San Rafael, CA – The Marin County Board of Supervisors approved a 2 Year Action Plan on October 12 that identifies coming challenges for the County of Marin and ensures its workforce will have appropriate tools and skills to address rapidly changing resident needs.
The new plan renews a commitment to equity and ensures the workforce will have appropriate tools and skills to address rapidly changing resident needs.The plan for 2021-2023, developed with significant input from employees, builds on successes from the 5 Year Business Plan that was adopted in 2015. That plan helped the County adjust to urgent services such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the grassroots racial equity movement, more transparent and community outreach, and implementation of a large software project that changed the way County handles business and payroll transactions.
“This new 2 Year Action Plan will strengthen our organization, growing the members of our team who will be ready to deliver services in an ever-changing environment,” said Assistant County Administrator Angela Nicholson. “We must continue to focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging to ensure that we are delivering culturally competent services to our community by a workforce that is committed to our organization and Marin residents.”
The County has just over 2,100 employees plus another 750 contingent workers serving as extra-hires, seasonals, and COVID-19 response specialists, making it the largest employer in Marin. The core values in the 2 Year Action Plan are: integrity, respect, diversity, innovation, collaboration, and excellence. In the Innovation and Change part of the plan, there is a commitment to growing tools for use in a hybrid work environment, which addresses more County employees doing their jobs remotely – out in the field or at home.
Other strategies of the plan include, eliminating barriers to internal promotions; developing a mentoring program, rolling out new training programs, and ensuring that a business process improvement process is included in technology enhancement projects. Each strategy in the plan is accompanied by a specific metric, so the organization can evaluate where progress/delays exist.
Not only were employees co-authors of the new plan, but they also committed to help implement it and stay engaged as actions are taken.
“We are a stronger organization because of our employee’s willingness to change to meet the needs of our community, and I want to thank them for their honest input,” County Administrator Matthew Hymel said. “The pandemic tested us, and our staff met the challenge when our community needed us the most. This plan prioritizes the strength of our internal team so we can be better for our community, no matter what the challenge.”