Human Resources 2020-2021 Impact Report

2020-2021 Impact Report HUMAN RESOURCES

B eing the City of Greensboro Human Resources Department is about partnerships, planning and a proactive posture. Edward Everett Hale says, “Coming together is a beginning; Keeping together is progress; Working together is success.” We truly believe this thought. With that in mind, we wanted to share accomplishments with you that show the impact Human Resources has made in the last year. It is a way for us to celebrate our dynamic team of professionals, provide helpful information for you and have you help us remain accountable for the department we are and the one we desire to be. This is a special presentation of our year and takes a look at some important data as well as stories from your peers and friends in the organization. As you take a look at our Human Resources

Department 2020-2021 Impact Report, join us in celebrating these achievements that our partnerships have created, and know that we are even more committed to the “HEART of HR.” For us that is: • H earing your insights, • E ngaging with you often, • A cting on new and innovative ideas, • R esponding with empathy in times of uncertainty and • T aking this work and your wellbeing very seriously. It is from this place that we will continue to serve you and we are excited as we grow together.

19,026

459

2.4%

Applications Received

Positions Filled

Acceptance Rate

Thriving During the Pandemic

Before March of 2020, it would have been hard to imagine how drastically the work environment would change in response to the once-in-a-century pandemic that we faced. The City had to adapt how it delivered services to its residents while providing flexibility and support for its employees. Human Resources had to quickly change policies and benefits to ensure that employees could deliver the necessary City services whether they were remote or onsite. At the onset of the statewide stay-at-home order, City leaders worked closely with HR to: • Amend work-at-home procedures • Provide employees one week of additional sick leave in the event employees were sick or were required to quarantine. • Implement the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which provided an additional two weeks of paid sick leave and two weeks of paid leave for caring for children that needed to be home due to closed schools or daycares. Over the course of the pandemic, more than 1,500 employees took advantage of the benefits offered. Statewide restrictions are easing and many employees are returning to a work environment that will likely never be the same. We are committed to working with our diverse group of departments to ensure employees are valued and supported so they can deliver the critical services to the residents of Greensboro.

Budget Analyst Sara Hancock said it would have been impossible to balance her duties

as an analyst and a mother of a toddler if the City didn’t provide flexibility during the pandemic, when her son’s daycare closed.

Employees used pandemic leave 1,538

17,249

Hours of pandemic leave used to care for family 41,521

Hours of pandemic sick leave used for quarantines or when sick

Black women are 1.5 times more likely than other women to be sent home from the workplace because of their hair. —Dove Crown Research Study Black and white Americans sell and use drugs at similar rates, but Black Americans are 2.7 times as likely to be arrested for drug-related offenses.

—The Hamilton Project, the Brookings Institution

Striving for Racial Equity

We have changed the way we conduct pre-employment criminal background checks. We acknowledge that racial inequities in the United States’ criminal justice system limits the ability of Black people and other racial minorities to achieve full and fair employment opportunities. As a result, the department now: • Ignores non-violent drug convictions and positive test results for THC unless the applicant is trying to be hired into a safety-sensitive position, such as police officer. • Makes all decisions on whether to reject applicants because of their criminal backgrounds, avoiding inconsistent treatment between departments. • Never shares criminal background information with the hiring official or anyone in the hiring department. Following the City Council’s adoption of the Crown Act, the department adopted a personnel policy that protects all applicants and employees from hair discrimination. The City’s personnel policies now protects hair texture and Afro-centric hairstyles such as afros, bantu knots, braids, buns, puffs, coils, cornrows, finger coils, flex rods, frohawk, locks and twists. Fiscal year 2020-21 is the City’s first year recognizing the Juneteenth Celebration as a legal holiday. Juneteenth celebrates the actual abolishment of slavery, a landmark event in Civil Rights history. Given Greensboro’s connection to the Civil Rights movement, it was more than appropriate that the City establish the Juneteenth holiday.

In Case You Missed It

$15 Minimum Wage This year the City fulfilled its five-year commitment to establish a living wage for City employees. Full-time employees’ salaries were increased to $31,200, the equivalent of $15 per hour, a few years ago. However, there were still hundreds of part time workers who earned less than $15 per hour. The City has raised their salaries so that they too now earn $15 per hour. Paid Volunteer Time While the City has always encouraged its employees to be engaged in the

Landfill Specialist Lewis Walker used his Service to Others Leave volunteering at Haynes-Inman Education Center, a school serving students who have cognitive or physical disabilities. Lewis loves to cook for and visit with the students and help out at prom.

community, this year was the first time it adopted a formal policy of encouraging employees to give back, the Service to Others Leave Policy. Full-time employees are eligible to receive their full pay for up to 16 hours per year for time they spend volunteering in the community. New Leadership Courses

The department unveiled new and improved leadership development courses. The courses feature smaller class sizes and more competitive admissions criteria. Most importantly, the reimagined leadership courses transition from a focus on policy application and compliance to a focus on transformational leadership. Online Learning HR continues to embrace technological solutions. We introduced the Learning Management System (LMS) to make educational opportunities available to employees from the comfort of their homes and at a time of their choosing. The LMS makes learning more accessible and equitable. Our Benefits Team also deployed the iGetConnected app this year. Employees and their families with a mobile device are able to conveniently access important information about their benefits and wellness activities. Employees are no longer reliant on Benefits Assistants or Human Resources Employees to filter important information.