Take Time to Appreciate Nature

/

Sheriff’s K-9 Argo PoSES Among the Flowers.

Everyone has things to do in the busy work week, but you should always remember to stop, look at and sniff the spring flowers. A beautiful picture to prove it will also be popular among your friends and followers like this one Sheriff’s crime prevention specialist Heather Mitchell took. It is of 4-yr-old K-9 Argo sitting among the flowers off the Mission Road offramp at the Interstate 15 freeway in Fallbrook. He is a Belgian Malinois and Dutch shepherd whose specialty is criminal apprehension and narcotics.

Share your photos! If you see a coworker getting the job done, a beautiful sunset over your office or a wonderful County program being offered—snap a pic and submit it to communications@sdcounty.ca.gov. Be sure to include information about the photo and your name. One image will be posted to InSite every week and may be shared on social media.

See more of Your View photos.

Order Your Home Test Kit to Qualify for the $100 Wellness Incentive

/

The Employee Wellness Program, in partnership with Kaiser Permanente, are providing biometric home screening test kits for the 2023 Wellness Incentive Program. Biometric home test kits will enable employees to complete a biometric screening in the comfort of their own home with access to online results in days.

Only full-time, permanent County employees are eligible to participate and receive the wellness incentive regardless of healthcare provider.

Employees who wish to complete a biometric screening with their personal care provider are still eligible for the Wellness Incentive Program.

Order your test kit by May 19, 2023.

All Wellness Incentive Program documents must be submitted via the Wellness SharePoint site by June 30, 2023, to qualify for the wellness incentive of $100.

Learn more on how to qualify for the 2023 Wellness Incentive Program.

Cultivate Curiosity

/
person wearing backpack reaches for book on shelf at library

Our Employee Wellness Program recently launched an employee wellness challenge called “Renew.” While the registration has closed, you can still benefit from these wellness micro-learnings and activities. Check back often for activities to help you create calm, boost happiness, sharpen focus and increase energy.  

Today’s lesson is on cultivating curiosity.

Stoke your drive to learn something new.

People are naturally curious — hardwired to seek out experiences and learn new things, from infants to adults. Paying attention to and amplifying this trait can be beneficial, with positive impacts on relationships, career, and overall well-being. Studies reveal what we feel intuitively: that people who show curiosity by asking questions and genuinely listening are more likable and have closer relationships.

Try these tips to cultivate your own curiosity:

  • Talk to a stranger — challenge yourself to strike up a conversation with someone you don’t know; offer a compliment or inquire about their day and where they’re headed

  • Ask questions — use open-ended ones, especially; find out something new about a colleague, family member, or long-time friend

  • Read widely — indulge your interest in topics you’ve always wondered about; spend a few hours just browsing the library, bookstore, or magazine rack with no predefined goal in mind

  • Diversify your to-dos — jot down activities that pique your interest; they can be anything from looking up an historic event to watercolor painting

  • Scramble your routine — do something new; you can even simply walk a different route or try a new recipe to cajole your curiosity.

For more information on Employee Wellness offerings, visit this InSite page.

Read more lessons from Renew.

And the Employee Engagement Survey Says …

/

The County’s biennial employee engagement survey results are out, and they show areas where the County is doing well and areas for improvement.

The results went before the Board of Supervisors on Feb. 28. The survey was conducted in September 2022 by an independent consultant, CPS HR Consulting, and will serve as a benchmark for future surveys, which will guide our efforts around employee engagement now and in the years to come.

More than 6,600 employees answered the questionnaire, and the overall results show 37% were “fully engaged,” 47% “somewhat engaged” and 16% “not engaged.”

The two highest scoring questions included employees who said they had a least one person at work who they could rely on for guidance and support, and that they knew what was expected of them on the job. Both those questions ranked above 89%. Survey analysis also showed that the County’s Diversity & Inclusion efforts scored well and positively influenced employee engagement.

Among the lowest scoring questions, only 45.1% felt they knew enough about the work of other County departments to make a decision to move to another department. While slightly higher, only 50% agreed that “it is safe to challenge the way things are done” and 59% agreed that “ideas from employees are valued,” suggesting that employee involvement is essential to engagement. There are also opportunities to improve in the area of training and development that will help employees succeed in their careers.

Each Department received their engagement results and will be working with employees to address key areas for improvement.

Employees will have many chances to give their input on the survey results. The first Countywide opportunity will come at our D&I Executive Council Townhall Session on Ethics & Engagement, scheduled for March 29 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  The consultant will explain the survey results and ask for suggestions and input on how to improve engagement. Additionally, each department will determine methodologies for soliciting feedback on improving operational performance. This feedback will be incorporated into action plans to make improvements at both the County-wide and departmental levels.

“Let’s Get Ethical, Ethical!”

/

The County of San Diego Office of Ethics and Compliance (OEC) is holding a series of activities highlighting ethics and compliance activities throughout March in honor of Ethics Awareness Month.

Camp Ethics sticker

This week, Human Resources Director Susan Brazeau will discuss the importance of ethics from noon to 12:30 p.m. on March 7. This virtual event will be held on Zoom.

Do you like games? The OEC Team has a few fun ways for employees to learn the Code of Ethics:

You can submit the completed Scavenger Hunt to OEC by email or drop off at the Ethics Fair on March 16, 11:30am-1:00pm, at COC to be entered in an opportunity drawing. Online participants are automatically entered.

Interested in ways to champion ethics in the workplace? Consider the below:

  • Recommitting to the Code of Ethics. Our code of ethics is the foundation of our County culture.

  • Sharing your favorite Know the Code micro-learning (posted on InSite and LMS).

  • Requesting that OEC conduct an on-site ethics training or speak at an upcoming department meeting.

  • Checking out the "Ethics In-a-Box” training resources for managers/supervisors.

If you ever have a question about what is ethical, don’t wait to get answers. Employees can always turn to their supervisor or manager first if they have a concern. Check out the OEC webpage on InSite for information about Ethics Awareness Month, as well as, upcoming Ethics & Compliance training, resources including monthly “Know the Code” articles and micro-training videos.

Get Better at Managing Conflict

/

Our Employee Wellness Program recently launched an employee wellness challenge called “Renew.” While the registration has closed, you can still benefit from these wellness micro-learnings and activities. Check back often for activities to help you create calm, boost happiness, sharpen focus and increase energy.  

Today’s lesson is on managing conflict.

Learn to approach differences with compassion.

Disagreements are a normal, inevitable part of communication and need not derail a relationship. Instead, working through problems can be an opportunity to build stronger, more resilient bonds.

Think about how you’ll address differences ahead of time, before emotions run high. Having the tools to deal with conflict in a positive way can help keep a disagreement from escalating. Keep these attributes in mind to maintain your level head:

  • Respect — remember, during a heated discussion, that you value the other person; try these techniques for making yourself heard without hurting feelings

  • Attention — read the other person’s body language and tone of voice; some people tend to withdraw rather than express their feelings

  • Calm — work on keeping your emotions in check; if you need time to decompress before continuing the conversation, ask for a break to cool down, and learn ways to recalibrate

  • Compromise — focus on coming to an agreement and moving on; your goal isn’t to convince the other person or win the argument.

For more information on Employee Wellness offerings, visit this InSite page.

Read more lessons from Renew.

Askew View of a Changing San Diego

/

Michael Arce of Behavioral Health Services shares this view from the Camino South Office of Snapdragon Stadium shortly after it opened last fall. Sporting events, concerts and other fun Snapdragon Stadium activities are great opportunities to boost happiness and connect with others.

Share your photos! If you see a coworker getting the job done, a beautiful sunset over your office or a wonderful County program being offered—snap a pic and submit it to communications@sdcounty.ca.gov. Be sure to include information about the photo and your name. One image will be posted to InSite every week and may be shared on social media.

See more of Your View photos

CAO Message: 'I’ll Take a Minute to Thank You, You Take a Day to Enjoy'

/

A message from Chief Administrative Officer Helen Robbins-Meyer:

It’s a happy day for me anytime I can dwell a bit on how fortunate I am to have all of you as we work together to accomplish so much.

I look through reports and budgets, and I’m often struck by two things. How many ways we touch people’s lives. And how much work goes into that. The million and one details behind every success.

That’s all you. There is no big picture without the countless parts that come together to make it. I have the deepest gratitude for each of you and all you contribute.

This celebration comes in the same week that we passed a huge milestone: the ending of our COVID-19 public health emergency.

The fact that we can take this step is thanks in large part to all your efforts throughout the pandemic. To those directly involved in testing, getting vaccines out, treatment, and all the support work behind that. To those revamping operations overnight so we could keep our services coming while minimizing chances of spreading the virus. Thank you.

Even though we made it official this week, we’ve been transitioning out of COVID crisis mode for a while. What that’s meant is a transition into a variety of urgent, demanding challenges. As we mark this moment, we want to recognize all the effort you gave in moving us through the emergency and into our new era by giving you some time.

We are granting eight hours of recognition leave to all eligible employees. You can take the leave anytime in the coming fiscal year, July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024. Here are all the eligibility details, and if you have additional questions, you can contact your department’s HR representative.

However you spend the extra day, I hope it’s with the sense of reward for a job well done.

It has been an extremely turbulent, sometimes exhausting, three years. It’s a chapter that will stand out in history, and you’ve been a huge part of helping people through it.

My time at the County is winding down, and I expect this will be my last Employee Appreciation Day message. The appreciation I feel, though, is something I’ll take with me and hold onto forever. We’ve achieved great things during my years here, and I’m profoundly grateful for the heart and energy you’ve all poured into making them happen.  

For all you’ve done, for all I know you’ll continue to do as the County moves ahead, I thank you so much.

And I’m not the only one with an attitude of gratitude today. Be sure to visit InSite, where we’re sharing all kinds of messages of thanks in celebration of the day.

Happy Employee Appreciation Day!

/

Today we applaud you—all 18,000+ of you! Hear CAO Helen Robbins-Meyer’s Employee Appreciation Day message and see videos, photos and notes of appreciation from across the County. 

To the A&C FAR Team,

A&C FAR Team - You’re the most amazing, awesome, incredible, great, remarkable, wonderful, intelligent, hardworking, professional, kind, giving, terrific, best, etcetera, etcetera team I could ever ask to work with!!!!

You are the BEST!!!!!

Thank you for all the great work you do! I am honored to be working with such a great group! 

-Brian Ruehle
Deputy Controller
Auditor and Controller Department

Note from Bernadette Javate to the Auditor & Controller Central Payroll Administration team
Note from Ray Zapanta to Office of Revenue and Recovery - Fiscal Divsion

a Message from the Public Health Services Steering Committee: Dr. Wooten, Dr. Hernandez, Dr. Kaiser, Dr. Kadakia, Dr. Bhatia, Adrienne Yancey and Denise Lozares

Thank you to Office of Revenue and Recovery staff from LeShay Shaw
I heart my awesome team sticker

The Wall of Appreciation for HHSA Contract Support

Thank you from Maggie Earle to Agency Contract Support team

Phyllis Ocampo, Legal Support Supervisor at the Office of County Counsel, cut fresh coconuts for her team to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day.