📋
Extracted from Consolidated Report
This investigation was originally published as part of a larger consolidated report containing multiple investigations. View the consolidated PDF for the complete document.
Yolo County Grand Jury
• 2013-2014
• Agency Response
Responses to 2013-2014 Grand Jury Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings 14 findings
F1
Page 17
Yolo County currently operates according to Personnel Rules and Regulations that have been in draft form for a number of years. There is no definite timeline for completion by HR, review by employee union groups or adoption by the Board of Supervisors.
F2
Page 17
Although the oral interview is required and is one of the most important events in a departmental promotion process, Yolo County has no written rules, regulations or guidelines covering the selection or training of oral interview panelists, the confidentiality of interview materials or feedback to selected and non-selected candidates.
F3
Page 17
HR provides no oversight of department promotion practices unless requested to do so by a department. In this area, HR acts in an advisory role and assumes county departments are conducting promotional practices in a fair manner unless it learns otherwise. 16 2013 - 2014 YOLO COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT: INVESTIGATIONS 2013 - 2014 YOLO COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT Yolo County Promotion Practices: Need for Standards and Oversight
F4
Page 18
Human Resources has failed to adopt rules and regulations addressing departmental promotion processes. As a result, HR’s role in the departmental promotional process has been solely advisory.
F5
Page 18
In the absence of countywide rules and HR oversight, department hiring managers develop their own methods for conducting the oral interview and promotion selection process, which vary widely.
F6
Page 18
The department promotion process within Roads Division lacks written minimum standards for selection and training of oral interview panelists, method for recusal for bias, requirements for confidentiality or a process for meaningful feedback to non- selected candidates.
F7
Page 18
Although Roads Division has not violated any policy or code relating to promotions, the lack of standards, consistency and transparency in Roads Division’s promotion practices has led to a perception among some employees that the promotion process itself is unfair and biased.
F8
Page 18
Development of countywide policies covering promotion practices, including use of objective screening criteria, along with more HR oversight for policy compliance, would ensure a standardized promotional process, improving uniformity between departments, increasing fairness and decreasing potential legal risk to the county.
F9
Page 18
HR has taken steps to meet the need for more oversight of County promotions by offering elective courses through Yolo Training Academy in 2014.
F10
Page 18
Currently, HR reviews department promotion practices only if a problem is reported. HR has no prescribed complaint process that requires investigation, accountability and communication of investigation results to concerned employees.
F11
HR manages harassment and ethics online training courses for all employees to comply with state and federal laws. These outdated and repetitious trainings are found to be inadequate and ineffective.
F12
The HR Department serves in an advisory role and lacks appropriate oversight and accountability of personnel matters at the Sheriff’s Department.
F13
The CAO and HR have insufficiently monitored and audited the Sheriff’s Department compliance with County Codes and Policies and Procedures.
F14
The CAO conducts a 360 degree evaluation for all appointed Department Heads. This evaluation process currently excludes elected officials.
Recommendations 9
-
R1Page 18Within the next 90 days, HR should conduct a survey of each department’s current promotion practices to identify problem areas and to learn from departments that have created successful internal models that address promotional processes.
-
R2Page 18By October 1, 2014, HR should use the information obtained from the survey to develop and adopt, as part of its Personnel Rules and Regulations, unified policies that create minimum written standards for department promotion processes. These policies 17 2013 - 2014 YOLO COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT: INVESTIGATIONS 2013 - 2014 YOLO COUNTY GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT Yolo County Promotion Practices: Need for Standards and Oversight should address selection and training of oral interview panelists, confidentiality and feedback to selected and non-selected candidates.
-
R3Page 19HR should work with Roads Division immediately to create comprehensive written guidelines covering department promotion and hiring and to provide training to department hiring managers and oral interview panelists. These guidelines should be shared with Roads Division employees to restore transparency and trust that the department promotion process is operating in a fair manner.
-
R4Page 19HR should ensure that courses recently added to the Yolo Training Academy on how to properly conduct hiring or promotional interviews become part of the Academy’s permanent curriculum and that all county staff participating in hiring or promotion interviews be required to attend.
-
R5Page 19Within the next 60 days, HR should develop and publicize a process by which complaints regarding personnel issues can be reviewed, evaluated and acted upon with results reported to complainants.
-
R6Page 19By December 1, 2014, HR should complete the Personnel Rules & Regulations and develop a specific timeline for review by employee union groups and adoption by the Board of Supervisors. HR should report bi-monthly to the Board of Supervisors on its progress until such time as the Rules & Regulations are finally adopted.
-
R7By December 1, 2014, HR shall review and update Harassment and Ethics online training programs and implement a training program that includes classroom (in- person) training.
-
R8By November 1, 2014, the CAO shall revise and extend the current 360 degree evaluation process to include an opportunity for all elected department heads to participate.
-
R9The Grand Jury recommends that elected public officials submit themselves to the 360 degree evaluation process used by all other department heads in the County.
Agency Responses 1
Government agencies' official responses to this report's findings and recommendations. Click on a response to see the structured breakdown.
No Responses Found 1
Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.
Yolo County Board of Supervisors
Elected County Office