Saving Lives Every Day! - November 2023

District of Columbia sent this bulletin at 11/30/2023 09:00 AM EST

Employee Monthly Newsletter November 2023

Message from Director Robinson

Happy Holidays, Team DMV! Welcome to the Season of Giving! Thank you for reading our November 2023 employee newsletter.

A few announcements:

Thank you to everyone who participated in the #DCHiresVets Career Fair on November 9. Out of 26 Hearing Examiner positions available, DMV extended 16 contingency offers! Keep reading for more details.

Remember, our DC One Fund goal is to raise $41,103! Thank you to everyone who has already pledged. For those who would like to pledge, you have the opportunity to support any one of 600 local charities with a minimum pledge of $26. Additionally, you have the opportunity to be a fair share giver by pledging between 1 percent and 3 percent of your annual salary. You can pledge here.

And, all DMV employees and contractors are required to take the citywide cybersecurity training by Friday, December 29. More information is provided below.

There are several things happening during the month of November, including:

✅ Native American Heritage Month
✅ Mayor’s Order 2023-131 - Reaffirming Our Stance Against Sexual Harassment
✅ Open Enrollment Season is Here
✅ Use or Lose Leave

and much more!

Lastly, the holidays can be a time full of joy, wonder and excitement for many people, but for some, it can be the most difficult time of the year. Grief can pop up when we least expect it and can add to the stressors we feel around the holidays. It can evolve into new feelings of sadness and loss because something around the holiday reminds us of those we have lost. Remember that it is okay to let yourself feel those emotions as they pour in. While this can be hard to experience, it’s important not to suppress them. Don’t avoid feeling your emotions or try to numb the pain. Processing these feelings can help you realize - we may have more control over them than we think we do. Knowing this allows us to address them.

If you need mental health support, please call 888-7WE-HELP or visit dbh.dc.gov for mental health resources. Never be afraid to ask for help. 💚💚

-Gabriel

"It's not about perfect. It's about effort - and when you bring that effort every single day, that's where transformation happens. That's how change occurs." ~Julian Michaels

Mandatory Cybersecurity Training for all DC Government

The Cybersecurity Training Course targets all employees and DC Government contractors and includes information about uncovering the tactics cybercriminals use against you and your organization. This is a fully immersive, course-based module. You will start in the Common Threats module, where you will test your security knowledge and view a demo of a cyberattack with a cybersecurity expert. 100% participation is required and you must complete the training by Friday, December 29.

For more information or questions about this required course, please contact Amit Vora or email cybertraining@dc.gov.

Take the Course

(login with your DC Government credentials)

Welcome to Team DMV

Meet Edwina Cooper...

Legal Instrument Examiner at #TeamDeanwood. Joining us from Westat, Edwina is proud of gaining and maintaining rapport with individuals. Edwina says, "I'm glad to be here!"

We're happy to have you, Edwina and welcome to #TeamDMV! 💖🙌

Meet Scott Mills...

Hearing Examiner at #TeamAdjudication. Joining us from the Washington State Office of Administrative Hearings, Scott is an avid snowboarder 🏂 and prefers to spend his summers in the water. Scott says he's most proud of getting himself and his little brother out of a rough neighborhood.

Welcome to #TeamDMV, Scott! 💖🙌

Meet Chiderah Monde...

Public Information Officer at 95 M Street. Joining us from Twitter, Chiderah is so excited to be working with this illustrious DMV team. She is proud to be a mom to her incredible son and to have lived and worked in the US, United Kingdom and Africa over the last 15 years.

Welcome to #TeamDMV, Chiderah! We are excited to have you!!💖🙌

Meet Tanika Sewell...

Supervisory Legal Instrument Examiner at #TeamAdjudication. Joining us from the DC Department of Corrections, Tanika is very positive and eager to learn with #TeamDMV. She also has over 10 years of management services with DC Government. Tanika is currently in school pursuing her paralegal degree. 🎓👩‍⚖️

Good luck in school, Tanika and welcome to #TeamDMV! 💖🙌

About Your Colleagues

Run Srikanth, Run! 🏃‍♂️

Let's congratulate Srikanth Avirneni, Data Warehouse Developer in our IT department, for completing the 48th Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday, October 29, 2023; his first marathon, running 26.2 miles!

Read A Marathon Story by Srikanth below:

Every marathoner has their first marathon story. In 2013, a friend motivated me to run a few miles every morning. I was running three miles and five miles at a time. It made me feel good! Regardless, running quickly became a passion and I have run 2,100+ miles since then. I have also run a couple of 5k and 10k races.

Running a marathon has always been a long-time dream and goal of mine. I was trained to run a full marathon and completed 500+ miles of practice.

This year, I was also able to run in the races "Run On The Rocks" 20 miler, "ARMY" 10 miler and "Baltimore Running Festival" half marathon.

It has been an incredible journey and I'm so proud to have completed my first full marathon, "Marine Corps Marathon (MCM)" despite hot and humid weather, with a lot of ups and downs!

Special thanks and deep gratitude to Team AIMS coaches, my co-runners, family and colleagues at DMV who encouraged and have been on this journey with me for six months. 

Anyone who runs a marathon is on a mission. It’s a hard race and I respect anyone who runs it. Every runner is an athlete. It’s a great thrill and a way to turn your life around. Whatever it takes, it is worth it. Regardless of how you’ve run, just completing the race is so uplifting.

I'm excited and looking forward to running more marathons!

What's Happening at #TeamDMV

#DCHiresVets Career Fair

On Thursday, November 9, 2023, several #TeamDMV staff members worked at DCHR’s #DCHiresVets Career Fair in which DC DMV aimed to recruit 26 Hearing Examiners. Three interview panels interviewed 30 candidates and selected more than half. In partnership with DCHR, 16 contingency offers were extended!

A huge thank you to everyone for making this career fair a success for DC DMV, including: 

✅ LIEs who served as greeters and engaged with the attendees who stopped at our tables to learn more about the agency and the positions we had available;
✅ Adjudication/General Counsel team members who interviewed the scheduled candidates and survived the 30-minute lunch break;
✅ Support Services for the transportation of supplies and staff to and from the MLK Library;
✅ Communications Team for taking photos and videos;
✅ Service Integrity for serving as DC DMV’s first point of contact and making sure interviewees had an appointment;
✅ Senior leaders for shaking hands, welcoming our newest employees to DC DMV, taking pictures, providing lunch and supporting our participation in this career fair;
✅ And, last but certainly not least, the HR team for their teamwork, which included meeting with Adjudication Services, vetting nearly 1,000 resumes, scheduling the interviews, answering questions about salary before an offer was extended and collaborating with DCHR. 

This is another example of #TeamDMV showing up and setting an example for other District Government agencies. We received quite a few compliments on our presence and organization at the career fair.

View more photos and videos

Congratulations Dominic,
Driver Services Administration Management Analyst

Driver Services Administration has a new Management Analyst – Dominic Dickerson! 🙌 Previously working as the Ignition Interlock Device (IID) Program Coordinator, Dominic has been with #TeamDMV since 2018. Before #TeamDMV, he practiced law and was involved in a restaurant group responsible for opening over 10 restaurants in DC and Virginia.

A native Washingtonian, Dominic attended the University of Miami for his undergrad studies and Howard University for Law School. He is a husband to Kelly Dickerson and father to two beautiful children, daughter Aubrey (7) and son Avery (2). He is a huge sports fan, specifically the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Hurricanes and San Antonio Spurs. Dominic considers himself to be a foodie and enjoys grilling and dining out as much as possible.

Dominic is most proud of his family. In addition, he's proud of the work he has completed since joining the DC DMV in 2018; specifically, working with AAMVA, AIIPA Board of Directors and the many stakeholders that play a role in keeping our roads safe.

Let’s congratulate Dominic on his new role as DSA's Management Analyst! 🎊🎊

Native American Heritage Month Celebration

Join DMV's DEI Group in celebrating Native American Heritage Month with a contest! 🤎🧡❤️

There are three ways to win:

🤎 Summit a one-page essay on “What it means to live in America as a Native American.”
🧡 Submit an original poem about Native American Culture.
❤️ Submit a video via spoken word on Native American Culture.

Submit entries by Thursday, November 30, 2023 to DEI Coordinator Zaida Espinoza. The winner will be announced in December 2023.

All are welcome to participate!

#KudosTeamDMV

(Compliments from our Social Media Fans)

"As always, high praise for the folks at @dcdmv - the inspection station is quick and cheerful!" ~schlchtmyr

"@dcdmv Larry Walker made my day this morning during my car inspection. Larry is a ray of sunshine. He is so kind, humble & professional — a true joy to meet. I can tell he does everything w/ excellence, whether people are watching or not. I hope you know what a TREASURE he is.🙏🏻" ~Samantha Elle Snellings

"@dcdmv I just had an awesome service experience at the Inspection Center in SW. DeAngelo B., JuJuan J., and [Frank] Williams were awesome. Thanks for the exemplary customer service and kindness!" ~Sybsi

HRs Corner

Reaffirming DC Government's Stance Against Sexual Harassment

DC Government is deeply committed to maintaining a safe, respectful and inclusive workplace for all employees, grantees, contractors, customers, clients and members of the public. Mayor Bowser prohibits any form of sexual harassment and is dedicated to preventing such behavior. Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. To this end, Mayor Bowser has implemented Order 2023-131. Please review this Order and consider it closely.

It is critical that the District's policies on sexual harassment align with evolving laws and best practices. The Order contains the following updates in detail: 

The definition of prohibited workplace sexual harassment has been updated to align with the recently enacted Human Rights Enhancement Amendment Act of 2022. 
To maintain a professional and ethical workplace environment that prevents conflicts of interest and limits potential for harassment, supervisors and employees in the same chain of command are now prohibited from engaging in dating, romantic and sexual relationships. Further, dating, romantic and sexual relationships with interns, recruits, and trainees are also prohibited. 
Employees are required to disclose existing romantic and sexual relationships within the same chain of command or relationships that could lead to preferential treatment.
All employees will receive yearly training in sexual harassment, rather than every other year. 
By Monday, January 8, 2024, employees and contractors must acknowledge that you have received and agree to comply with this Order by logging into PeopleSoft. Navigate to the “Sexual Harassment Acknowledgement” tile and complete the acknowledgement prompt.

🚨 NOTE: The designated DC DMV employee/officer to disclose relationships to is Chief of Staff Tyrone Sweatt. Relationships have to be declared on or before Friday, December 8, 2023 via this electronic form or printable PDF form.

The 2024 Open Enrollment Employee Benefits is Now Open

Open enrollment is your annual opportunity to review your current benefit elections and make any necessary changes. If you are satisfied with your current benefits and have no new dependents to add, take advantage of this annual benefits enrollment period to review your benefit elections for accuracy and update your designated beneficiaries.

If no changes are made, all elections except enrollments for Flexible Spending Accounts will carry over to the 2024 plan year; however, the costs will reflect the 2024 premium amounts.

Learn more

Update your resume and sharpen up your skills.

Future #TeamDMV positions coming soon.

November is...

This month, as we transition into the autumn season, DCHR is excited to recognize and celebrate two important awareness months: National Family Caregivers Month and Diabetes Awareness Month. These observances invite us to reflect on the invaluable contributions of family caregivers and to enhance our understanding of diabetes and its impact on our communities.

Educational webinars and an abundance of resources were thoughtfully curated for you and your family by DCHR and healthcare providers. Make the most of this opportunity to enhance your knowledge and well-being – it's a valuable resource designed especially for you.

For more information and resources, visit DCHR's Employee Wellness page.

Financially Fit DC at Work: Student Loans

Join the Department of Insurance, Securities & Banking (DISB) on Thursday, November 30, from 11 am - 12 pm to learn about sources of funding, repayment programs, debt consolidation and much more. Register here

Restored Leave Remains Available through May 2025

On Wednesday, November 22, Mayor Bowser announced that employees who have restored leave due to COVID-19 that was set to expire on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, can now use that leave until Sunday, May 11, 2025, coinciding with two years after the end of the Federal public health emergency. Any excess annual and universal leave that was accrued in 2020 and 2021 and is now seen as restored leave in PeopleSoft will be available for employees’ use through Sunday, May 11, 2025.

2023 Use or Lose Leave

As we approach the end of 2023, many employees will have accrued more annual or universal leave than they can typically use into the new year. This excess leave is considered “use or lose” leave. Any “use or lose” leave that is not taken by Saturday, January 13, 2024, will be lost. If you are fortunate enough to have “use or lose” leave, we encourage you to donate your excess hours to the annual leave bank to support your colleagues.

Make a Donation to the Annual Leave Bank

The District’s Annual Leave Bank Program allows employees to contribute unused, accrued “use or lose” leave to bank members who are experiencing a personal or family medical emergency and who have exhausted their personal leave. Employees may donate annual leave by completing the DCSF No. ALB-01 Application to Donate Leave to the Leave Bank form. Employees who wish to donate must submit the form to Jeanette Pinnix at Jeanette.Pinnix@dc.gov by Friday, December 8, 2023.

For additional information, please refer to Issuance 2023-5, Use or Lose (2023) or contact DCHR's Policy and Compliance Administration.

News You Can Use Around the District

DC DPR's Winter Program Registration is Now Open

Don’t miss out on DC DPR's winter programming! ❄️⛄️ From Zumba to tennis, there are plenty of options for residents of all ages. 💃🏽🎾

Learn more

Prepare a Winter Emergency Kit

The holiday season is upon us and so is the potential for dangerous winter weather. ❄️

Winter storms may include high winds, freezing rain, heavy snowfall and extreme cold. Severe winter storms can cause blocked roads, power outages, transportation accidents and death. It’s important to be prepared in your home, vehicle and outdoors.

Learn more on how to build a winter emergency kit on Ready DC's website.