A Note From the Director
Greetings! I am pleased to share that the full program for The HR Innovation Summit: Innovate to Elevate, is now available for view, along with our speaker bios. Starting with a truly engaging Keynote Address from Scott Wayne (Envoy), this dynamic one-day event is designed to bring together HR leaders from across state government to explore the latest trends, share insights, and discover innovative solutions, all for less than $100 per person. The event will be held Tuesday, April 8, 2025 at the Dewey Gottwald Center. Don't miss this opportunity to connect, learn, and lead the way in HR Innovation! Click here to register. The full program agenda has been finalized and can be found here. There is limited seating, please register today
We are excited to be planning for the 2025 DHRM HR Conference: HR Navigating the Winds of Change, Building a Resilient Workforce. The Conference will feature informative sessions, applied best-in-class examples, and motivational keynote speakers. More details for you to share with your respective staff coming soon! We hope you can make it.
Has your agency started planning activities for Virginia Public Service Week, May 4-10? Agencies are encouraged to start thinking of fun and engaging activities to celebrate employees throughout this week.
Thank you!
Janet L. Lawson, DHRM Director
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Virginia’s current minimum wage rate of $12.41 per hour effective January 1, 2025 remains in effect. HB1928, the proposed legislation to incrementally increase the Virginia minimum wage to $15.00 per hour was vetoed by the Governor. Even if this decision stands after the reconvened session, there may be a change to the minimum wage under § 40.1-28.10 of the Code of Virginia.
We received agency feedback related to last year’s workforce planning cycle, advising that our live working sessions held in July, should be done earlier in the year. Based on your feedback, we have adjusted our schedule and modified our approach to provide a slightly different perspective for the process. HR Leaders are encouraged to register for the webinar series on the DHRM GoToMeeting Channel here and learn more.
We are excited to share our first 2025 quarterly update for DHRM’s HR Capabilities Center & Innovation Lab initiative! This past quarter, our focus has been on better understanding your feedback from the conference last Fall and December announcement, as well as achieving three important milestones.
Engagement
Military Veteran’s Job Fair at Naval Station Norfolk
RecruitMilitary will host a military veteran’s job fair at Naval Station Norfolk on April 24 from 11:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m. RecruitMilitary hosts the largest veteran hiring events in the country, the last time they hosted an event in Norfolk, they had over 400 candidates in attendance. For your reference, please see their Products and Services Guide and Event report from their last event in October. If you are interested in attending this event, please contact Tommy VanHoose, Director of Sales, 757-965-5796 or email tvanhoose@recruitmilitary.com.
The Employee Experience Magazine is back with a New Editor-in-Chief and an Expanded Magazine Committee!
The Magazine Committee is currently reviewing the 2024 content submissions and have a new title for the Magazine going forward: Virginia Voices. The September theme will be: Past, Present, and Future! This theme encompasses a broad spectrum of content across the Commonwealth. Please use the link below to submit any new articles to be included in the upcoming September publication. Whether it is a past submission that were not included in the 2024 Edition or any new experiences from you or your agency that you want to share.
Share the flyer with others who may want to contribute! This is a magazine for Employees by Employees! Contact employeeexperience@dhrm.virginia.gov, if you have any questions.
Commonwealth Mentorship Program Updates
We are excited to announce updates regarding the Commonwealth Mentorship Program! The 2024-2025 cohort will transition to a reduced engagement level of 1-2 hours in March. This marks their six-month milestone! Registration for the 2025-2026 cohort will open in May, and the 2024-2025 cohort graduation ceremony will be held on August 27, 2025. Stay tuned for more details!
Volunteer Service Week: Coming Soon! Volunteer at a State Park
We have partnered with the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) to once again offer state employees an opportunity to volunteer at a state park during National Volunteer Week, April 21-27! Last year, 15 state parks hosted state employee volunteers for service projects during National Volunteer Week, which overlapped with Earth Day. Projects included tree planting, museum curation, citizen science, invasive plant control, and native plant garden upkeep. Please encourage employees to get involved this year!
As we prepare for the upcoming political campaigns and elections season in Virginia, please share these important reminders with state employees.
March has been officially recognized by Governor Youngkin as Mediation Month in Virginia, marking the 32nd anniversary of the passage of the dispute resolution proceeding statutes in the state. See the Proclamation here and click on the link above to learn more about mediation.
In Case You Missed...
Open Enrollment for health benefits and flexible spending accounts (FSAs) will be held from May 1 - May 15, 2025. Information on how your agency can be prepared can be found here.
DHRM presented a session at the 2024 HR Conference in October entitled “HR Data
Connectivity” where a demonstration of a new HR Dashboard was provided. The HR
Statewide Dashboard is now in production and available for agencies.
The vacating of the FLSA salary threshold rule this past November means that the previously announced US DOL FLSA salary threshold increases are no longer in effect.
PageUp Performance Management is ready! Updates include: Performance Objectives, Competencies and Self Evaluations and more!
We have uploaded a new resource for Performance Management into the Commonwealth of Virginia Learning Center (COVLC).
To comply with the Library of Virginia (LVA) requirements and improve system performance, we are implementing a data retention policy for the COVLC. Employee training records/accounts (transcripts) will be retained for five years after separation from employment with the Commonwealth of Virginia. This period allows for the retention of certification and qualification records included on employee transcripts, in compliance with GS-103.
Cardinal HCM is the Commonwealth's HR System of Record. Over a year ago, DHRM initiated monthly targeted data cleanup effort to ensure that Cardinal records are accurate and up to date, which is vital for maintaining the integrity of the system and being able to provide accurate and reliable data for reporting and decision making. Three previous communications centered around the following fields:
- Telework -both position and employee
- Exempt/Non-Exempt Status
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Reports To
- Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes
- FTE % (needed for EPR)
- Salary Data (State/Non-State/Special/Hourly)
- Citizenship
- Continuous Service Date
- Date of birth
Please validate and maintain your Cardinal data to ensure our reports are accurate.
The Governor’s Chief of Staff made revisions to the Executive Leave Policy impacting gubernatorial appointees, effective February 18, 2025. This policy applies to the following at-will employees:
- Employees of the Governor’s and Cabinet Offices
- Agency Head
- Agency Chief Deputy
- Confidential/Policy Assistant
Current employees in these positions should be informed of the new policy. The revision can be found at this here. The Executive Severance Policy has not changed.
Comings & Goings....
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Congratulations Bettie Edwards, on her role with the Compensation and Workforce Analytics team as an IHelp Data Liaison.
Bettie comes to DHRM with over 30 years of HR experience in both public and private sector roles, including York County, Media General and VCU Health System. She came into the HR world by chance and never turned back. She is passionate about systems, data analytics and process management. When not at work, Bettie enjoys time with family, especially her two kids.
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