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12-10-19 Rising TIDES Agenda Packet REGULAR MEETING AGENDA 1. Call to Order 2. Attendance/Roll Call 3. Approval of Agenda 4. Approval of November 12, 2019 Minutes 5. Recommendations: Diversifying Employee Recruitment 6. Open Forum Planning 7. Adjournment December 10, 2019 – 5:15 pm Council Conference Room Golden Valley City Hall 7800 Golden Valley Road Rising TIDES Task Force REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 5:16 pm by Chair Allen. Roll Call Members present: Joelle Allen, Ajani Woodson, Ruth Paradise, Amber Alexander, Melissa Johnson, and Maurice Harris Members absent: Sam Powers, Sheri Hixon, and Brad Davis Staff present: Maria Cisneros, City Attorney Approval of Agenda MOTION by Vice Chair Harris and seconded by Member Alexander to approval agenda. Motion carried 6-0. Approval of Minutes MOTION by Vice Chair Harris to approve the September 10, and October 12, 2019 meeting minutes. Motion carried 6-0. Recap Open Forum Members discussed key takeaways from the October Open Forum, including considering informal ways to collect data and feedback at places where community members frequent, providing meals or changing the time to accommodate mealtime, and engaging with high school students by connecting with superintendents. The Members also discussed the format of the event. Members agreed that the format worked, but the timing felt rushed. Members suggested allowing more time for individuals to process their ideas before sharing with their small groups, and to allow for deeper discussion, focusing on less topics. The Task Force decided to consider how the topics overlap so questions are not repeated. Members agreed that providing the recommendations for each topic ahead of time and creating a survey for individuals could increase participation. Additionally, the Members would like to consider additional promotional methods. Members were disappointed that there were not many members of the public in attendance. Members suggested promoting the next forum with language that highlights that importance of the event and explains to individuals why they should show up. Further suggestions included: considering additional locations, shorter meetings, and diversifying meeting times. Members agreed it may be helpful to host tables at other events, such as farmer’s market to gather feedback and promote the next forum. The Task Force discussed the timeframe of the upcoming forum. The group agreed that a forum in late February/early March, tied into Black History Month and Women’s History Month, would be better than January. November 15, 2019 – 5:15 pm Council Conference Room Golden Valley City Hall 7800 Golden Valley Road MEETING MINUTES – Rising TIDES Task Force November 12, 2019 2 The Task Force discussed implementing a “deadline” for phase I, and discussed the continuation of the Task Force past phase I. The Members agreed that a continuation of the Task Force into an “implementation phase” would be appropriate. Task Force members agreed that active member attendance is pertinent. Members agreed to look to their current networks for individuals who could be active participants to fill the remaining spots. Member Paradise asked the Task Force to consider discussing issues at their meetings, rather than focusing solely on processes. The Task Force agreed that it might be helpful to start off each meeting with a brief discussion of related issues prior to discussing the topic. Topic Discussion: Diversifying Employee Recruitment The Task Force asked if the City has recruitment or representation goals. City Attorney Cisneros shared some government regulations related to setting recruitment benchmarks based on protected class status, including the details and requirements of an affirmative action plan. Cisneros shared that affirmative action plans must be supported with data and, therefore, can be expensive to develop and maintain. Chair Allen stated that it may be worth looking into affirmative action plans from surrounding cities and using their data to set recruitment benchmarks, which may cut costs. Commissioner Alexander proposed that as an alternative the City could post a value statement that reflects its desire to have a team that represents the community. Cisneros shared that one strategy that the City uses is to incorporate equity, inclusion, and diversity values as well as use of the welcome statement into the interview process. Commissioners discussed other recruitment strategies. The strategies discussed included reviewing advertisements, including language that reduces barriers like minimum qualifications, recruiting from schools where curriculum focuses on diversity and inclusion, and offering paid and unpaid internships. Commissioner Alexander shared with the group some tenants of a successful diverse recruitment strategy. Suggestions included: • Ensuring that the whole team of leaders are part of the process, and it is not solely a human resources function. • Engage all employees to be “recruiters” for the City. • Building diverse networks. • Focusing on internal talent and providing opportunities for employees • Ensuring the interview panel is chosen intentionally. The Task Force discussed engaging with current employees to understand who they are and what their aspirations are as a way to focus on internal talent. The Task Force also recognized that the opportunities for movement are sometimes limited based on the tenure of employees, the competitive market, and potentially lower pay than in the private sector. Therefore, the City should focus on how the work makes an impact. The group also suggested offering recruitment training, developing a career philosophy, and recruiting for baseline and building skills internally. The group asked about the City’s history of attending diversity career fairs. The Task Force also posed the topic of retention and creating a welcoming and inclusive environment, allowing individuals to be authentic. The Task Force will continue to discuss ways the City can build and enhance its culture. MEETING MINUTES – Rising TIDES Task Force November 12, 2019 3 Adjournment MOTION by Member Alexander. Seconded by Member Paradise. Meeting adjourned at 6:22 pm. _______________________________ Joelle Allen, Chair ATTEST: _________________________________ Kirsten Santelices, Human Resources Director Topic: Diversifying Employee Recruitment The Task Force was pleased to hear the policies and protocols already put in place by the HR department at the City. To further support these efforts, the Task Force discussed ideas/tactics in the following areas: • Internal Culture • Leader (hiring manager) Ownership • Recruiting Practices • Pipeline Building Internal Culture: The Task Force agreed on the importance of potential employees understanding Golden Valley’s values as it relates to diversity and inclusion. A few ideas to ensure those values are front and center for internal and external candidates include: • Include City values in all job postings • Create a “career” value statement to be used internally and externally – which will help candidates know what to expect from a career with Golden Valley o E.g. ‘ We are invested in you – whether you are looking for a job for a year or your long- term career’ • Conduct ‘stay interviews’ with current employees – Why do they stay? What do they like about working for the city? • Conduct a ‘sense of belonging’ exercise with employees – how do we continue to create a culture you want to be a part of? How can we further improve? • Further articulate skills the city needs to “buy” vs. what the city is willing/able to “build” (teach) Leader Ownership: Leaders/Hiring Managers are often the first line of contact between potential employees and the city – making their role in the recruitment process even more important that the HR department. Ideas to upskill leaders in the recruitment and retention of diverse employees include: • Create a forum or venue for leaders to know the skills and interests of their current employees so they can advocate for them as openings occur o E.g. Institute a practice of employees completing internal resumes • Provide training for all hiring managers on how to effectively source and recruit talent o E.g. Train them on how to use LinkedIn, set commitments for attending events with strong diversity in the attendees • Leaders set personal goals on how they want to broaden their networks/build pipelines for future openings o E.g. meet one new person in my industry per quarter Recruiting Practices: Without much detail on the current recruitment practices, the Task Force wanted to highlight a few ideas to consider (these may already be in practice – but we wanted to highlight them in case): • Create/re-word interview questions to understand how candidates understand/showcase the City’s values • Experiment with job titles/posting (advertisement) language to see if it produces broader, diverse pools • Review “experience” requirements on job descriptions to ensure no implicit bias is impacting candidate pool • Review where recruitment efforts are deployed to ensure diverse outreach o E.g. colleges with D&I focuses (Augsburg, Hamline); Twin Cities People of Color Career Fair Pipeline Building: Building a pipeline of potential talent/employees should start well ahead of an opening occurring. The Task Force discussed the following ideas/ways to build a pipeline for positions: • Early education about careers in Government – build knowledge and awareness about opportunities in Government o Attend events/build relationships with local High Schools o Make connections with GED students • Increase presence at local colleges with specific Civics/Government/Diversity & Inclusion programs • Conducting a referral bonus program with current city employees – encouraging them to refer great talent for open roles o If someone is hired based on a referral, the current employee wins a gift card or monetary reward Most of the ideas laid out above could be put into practice immediately – pending the capacity of the HR department. The Task Force is happy to continue to consult with the HR department should they have additional questions.