Don’t Miss the Virtual Open Enrollment Fairs

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stethoscope on keyboard

The upcoming virtual open enrollment fairs are your opportunity to learn about benefits plans, find out what’s new and talk speak directly to carriers!

Live sessions will be held through Sept. 23, 2022. Each session will begin with a presentation and end with a Q&A session. Family members are welcome to attend the presentations.

Registration is required. A confirmation email with the event link will be sent after you register.  See registration instructions.

If you’re unable to attend, you can watch the recorded session online.

To learn more about your open enrollment options, visit the Open Enrollment webpage. Don’t forget  Benefits Ambassadors are here to assist!

You can also reach out to Employee Benefits at DHRBenefits.FGG@sdcounty.ca.gov.

Help Fight the Flu

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The County is offering free influenza vaccinations to County employees at various worksites beginning Sept. 19.   

View the schedule and make an appointment now. Appointments are highly encouraged.  

In addition, find information on Kaiser Permanente and UnitedHealthcare flu shot events on the schedule. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a yearly flu vaccine as the first and most important step in protecting against flu viruses.  

In addition to getting vaccinated, people should also do the following to avoid getting sick: 

  • Wash hands thoroughly and often 

  • Use hand sanitizers 

  • Stay away from sick people 

  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth 

  • Clean commonly touched surfaces 

  • If you are sick, stay home and avoid contact with others 

Please note:  Appointments at secured locations are limited to staff with access to the work site. (This includes Edgemoor, the Psychiatric Hospital and Sheriff Department locations.) 

Policies and Procedures Are the Backbone of Every Organization

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Know the Code logo

Know the Code is a monthly series highlighting different sections of the County of San Diego Code of Ethics.

By the Office of Ethics and Compliance 

Policies and procedures (P&Ps) help shape workplace culture and reinforce a standard set of behaviors that reduce risk. They are an essential tool for reducing risk, establishing shared standards and expectations for workplace behaviors while providing guidance for decision making. In some cases, policies and related expectations on the workforce are also a mandatory legal or regulatory requirement. 

You are not expected to memorize every County policy, but we do want you to keep these best practices in mind: 

  • Make sure you are always using or referencing the most current version of the policy – resist the urge to save copies on your desktop. Policies and procedures on your desktop might not be the most current version and increase the risk of noncompliance and errors. 

  • Don’t operate in a vacuum – coordinate any policy or procedure changes, updates, or requirements. 

    • Is there a legal requirement for a new policy or change in policy?

    • Does the policy already exist? Seek out stakeholders and subject matter experts.

    • Coordinate through your own HR representative which will coordinate with the Office of Labor Relations as appropriate. 

  • Speak Up – be curious, ask questions and report concerns. Assume responsibility for knowing, understanding and having a practical working knowledge of the County policies and procedures and where to find them. Don't assume there isn't a policy on it, ask your supervisor, peers, HR representative to grow your own knowledge on it and where to find it. 

OEC logo

Check out the OEC webpage on InSite for information about upcoming Ethics & Compliance Program events, training, and resources including monthly “Know the Code” articles and micro-training videos. 

If you have questions about Ethics & Compliance training or how to access the training and other resources, please contact the OEC team at oec@sdcounty.ca.gov, 619-531-5174. HHSA staff may also contact the HHSA Compliance and Privacy team at compliance.hhsa@sdcounty.ca.gov, 619-338-2807.

Celebrating National Payroll Week

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Celebrating National Payroll Week makes cents! The week recognizes payroll professionals who make sure employees are paid timely and accurately.

Last fiscal year, about 260 payroll professionals helped process over 534,000 paychecks amounting to more than $1.86 billion in wages. 

A big thanks to our payroll professionals during National Payroll Week and every week!

Join ISN ERG at Sycuan Pow Wow

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ISN logo

Our Indigenous Sovereign Nations ERG invites employees, family and friends to attend the annual Sycuan Pow Wow Sept. 9-11. The event at Sycuan, 5577 Dehesa Road, El Cajon is free.

Hours are:

  • 8 to 10 p.m. – Friday

  • 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.– Saturday

  • 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Sunday

INS ERG provided this background on Pow Wows:

Originally a Pow Wow or "celebration" as it was once called, was held in the spring to welcome the beginnings of life. It was a time for people to get together, sing, dance, renew old friendships and make new ones, and a time for young people to meet and court.

The Pow Wow had religious significance as well. It was a time for families to hold naming and honoring ceremonies. The celebration was also a prayer to the one called Wakan Tanka–the Great Mystery or Great Spirit in Lakota. Some trace the word "Pow-Wow" to the Algonquin language.

The circle is an important symbol to Indigenous cultures. At a Pow Wow, the dancers are in the center of the circle and the audience forms a larger circle around them. The Pow Wow brings the circle of the people closer together to their community and their culture. Pow Wows today are still very much a part of the lives of modern Indigenous people.

Most religious ceremonies are no longer a central part of the Pow Wow and often are conducted in the privacy of a family gathering. However, blessing ceremonies, honoring ceremonies and ceremonies for dropped eagle feathers remain today. Competitive singing and dancing for prize money is a recent change in the traditional Pow Wow celebration. Only registered contestants can participate in the dancing contests, but everyone can take part when an "intertribal" dance is announced– visitors included, as each of us shares a place in the circle. There are no spectators at a Pow Wow. Everyone is a participant!

See the flyer below.

Sycuan Pow Wow flyer

Registrar Recruiting Employees to Work at Vote Centers

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County employees are invited to serve as paid poll workers for the upcoming Nov. 8 Statewide General Election. Poll workers play an important role in democracy and ensure elections are fair, accessible, and safe.

The Registrar of Voters needs at least 220 County employee poll workers for a four-day period at vote centers located throughout the County.

Poll workers would work from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5 through Monday, Nov. 7. On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 8, the hours would change to 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. 

Poll workers must also attend two consecutive eight-hour days of training.

Employees participating as poll workers will receive their current pay rate. Employees will record poll worker time on their employee timecard using pay codes assigned by their department. If eligible, the excess poll worker hours combined with regular worked hours will count toward the overtime hours. 

Interested employees must complete a County Poll Worker Application that requires supervisor approval.   

For more information, visit sdvote.com for a list of frequently asked questions or contact Jean Vukotich at the Registrar of Voters.

Get Ready for Open Enrollment

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Open Enrollment is coming soon. Get plan information through the Open Enrollment website or attend an upcoming Open Enrollment fair. Be ready to enroll Sept. 26 through Oct. 20! 

  • Check out the Virtual Open Enrollment Fair Schedule to plan for the sessions you would like to attend. 

  • Registration is required. Use the presenter links in the Virtual Fair Schedule to register. 

  • During the Q&A session, submit your questions and the representative will respond to all participants.  

  • We have Benefits Ambassadors throughout the County that can also assist with any of your Open Enrollment questions. 

  • Can’t attend a session? No problem! Recordings of all Virtual Open Enrollment Fair presentations will be available on the Open Enrollment website. 

The Employee Benefits team can be reached at 888-550-2203 or DHRBenefits.FGG@sdcounty.ca.gov for questions.