In an effort to staff the Department's Personnel Unit with the positions needed to support the increasing operational needs and workload volume for the largest County department, the addition of three positions is requested. This unit is responsible for the departmental leave administration, labor relations, delegated health specific recruitments, payroll, safety, staff development and human resources transactions.  
  
The unit requires additional support with the increased leave administration caseload, which has reached approximately 1,400 employees and continues to increase weekly. Adding a second Disability Benefits Coordinator position will create a manageable distribution of labor and ensure the department's compliance with federal and state leave administration laws and requirements. The addition of a Personnel Technician position will provide the support needed to properly manage the limited duty program and timely identify assignments for employees that have temporary non-industrial work restrictions.  
  
Health Services Department specific position recruitments continue at a high volume with a significant backlog, and additional COVID-19 related recruitment needs have emphasized the unit's need to increase its staffing. The addition of a Departmental Human Resources Supervisor will allow the Departmental Personnel Officer to focus on pressing labor relations and other unit priorities, and provide dedicated supervision to the departmental analysts and support staff assigned to recruitments, classification and compensation.  
  
On June 23, 2020, the Board approved the department's recommendation to add one Departmental Personnel Officer-Exempt position in response to emergent COVID-19 needs. The department has not filled the position. The department has engaged the County Administrato'r Office and the Human Resources Department to identify the appropriate staffing levels to support the increasing management responsibilities and unmet recruitment needs. Since all parties have agreed that a Departmental Human Resources Supervisor position will more accurately support the recruitment, selection and compensation duties of the unit, the Departmental Personnel Officer-Exempt position is no longer needed.  
  
The recommended position additions and deletion will provide the staffing structure needed to respond to the ongoing needs of the department and better position the department's Personnel Unit to respond to emergent needs.

If this action is not approved, the Personnel Unit of the department will continue to operate with inadequate staffing levels and positions.