San Bernardino County Human Resources Department wins multiple awards from National Association of Counties

The San Bernardino County Human Resources Department has won several Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) for its leadership in health and wellness, innovation and workforce development. This year, the department was recognized for its Cordico Wellness App, COVID-19 Reporting Survey, Recruitment Enhancement Initiative, and Career Path Builder Program.

Cordico Wellness App: Human Resources partnered with Cordico, a world leader in wellness technology, to provide health and wellness resources through a mobile application (app) for employees, retirees and their families. The wellness app is confidential, easy to use and available 24/7. The app provides personal wellness resources including anonymous self-assessments, access to peer support, therapist finder one-touch calling to a crisis support, information on fitness, nutrition, and injury prevention, on-demand tools targeting critical incidents, suicide risk, and emotional survival. Adding this feature as part of our benefits toolkit is a means to show the county’s ongoing commitment to the health and well-being of county employees.

COVID-19 Reporting Survey: Since March 2020, San Bernardino County was tasked with the responsibility of collecting workplace-related information about contracting COVID-19 in the workplace, tracking positive cases and timely reporting of data to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). For the past two years, this task was a manual process for HR personnel. To streamline this effort, the county developed and implemented an online survey to automate the reporting process and more quickly identify and respond to outbreaks at the respective worksites.

Recruitment Enhancement Initiative: San Bernardino County’s Department of Aging and Adult Services-Public Guardian (DAAS-PG), in collaboration with the Human Resources (HR) department, developed a Recruitment Enhancement Initiative, known as Information Sessions, to assist in the recruitment and retention of staff. The Information Sessions are a one-hour presentation conducted by employees from DAAS-PG and HR to provide potential applicants with a detailed overview of the position for which they may be applying. The Information Sessions are held while the official job announcement is published to give prospective applicants a better understanding of the job duties. The sessions are advertised internally and externally by HR on the county website. Implementing Information Sessions for prospective applicants has proven successful by having a more significant number of qualified candidates applying for open positions. In addition, hired employees are retained longer and are more successful in their position. Due to the success of the Information Sessions, other programs within DAAS-PG started utilizing this technique, and other county departments have also begun implementing the program.

Career Path Builder Program: San Bernardino County’s Workforce Development (WDD) and Human Resources Departments partnered with San Bernardino Community College District (SBCCD) sharing a common goal to develop a free-of-charge program providing job seekers with comprehensive training to develop, strengthen and refine their workplace skills, preparing them for possible county careers. The joint effort resulted in the creation of the SBC Career Path Builder Program. The four-week program is comprised of a thoughtfully designed curricula addressing a variety of areas to support participants in developing occupational skills, preparing to compete for entry-level positions, and to ultimately embark on a meaningful career path. Participants who successfully complete the SBC Career Path Builder Program are awarded San Bernardino County’s newly developed Entry-Level Workplace Certificate. The certificate qualifies recipients for a variety of entry-level positions throughout San Bernardino County, providing them with a pathway to stable employment. The program has produced 21 successful graduates with twelve 12 obtaining employment soon after with a success rate of 57 percent so far. Continued efforts are being made to ensure that all participants successfully complete the program.

Under the leadership and support of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, San Bernardino County departments won 160 National Association of Counties (NACo) 2023 Achievement Awards, an impressive number that nearly doubled last year’s record of 82 awards making San Bernardino County the top county in the nation for the second year in a row.

The county currently employs over 21,000 public service professionals and new jobs are posted every week. The Public Health Department will host a hiring fair on Nov. 14 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Workforce Development Department, which is located at 500 Inland Empire Dr., Sp 508 in San Bernardino. Available positions include registered nurse, licensed vocational nurse, care assistant and office assistant. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply online before attending the event.

Additional County Update News – November 3, 2023