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February 2025

I N T H I S I S S U E

E O P L E F I R S T

Services are also available by appointment. Staff Directory

HR LOBBY RELOCATION, UPDATED OFFICE HOURS, AND AVAILABLE SERVICES

W-2 FORM UPDATES, MAILING ADDRESS VERIFICATION, BILINGUAL PAY, AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

How Often Do You Think About the Roman Empire?

Not often. But you know what we do think about? All.you.do.

THANK YOU PAYROLL TEAM �� – HR

It’s easy to take smooth payroll for granted. Did you wake up like this? We think so.

THANK YOU WHARF CREW

We see you putting in the time. Thank you for your care of our historic land mark!

THANK YOU STREETS TEAM

We appreciate you making Lot 6 the best it can be! Remember, everyone, slow down when you see road work.

HR CONNECT

UPCOMING TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

We have some valuable training sessions scheduled for February and March. Make sure to register by completing a Training Enrollment Form.

Here are the upcoming opportunities:

2/26/25: Diversity & Unconscious Bias

View training details all upcoming training opportunities in the Annual TrainingCalendar on the intranet.

3/06/25: Difficult Conversations (Qualifying Leadership Course)

3/18/25: The First 90 Days: Best Onboarding Practices for Welcoming and Retaining Team Members (Qualifying Leadership Course)

QUALIFYING LEADERSHIP COURSES

Courses Remain

Eager to earn a year of supervisory experience? Complete 8 leadership courses and you will receive a certificate. For full course titles and descriptions visit the Annual Training Catalog

3/18/25: First 90 Days: Onboarding

4/01/25: Exercising Management Rights

4/03/25: File That! Employee Records

4/03/25: HR: Academy

4/15/25: Trust in Action: Building Teams

5/13/25: Recognize Greatness: Appreciation

6/03/25: Neurodiversity in the Workplace

6/11/25: You’re a Supervisor: Now What?

8/19/25: Powerful Performance Measures

9/04/25: P1: Maximizing Supervisory Skills

9/11/25: Clear Communication: Leaders

9/18/25: P2: Maximizing Supervisory Skills

10/16/25: Generational Diversity

10/21/25: Develop a Leadership Mindset

HR CONNECT

CULTURE AS COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE: WHY IT MATTERS FOR CITY EMPLOYEES

At the City of Santa Cruz, workplace culture isn’t just about where we work it’s about how we work together to serve our community. A strong culture keeps us engaged, fosters collaboration and enhances public service.

�� StrongerTeams – Feeling valued boosts job satisfaction and teamwork.

�� BetterService – A supportive culture helps us serve our community effectively

�� Innovation&Collaboration – Open communication leads to creative solutions

�� Resilience – A shared culture helps us adapt to challenges

�� TalentAttraction – A great workplace culture brings in and retains top talent

Citygoalsaretostrengthenourteamsandsupporteachothertodoourbestworkeveryday!

SURVEY RESULTS & INSIGHTS | 200 RESPONSES + 38 SITE VISITS

We received 200 survey responses from a wide range of departments, including Public Works, Water, Library, Parks & Recreation, Police, Fire, HR, IT, Finance, EDH, and Planning & Economic Development. In addition, we conducted 38 site visits to gain further insights.

MOTIVATORS AND DEMOTIVATORS

Motivators:Ability to pay for life's needs, serving the community, working with a good team, learning new things, development and longevity, sense of accomplishment, and loyalty to the city

Demotivators: Being underpaid, long commutes, micromanagement, negative coworkers, being overworked, managers not listening to suggestions, frequency of new hires, blame culture, and inconsistent treatment of staff.

MargaretMead

HR CONNECT

DESIRED CHANGES

You identified several desired changes to improve our work environment:

Better inter-departmental connections

More team-building events

Increased hour flexibility

32 Hour Work Week

Greater emphasis on self-care

Reduction of outside hires (consultants)

More supervisor training

Consistent policies across departments

Better communication from HR

WHAT’S NEXT? | IN PROGRESS

ShareInsights: Departments are sharing survey insights with all staff, both general and department-specific culture related responses This is an opportunity to define and gain further understanding of feedback- like what it means to be a "good team" and what "better communication" looks like. Meanwhile, HR is translating desired changes into feasible, actionable steps.

s: Directors share department ideas and report back at the Department ch 19, 2025

TIMELINE FORTHECULTURECONVOINITIATIVE

Stage1: Collect survey data and conduct culture site visits

Stage2: Provide summaries to departments

Stage2b: Depts share culture summaries and get specifics

IN PROGRESS

Stage3: Departments report back on proposed culture changes on March 19

Stage4andOngoing: HR/Leadership prioritization, planning, and implementation of future culture changes and citywide communication for progress updates

HR CONNECT

NEW FORMS: UPDATES AND TIPS

We have exciting updates regarding frequently used forms this month Please remember, do not save forms to your personal drive Always use the forms available on the intranet to ensure you have the latest versions. The new forms include:

Supervisor Report Form

Employee Injury Form

New Medical Declination for Incidents Only

New Employee Injury form for employees requiring treatment

FFORCITY ORCITY DEPARTMENT DEPARTMENT ADMIN ADMIN TTEAMS EAMS

PAFs: Not sure what to include?

If you have any questions on how to fill out PAFs, refer to the training PowerPoints available on the PAF page or contact Katie Cote at 831.420. 5401 or Kristi Cowley at 831.420. 5407.

W-2 Update

W-2 are still in process! Check the intranet for the latest information and ensure you provide any necessary updates to your mailing address.