Message from the Director
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has recently published numerous articles on employee burnout. It is something to watch for and can be seen through physical and mental exhaustion, detachment, emotional outburst, decreased morale, poor work performance, and increased turnover.
While burnout can’t be corrected overnight, one of the best solutions to address employee burnout is for employees to take time off from work to disconnect. Taking leave and then staying fully connected to the office by monitoring and responding to emails or even participating in a conference call on an “urgent” topic is not disconnecting from work. We have all done just that. However, we also know that study after study finds employees who are able to disconnect and have down time from work return with a renewed energy and focus. Time away improves our mental wellness. Allowing employees to truly take time off may also give other employees an opportunity to lead a project or attend a meeting or make decisions they would not have made if the absent employee was present.
Let’s continue the message to monitor for employee burnout and encourage employees, along with their supervisors who can lead by example, to take the leave they earn and truly disconnect from work.
Here is a quick read article on How to Lead Hybrid Teams: 5 Best Practices, which includes information on skills needed by leaders to mitigate employee burnout.
Emily S. Elliott
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Workforce Management
Your Feedback Requested - DHRM Policy 1.61 Teleworking
Chapter 552 (2021 Special Session), Item 83. N. requires DHRM in collaboration with the Department of General Services (DGS), the Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA), and any other state agency upon request, to examine the Commonwealth's existing telework policies, and how agency program and service delivery tools and methodologies employed during the COVID-19 pandemic may inform future policy objectives regarding the use of telework and alternative work schedules as a means of achieving administrative efficiencies, reducing cost, and sustaining the hiring and retention of a highly qualified workforce. A primary focus of the study is to review how teleworking can be used as a means to reduce operational costs for state government, and recruit and retain workers for state government jobs.
If you would like to offer comments on or make recommendations for changes to the existing Teleworking Policy, please send your comments to LaDonna Judkins. All comments will be compiled and shared with the DHRM/DGS/VITA team working on this study.
Alternative Recruitment Process Update
In collaboration with the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS), the DHRM DEI and Talent Management & Policy Teams continue to co-lead efforts on building the Alternative Application process for individuals with disabilities inclusive of the overall strategy to attract, hire, retain, and develop this important talent pool. The team finalized the responsibility matrix (RACI) for:
- Examining overall key component strategies and developing a process flow.
- Creating detailed sub-processes with special emphasis on Alternative Application process tasks.
- Prioritizing each sub-process/task with a short, medium and long-term focus to ensure a robust strategy to meet established goals.
A kickoff meeting was held with a key stakeholder Advisory Group consisting of Community partner organizations who support people with disabilities. DHRM will also solicit Agency HR partners for this important effort in the coming weeks.
Reminder: Deadline for Proposed Amendments to Department of Labor and Industry's (DOLI) Final Permanent Standard Adopted
The DOLI’s Safety and Health Codes Board (Board) held an emergency electronic meeting on June 29, 2021 and adopted Proposed Amendments to the Final Permanent Standard (FPS) for Infectious Disease Prevention of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus. DOLI is inviting the public to register its comments on these adopted proposed amendments. The deadline for submission is July 30.
Agencies are encouraged to review the proposed amendments and begin planning and drafting their agency policy to comply with the proposed changes. Agencies may also submit comments to the Board regarding areas of concern specific to your business needs. Please be ready for the proposed amendments to become final in mid-to-late August. As a reminder, all state agencies are subject to the safety and health requirements established in this Final Permanent Standard and all Standards adopted by the Board.
Availability of Public Health Emergency Leave (PHEL)
DHRM sent a reminder to agency Time, Attendance, and Leave (TAL) administrators that entries of PHEL leave in TAL should be carefully monitored. When the emergency declaration ended on June 30, 2021, PHEL leave under policy was deactivated. From July 1 going forward, no PHEL entries for an individual employee should exceed 8 hours. See July 9 guidance to all agencies.
Exit Survey Reports are Here!
4th Quarter exit reports are available for designated agency HR team members to review and evaluate. Agencies can access exit reports through the HuRMan portal or in the Mercer-Sirota Exit Survey Report Library. Reports can be accessed in the library for an agency or institution that meets the minimum threshold of three exits per quarter. An agency/institution that did not meet the threshold may review either Secretariat level data, if available, or the Commonwealth Report for the quarter.
Workforce Plan Data Reports
Data reports to support completion of the workforce plan are available in the HuRMan agency repository. Agency workforce plans are due September 30, 2021. Resources to support agency workforce planning can be found here.
Focus Groups on Health and Wellness Educational Programs
The DHRM Office of Workforce Engagement has developed a project team focused on meeting the unique needs of managers and supervisors for health and wellness programs. To assist with program development and planning, the team will be implementing focus groups to hear from Agency Heads, HR Directors, managers, and supervisors and gather information that would be helpful in these unique roles. The focus group will be conducted on Tuesday, August 24, 2021, at 10:30 a.m. Please consider joining to share your knowledge and expertise. Click Focus Group Sign Up to participate. More...
Recognizing National Immunization Awareness Month
National Immunization Awareness Month is held every year in August. It’s another reminder of the importance of vaccinations for everyone, regardless of age. Our Commonwealth of Virginia employee health plans cover routine immunizations recommended for children and adults, along with well child and annual adult wellness visits. All immunizations, including the COVID-19 vaccine, are covered at no cost to members. See the list of state plan covered immunizations.
Comings and Goings...
Office of Health Benefits: Please join us in saying hello to TarShawn Amissah, who now serves the OHB team as a Health Benefits Specialist. Tarshawn has been a state employee for five years, serving as a Health Benefits Specialist for the Virginia Retirement System. In her free time, she enjoys riding her bike on the Capital Trail. We are very excited to have her as part of the DHRM team! Give her a warm welcome.
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