Our Voices (Fall/Winter 2020)

OUR VOICES

Brenda’s Message

Wow, what a year, but we got through it. Our HR Team continued to do so well that we have a long list of our 2019/2020 accomplishments. It is wonderful to be on such a fabulous TEAM. THANK YOU!!

We have received so many compliments on our work, how we communicated and handled the COVID-19 changes and delivered on the many other projects that were underway and have been completed.

I know that we’ve all had to adjust to the changes necessitated by COVID-19. Though it impacted every aspect of our lives, we’ve stayed connected in the virtual world. It was fun to see the Halloween Costumes, guess who the baby pictures were of, and play the games during the employee campaign. It is important to have fun in the workplace and I look forward to your ideas as to what we can do this year.

I am excited about being able to see more of us in the office soon. Though Telecommuting will be a continuing part of how we do our work, there will be more of us coming into the office whether it be fulltime or for days at a time as part of Telecommuting. We have begun setting up “hoteling stations” to accommodate telecommuting employees when they come into the office.

In many ways these are very exciting times as we get to test the changes to create a highly efficient Telecommuting work force at the County. I know that each of us are committed to the success of Telecommuting and being an example of how it makes sense.

I am eager to see what this year will bring us, and I hope that everyone’s year is off to a good start.

Brenda Diederichs Assistant CEO / HR Director

This r HR has has affected us all at work at resources and informa on -19 leaves, Details about the an updated website related to come along way

This year, HR has really shown teamwork in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic that has affected us all at work and at home. We came together as a team and provided the County with resources and information including, clarifying guidance regarding the laws associated with COVID-19 leaves, details about the Telecommuting Program, guidance regarding vaccinations, and access to an updated website related to COVID-19 concerns.

In response to the latest developments concerning the Coronavirus (COVID-19), the County of Riverside has come a long way to show support.

Class & Comp – Division Highlight

• What do you most enjoy about your team?

• Class and Comp work is very interesting and provides challenges that make it engaging. There is always more to learn in this area of HR. I enjoy my team members’ cohesion, dedication and drive to deliver the best work product possible. I also enjoy being able to work closely with a wide range of departments and divisions within HR.

• And what do you most enjoy about your workspace?

• My team has transitioned to nearly 100% telecommuting and we love it. It has provided everyone a little time back in their day by not having to commute. It has been working well for us.

• Tell us a bit about the work your team does and how it impacts the Human Resources department.

• The Class and Comp team is responsible for maintaining and administering the very building blocks of the County’s organizational structure: 1900+ job classes and 1,600+ salary plan/grades. Our work is predominantly analytical, and involves heavy research, data synthesis, and report writing. While HR is a centralized force that supports the County, Class and Comp is centralized force that supports HR itself. The classifications and salary grades that Class and Comp administers are used or referenced in some form by nearly every other division of HR. My team is also heavily involved with supporting Labor Relations with collective bargaining and the County’s grievance process when it pertains to classification and pay

• If your team could represent any superhero, who would it be and why?

• Doctor Strange. Doctor Strange’s powers and value to his team involve intellect, access to knowledge, and a constant broad awareness of what’s going on. This helps Doctor Strange see danger ahead, quickly gather intel, and then take actions to protect his team and the world. The class and comp team is also rather quiet and introverted, which can make us less understood and a bit of a mystery to others—we may even seem strange to some. Oh, and when needed, we can work magic!

CC As A Jellyfish

CONTEST

Winner: CC!

Halloween is the time of year where we can dress up as anybody or anything they want. Whether that be our idol, an awesome superhero, the alluring anti-hero, or even as your favorite animal. This year’s HR Halloween Costume Contest was a tad bit different, this time we had to hold the contest virtually. We received a lot of entries from employees with their amazing costumes, this contest was a close call, but the people of HR have spoken, they voted CC’s costume as a jellyfish (the image above) was the winning costume!

Angie As Medieval Lady

Brigette As A Clown

Melissa as Maleficent

Victoria as KISS

Jody as Mr. Rogers

Maria as Coco (Disney Pixar film) themed

Erika as Hufflepuff (from Harry Potter films)

Celeste as Day of the Dead

Eva as Day of the Dead

Angel as Mad Max

Valeria As Witch

Roni As Cat Lady

Mary As Men In Black

Laura as a Green Fairy

Sheryl As Shepherd

Cynthia as Minnie Mouse

HR Enterprise News

PeopleSoft Human Capital Management (HCM) 9.2 is live and employees throughout the County are utilizing the system for their business and self-service needs. Teams are still working to keep improving the system and add to it’s growing functionality, as well as helping employees get used to the new environment.

Remember that training and resources are available via PeopleSoft Training and Resources Site and RCIT HCM training pages.

Password Reset & Password Help

All employees will need to set up password help. This is required when password reset is needed, if you should forget your password and need to change it or when it eventually expires. To do this, open the navigation toolbar and select My System Profile at the bottom of the list.

This will open your general profile information, here you can make sure your email contact info is up to date. Click the link for “Change or set up forgotten password help,” which will take you to a page where you can set up a security question. This must

resetting your password later.

Update Your Address Online

There is no need to send forms to HR to update your home address, you can do this all from your computer now and update it immediately. To update your address simply go to the Personal Details Tile on the PeopleSoft Employee SelfService dashboard.

You will see a tile for Addresses, clicking this tile will show you the current address on file as well as your current mailing address. Clicking on either will allow you to update these. Watch this video for more information.

HOW TO SETUP FORGOT PA SSWORD

Prior to utilizing the Forgot Password functionality, you must create your email profile.

Once you have logged into the system you will Navigate to My System Profile. Navigate to NavBar: Navigator and My System Profile

Click on the ‘Change or set up forgotten password help’ link.

Complete the form and click ‘OK’

Update or verify your email address towards the bottom of the page. Click ‘Save’

To honor our veterans, we dedicated the whole month of November to share their stories and experiences of what it’s like to be a veteran employee working for the County of Riverside. Here are a few stories we would like to share with you all.

THEODORE ROBINSON III

U.S. Marine Corps - 13 ½ years

Riverside County has also provided a steppingstone for many veterans throughout the county. I would like to thank you for your support, guidance, and providing numerous jobs to our veteran community. My family and me have participated in many activities within the county and I encourage many of you to take advantage of the support and activities Riverside County has to offer.

JOANN R. MCMAHON-BRYANT

U.S. Marine Corps - 13 ½ years

I served 6 years in the US Army as a Telecommunications Center Operator. I moved to Riverside County 33 years ago from Boston, 3 years ago from Boston, and I am now married with children, and grandchildren. I am happy I was able to continue a selfless service within the County. I started my Career 15 years ago as a TAP employee. I worked with Accounting and Finance and DPSS as an OA III. I used my Veteran preference when I applied to the County, the recruiters give you much guidance and provided numerous positions that were open to me. I am currently working for the Riverside County Coroner’s Bureau where I enjoy making a difference each day to the public and personnel in need of our service.

VICTOR MENDOZA

U.S. Army - Operation Desert Storm

Ever since I was a young boy, I wanted to be a member of the military. As soon as I turned 17, I was proudly joining our US Army and in the middle of Operation Desert Storm. I was an aircraft fuel and ammunition operations team member and very fortunate to serve under some the best military leadership in the world. I left the military in 1997 and thanks to the County of Riverside veteran’s preference policy, I was able to join the County in 1999. I was hired as an appraiser for the Assessor Clerk-Recorder and have been enjoying this mission in my life ever since. I am thankful to the county of Riverside for all the opportunities to make the move from military life to civilian life easy and painless, I felt quickly adopted by a public service family.

What I am thankful for?

This year we asked for HR to reflect back on their accomplishments, whether they were professional or personal achievements. We went around to ask:

“What are you thankful for?”

In this crazy time that we are in, I feel the normal things that we take for granted are what I am most thankful for. I am thankful for my parents, who are two of the most caring people you would ever meet. My husband and daughter who always make me laugh on my own hardest days. My friends who are there no matter how much time or how many miles separate us. Lastly, my job and the people I work with. I have some pretty wonderful coworkers that I can rely on.

I’m most thankful for my family and friends. My life is so blessed with some of the most amazing people and I’m thankful for each one of them for being a part of my journey!

“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

- Melody Beattie

Kim Darby

HR Technician

Coral Quijada

HR Business Partner, Public Safety Division shares:

am thankful that during this terrible pandemic, I get to spend more time with my kids, Levi and born baby Violet!”

As an employee of Riverside County, I am thankful for a lot of things. I am blessed to work with such an amazing team in HR and I receive so much support. I am thankful for a start of a career that I can grow from and pray I can spend my next 30 years with. I enjoy hearing everyone’s stories about life, and how they have grown up with the county. I am thankful for all the experiences I am learning in my job every day, especially during these COVID times. I am so thankful for the first time in my life having one, stable job. I have always worked two jobs to put myself through school to obtain my bachelor’s degree, and my paralegal certification. I am thankful for my health and having the ability to accept change and adapt. Lastly, I am thankful for the love and support that I have from my family, my fiancé, and all my fur babies. Thank you, Riverside County, for giving me a chance to reach my potential during these COVID times.

Erika Ross

HR Office Technician I

Ashley Siegfried HR Analyst III OUR

NOVEMBER 2020

JERSEY DAY

Your favorite team’s live sports game may be cancelled this year, but you know what isn’t? The chance to show off your team by bringing out the jerseys! Here are a few of our favorites!

Isabella Ayala wearing a 49ers jersey

Stefanie Rodriguez wearing a LA Lakers jersey

VIRTUAL UGLY SWEATER

Tis the time of the year where we all stuff our bellies until we enter a food coma.

This December was a bit different here at HR without our annual Winter Holiday party, however the holiday cheer was still very much here. We asked a few employees to show us their ugly holiday sweaters

Erika Ross

Darlene Valadez