Contra Costa County Hiring Challenges

Additional Recommendations 1

These recommendations are not explicitly linked to specific findings.

• R60-90
  Days 7 90-180 Days 6 180-365 Days 7 365+ Days 8 Grand Total 46 Contra Costa County HR has 55 authorized positions, supporting a current employee base of 9,932. This represents a ratio of one HR staff member for every 181 County employees. In contrast, surrounding counties operate with one HR staff member per 122 employees on average, as highlighted in the table below. Contra Costa’s HR supports 50 percent more employees per HR staff member than the five-county average. To address this issue, in 2024, HR requested the Board of Supervisors (BOS) approve funding for five additional full-time employees; however, that request was denied. HR will petition the BOS again in 2025. Comparison of HR Staffing Levels County County Employees HR Staff Ratio HR Staff: Employees Alameda 9,900 78 1:127 Marin 2,534 42 1:60 San Francisco 34,373 209 1:164 San Joaquin 8,046 51 1:158 Solano 3,279 33 1:99 Average ratio 1:122 Contra Costa 9,932 55 1:181 Notes: • San Francisco employee and HR staff count includes county and city employees • Ratio of HR Staff to Employees measures how many county employees there are for each HR staff member Software Tools: A Need for Knowledge PeopleSoft is a suite of enterprise applications that help businesses manage various operations, including human resources, finance, supply chain, and customer relationships. The County uses PeopleSoft to help manage its HR operations. Specifically, it is used to create reports on the following HR functions: • recruitment, onboarding, and termination • standard employee data • compensation analysis • workforce demographics • performance management • training and development • turnover analysis • benefits HR utilizes PeopleSoft reports; however, not all County departments have knowledge of, access to, or training to run them. Additionally, departments can request custom reports from HR. Department staff are not always aware of these custom reports and/or how to request them. In addition, PeopleSoft can track why candidates decline job offers; however, the county does not utilize this feature. Not fully utilizing the capabilities of its PeopleSoft tools contributes to inefficiencies in the County’s hiring process. Job Classification Challenge The County supports approximately 1,300 job classifications, totaling around 11,000 authorized positions. As departments specify individual job requirements, the number of job classifications increases, leading to more time required for their review and maintenance. For example, the County has 27 job classifications for accountants. More generic job classifications allow multiple departments to utilize them for similar roles. Conversely, highly specialized job specifications often cannot be shared among departments, which limits the pool of qualified applicants. Broader specifications attract a larger number of candidates. The Grand Jury acknowledges that changes in job specifications require consultation with labor groups. Employment Human Services Department (EHSD) Dedicated HR Staff To expedite the hiring process, EHSD funds three full-time HR staff members. These professionals, who report to HR, focus solely on recruitment for specific roles within EHSD, thereby enhancing the department’s recruitment and hiring capabilities. In January 2024, with one full-time HR staff member, EHSD had 335 vacancies. By July 2024, the first month EHSD added the second and third full-time HR staff members, the number of vacancies decreased to 326. As of February 2025, overall vacancies had been reduced to 270, a 17 percent reduction. The chart below shows vacancy rates of Contra Costa County departments. Those with higher vacancy rates may benefit from dedicated resources as EHSD did. External Consultant EHSD collaborated with an external consultant from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, to examine EHSD operations, including the hiring processes. The following are positive impacts from the consultant’s recommendations related to hiring: • Conducted assessments with the EHSD Personnel staff to identify issues and develop solutions for their hiring processes. • Established a hiring strategy that currently guides hiring activities. • Oversaw hiring interviews for key positions. Collaborated with HR to post vacancies, screen applicants, organize hiring panels, supply materials to hiring panels, proctor interviews, and facilitate the onboarding and development of 30-60-90 Day Onboarding Plans for new employees. • Identified several necessary personnel procedures and documented them for EHSD’s review and approval. EHSD is currently implementing the consultant’s recommendations. Given EHSD’s success in improving its hiring process (as evidenced by the meaningful reduction in the number of vacancies), external consultants working with HR could provide an impartial perspective on the County’s overall hiring practices. Measure X funds, as discussed below, could be used for such consulting services. Delegated Authority Another approach to HR hiring is known as delegated authority. In this model, the department takes full responsibility for all recruiting and hiring steps necessary to fill its positions. This involves the power granted to specific departments to oversee all 27 steps in the hiring process, eliminating the need for back-and-forth communication between HR and the department. This delegation promotes more localized decision-making and enables hiring processes tailored to the specific needs of each department. Contra Costa Health Services and Public Works employ delegated authority. Public Works implemented delegated authority in December 2024. However, a notable weakness of the Public Works Department’s implementation of delegated authority is its dependency on a single in-house employee without any backup. This individual is responsible for performing the HR tasks assigned as shown (highlighted in green) in the Recruitment and Hiring Process chart above. This singular reliance puts the hiring process at risk if that individual becomes unavailable. Measure X Funding The BOS placed a sales tax proposal on the November 2020 ballot with the goal of providing local funds for local priorities. The tax was passed on November 3, 2020, and generates approximately $120 million each year to support a variety of county services. Measure X funds are for general purposes, and the BOS directs how the funds should be used. The BOS seeks input from the Measure X Community Advisory Board and the community about priorities and community needs. The ballot language for Measure X stated that the intent is “To keep Contra Costa’s regional hospital open and staffed; fund community health centers; provide timely fire and emergency response; support crucial safety-net services; invest in early childhood services; protect vulnerable populations; and for other essential county services.” As recruiting and retaining sufficient staff is necessary to maintain essential County services, use of Measure X funds to support HR is an approved use of these resources. FINDINGS F1. The hiring process is a complex, multi-step process involving 27 steps. F2. The hiring process is lengthy, with an average of 113 days to hire. F3. The Employment and Human Services Department (EHSD) has implemented dedicated resources that allocate funds for three individuals in the County Human Resources (HR) Department who are exclusively focused on recruitment and improving EHSD’s hiring capabilities. F4. Contra Costa Health and Public Works departments utilize delegated authority for recruiting and hiring, under which they assume full responsibility for the hiring process for those classifications unique to their respective departments. F5. Public Works has one in-house person managing HR recruiting and hiring without any backup. F6. Lean HR staffing compels departments to prioritize job postings, which can lead to delays in posting job openings. F7. Employees in Contra Costa County responsible for hiring often lack knowledge on how to fully utilize the capabilities of PeopleSoft. F8. The County does not track the reasons candidates decline county jobs. F9. The time needed to maintain County job classifications grows as similar job specifications become more specialized. F10. The County’s specialized job classifications narrow the pool of potential applicants. F11. EHSD contracted with an external consultant from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, to evaluate its hiring process and make recommendations for improvements. F12. The County HR department does not currently contract with an external consultant to review its hiring processes. F13. The HR staff-to-employee ratio in Contra Costa County suggests that the HR department is understaffed compared to those in neighboring counties. RECOMMENDATIONS R1. By January 1, 2026, the Board of Supervisors (BOS) should consider using Measure X funds to hire an external consultant to assess hiring processes across the County. R2. By July 1, 2026, the BOS should consider directing HR to work with County departments to assess whether they could benefit from delegated authority or dedicated resources to enhance the hiring process. R3. By July 1, 2026, the BOS should consider directing HR to initiate the process of consolidating existing job classifications across departments. R4. By January 1, 2026, the BOS should consider directing the Public Works department to ensure there is a backup for the internal HR staff member responsible for performing delegated- authority tasks. R5. By January 1, 2026, the BOS should consider directing HR to implement a procedure to identify and track why candidates decline job offers. R6. By January 1, 2026, the BOS should consider hiring additional HR analysts. REQUEST FOR RESPONSES Pursuant to California Penal Code § 933(b) et seq. and California Penal Code § 933.05, the 2024-2025 Contra Costa County Civil Grand Jury requests responses from the following governing bodies: