In April of 2014, the Human Resources Department convened a Recruitment Opportunities Work Group consisting of representatives from the Human Resources Department, Office of the County Counsel, and the Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Officer. The County Administrator tasked the Work Group with establishing a post-Consent Decree framework to ensure that the County workforce reflects the diversity of the County and provides equal employment opportunities for all qualified persons seeking employment with the County and districts governed by the Board of Supervisors; evaluating ways in which the diversity of the County work force can be enhanced with targeted recruitments; and improving the County’s outreach efforts.
The Work Group recommended to the Hiring Outreach Oversight Committee an Equal Employment Opportunity Plan that included pro-active measures to promote a workplace that is reflective of the communities we serve and values the diversity of its employees. These proactive measures are two-fold; 1) Strategic Outreach emphasizing under-represented groups with specific efforts made to the following populations: Veterans, Disabled, AB109, Re-entry, Women and Minorities; and 2) Department Specific EEO Plans that are developed to address under-representation of ten percent (10%) or more in the following self-identifying categories: Male, Female, Asian, Black, Hispanic, White, American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, and two or more races.
The specific outreach efforts are modified annually by the County’s EEO Officer to reflect the Board of Supervisor’s strategic outreach efforts and the County’s workforce statistics. Departments experiencing an under-representation of ten percent (10%) or more in the identified categories will report to the Hiring Outreach Oversight Committee at the beginning of each fiscal year on: 1) the details of their EEO Plan; and 2) the results of their efforts to reduce the under-utilization in identified categories during the previous fiscal year. On October 1, 2018, EEO presented the annual report to the Hiring Outreach Oversight Committee which was reviewed and approved.
The County will not be proactive in reaching out to qualified underrepresented groups within our workforce to bolster and diversify our applicant pool, which could result in discrimination complaints and lawsuits.