Congratulations to CommonHealth on 35 Years!
From its early days as a small pilot program at the College of William and Mary to its current placement within DHRM’s Office of Workforce Engagement, CommonHealth continues to grow and adapt to keep wellness at the forefront of the state workforce. To celebrate the 35th anniversary of bringing wellness to Virginia’s employees, the CommonHealth team has created a very special challenge for all employees - a pick your own challenge format!
Playing off the 35th anniversary theme, the challenge begins today, June 6, lasts for 35 days and employees are urged to complete their one chosen task for 35 days in a row. A list of 35 ideas from six different categories was offered to include as many interests as possible, including health and fitness, finances, relationships, organization, creativity, and happiness. The challenge is generating a lot of interest - 1,500 signed up in the first few days after it was announced in May.
Be on the lookout for more exciting challenges and wellness programs from the CommonHealth team this year as they continue to work on improving the wellness of the workforce. Read more...
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Workforce Management
Tracking Remote Workdays - Heads Up!
DHRM and the Cardinal Project Team are working to modify the telework fields in Cardinal to capture the number of days an individual employee is approved for telework. This is a fairly robust feature and is projected to be available in September. In the interim, DHRM will be collecting data only for the total number of employees “by days” within an agency, which you are already tracking. We think this approach will meet the Administration’s most immediate needs and will not be burdensome on agencies. HRDs will be notified soon of how and when to send the data. Your cooperation is much appreciated.
Emerging Talent Pathways
With a labor market that continues to experience low unemployment and increased job movement, the ability to hire and retain talent may present challenges in meeting staffing needs to support agency operational goals. With a tight labor market, the opportunity to explore new talent pathways in addition to the more traditional hiring of experienced talent, can provide new talent options to meet agency hiring needs. Emerging talent pathways may be an option for agencies to consider. More...
Now Available: FY 2022 Workforce Planning Agency Profile and Identifying Critical Roles Tool
As DHRM continues to build our strategy around workforce planning that incorporates a more holistic approach and focuses on the areas of continuity of operations, recruitment, retention/engagement, and workforce development, we are excited to share we have reached our first milestone with the creation of the Agency Profile Template and Identifying Critical Roles Tools. Both are now available, along with written instructions, on the DHRM Workforce Planning web page. See more...
Webinar on Agency Profile and Identifying Critical Rolls Tool
Interested in learning more on the Agency Profile and Identifying Critical Roles tool? Join us for a webinar on June 16 at 11:00am for a deep dive into the purpose, design, and enhanced features each tool.
Please register using this link:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8768041605523928078
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
For any questions or looking to learn more, please contact DHRM workforce planning at dhrm.wfp@dhrm.virginia.gov.
Save the Date: Harness the Power of Inclusion and Cultivate a Diverse Workforce
In April, the Alternative Hiring Process (AHP) was launched as part of a comprehensive strategy to increase the employment of individuals with disabilities within state government. The next step in this strategy includes education and awareness opportunities. DARS and DHRM are collaborating to offer Windmills training for the HR Community. Windmills is an interactive training to help businesses create an inclusive workforce.
Learn how you can better understand the culture of disability in the workplace. Save the following dates to virtually attend sessions on Wednesdays from 10:30 – 12:00 p.m. on the following topics:
July 13 - Profiles and Taking Emotions out of Emotional Disability
July 27 - Disability Fact or Fiction and Whose Fault
August 10 - Assistive Technology and Reasonable Accommodations
More details about each topic and registration information are coming at the end of June. For questions about the Alternative Hiring Process, please contact sandra.phipps@dars.virginia.gov, DARS/DHRM Liaison.
Affordable Care Act and the Manpower Control Program:
Number of Hours Worked by Wage Employees
Agencies are reminded that constraints on the number of hours worked by wage employees continue to be in force under the federal Affordable Care Act and the state’s Manpower Control Program.
The Manpower Control Program requires state agencies to limit the number of hours worked by wage employees to 1500 per year. Please ensure that your timekeeping systems and internal processes monitor these hours so that the limit is not exceeded. Employees and their supervisors must be held accountable for ensuring adherence.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires that Agencies must not re-hire former salaried employees into wage positions at the same agency/university until the employees have been separated for a minimum of 13 weeks (26 weeks for higher education agencies.) See more...
Rewards
Preventive Screenings Checklist
Starting in late July, COVA Care and COVA HDHP plan members who have certain gaps in care may receive a Personal Care Checklist in their email inbox.The Personal Care Checklist is a personalized and claims-based communication from Anthem that encourages members to see their doctor for an annual wellness visit, to get recommended preventive screenings, to get tests to help manage chronic diseases, and to encourage medication review and adherence. A sample email can be found here. See more....
Comings and Goings...
Health Benefits: Congratulations to Parmilla Bhalearo on her promotion to Retiree Group/COBRA Program Manager! Parmillo joined DHRM in 2018 as a Health Benefits Specialist, and was promoted to Senior Specialist in 2020. She began her career at the Commonwealth in 2016 at the Department of Corrections (VADOC) and then worked for the Department of Social Services (DSS). A SHRM Certified Professional, Parmilla has many years of HR experience.
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Finance and Administration: Please welcome Madrika Martin, our new Procurement Manager, to the DHRM team! Madrika is a certified Virginia Contracting Officer (VCO), Virginia Construction Contracting Officer (VCCO), and Virginia Contracting Associate. She has both private sector experience, having worked in various customer service roles, and public sector experience with the Commonwealth of Virginia. She served as the sole Procurement Officer for the Department of Veterans Affairs (Sitter and Barfoot), Science Museum of Virginia, Office of the Attorney General, and Department of Historic Resources. She also worked as an eVA Customer Care Specialist at the Department of General Services and as Senior Contract Officer at the Richmond Behavioral Health Authority. Madrika, we look forward to working with you!
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Farewell to Renee Garnett, long-time DHRM employee and dedicated member of our team! Renee began her career with DHRM and the Commonwealth nearly 30 years ago, joining us as the former Department of Personnel and Training (DPT). She has been a wealth of information over the years, combining grace with excellent customer service. Best of luck, Renee, in your new role as Procurement Officer with the Department of Housing and Community Development. We will miss you!
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