frame and lens packages beginning at $69. KP opticians are available to assist you with frame styling. There’s free shipping for all eyewear orders. Learn more at kp2020.org.
VEBA/UnitedHealthcare
County employees who elected medical coverage through UnitedHealthcare will need to check which plan they are currently enrolled in, as copays and out-of-pocket costs vary from plan to plan. All HMO plans include one free eye exam each calendar year.
For the UnitedHealthcare PPO plan, eye exams are available every two years and copays/coinsurance apply.
More information is available at www.myuhcvision.com.
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