GEORGIA MERIT SYSTEM vision is to champion workforce excellence in delivery aervices to our customers and the citizens of Georgia. mission is to provide leadership in employment ns, staffing, compensation, benefits, and training s that enables state government to accomplish its ic business objectives. RVICE STRATEGY AN; ARE; CUSTOMIZE. CORE VALUES WE VALUE: Strategic alignment with customer expectations and goal achievement Diversity of people, ideas and customers Collaboration, consensus and empowerment Timely and meaningful communication A competent workforce that is accountable in its duties to the State New challenges and opportunities Best practices and continuous process improvement Quality leadership and innovations Employee development and continuous learning a Message from tlte Comm1991 To our employees, agency customers, state government lead~ and Georgia citizens: It is my pleasure to present our Fiscal Year 2000 Progress Report. report provides evidence of the agency's commitment to our valued success in carrying out that commitment. In keeping with the new vision and mission of the agency and the strategic plan, we broadened our focus on the 21st Century workforce by addressing current and needs of state government. There are many indications that statewide workforce planning is a strategy whose time has (X) like Georgia, are facing dire difficulties in hiring. They, like Georgia, are experiencing tremendo they, like Georgia, have an aging workforce. Workforce requirements are changing. Employees and applicants are no longer setting salary as when deciding to remain in, or while searching for a job. Other work life issues are equally as im. and family life issues seek a new balance and as the population ages, the state workforce likely face the challenges of recruitment and retention. Because those challenges are before us, the committed to provide services that help agencies hire and develop their personnel, and provide emp valued benefits through HR innovations and modern technology. The 2000 General Assembly enacted Act 847, which requires all agencies to develop a workforce p of their strategic plan. Recognizing that this planning process requires inclusive involvement from aJI government, the Merit System began the process of coordinating and facilitating a Workforce Planning Committee of key agency heads. The Committee began the process of developing planning strategies to workforce dynamics such as turnover, recruitment and selection, compensation, performance diversity, temporary/ contingent staffing, and succession planning. As we look ahead to the next decade, we are committed to meeting the new expectations of eaq, applicants, agencies and the citizens of Georgia. The Merit System is directing vigorous effort toward in the delivery of services to our customers and to leadership in planning strategies for a skilled, knowledgeable, and conscientious workforce that can carry out the business objectives of the state productively and efficiently. The workforce is the key ingredient to any effort, priority or expenditure of government. Sincerely, Marjorie H. Young, Commissioner Fiscal Year 2000 H-iglillglrh;: 4Cmographic data tailored to their agency. ~eral Assembly and signed by Governor Barnes, requiring all agencies to part of their strategic plan. The Merit System began organizing a Workforce of key agency heads to assist in developing plans to implement a strategic e planning. The goal of the Committee is to determine current and future op strategies to meet those needs. the Governor's Office and legislative committees. market analysis of compensation and workforce statistics for each agency in University of Georgia and Georgia State University to ascertain employees' performance management and pay-for-performance system, currently known implementation of Merit System Reform. a committee of key agency heads to assist in evaluating the current pay-for-performance systems. forms, applicants for many state government jobs can now apply online. In January the state's job vacancy posting site (called The JobSite) to include online application for through June, over 25,000 online resumes and applications were input to the database JobSite receives an average of 500,000 visits each month. an initiative to implement safety-related training and education strategies in state ation Development Division in collaboration with the Department of ent and Workers' Compensation explored strategies for implementation of train- 'shments as a part of this initiative include: cy Safety Advisory Council. The Council is comprised of state agencies that of their mission and state organizations that are impacted by safety issues because ptacti.ces in public sector and private sector organizations. Web site as a communication vehicle for safety-related educational information. offering direct deposit for reimbursement of health care and dependent care transfer reduced the amount of time it takes employees to receive reimbursement three days after processing. which includes provisions for process improvement and monetary rewards for ees, was amended to include unclassified state employees. 2000 General Assembly amended the program to include special recognition de meaningful recognition and thanks, in the form of a watch or plaque, to m State service. 9'able of Con Compensation and Staffing ..... . ..................... ... Flexible Benefits and Deferred Compensation. ..... . ........ . .. . Customer Services .......................... . ... . ... .. .. .. Training and Organization Development .............. . ........ . Communications and Marketing: E-commerce, Publications, Reports Fiscal Year 2000 Personnel Legislation Summary . . ... . .. .. . ... . . GMS Leadership Team ............. ... ..................... . State Personnel Board and Employee Benefit Plan Council ~ 2000, the Compensation and Staffing ntinued its focus of providing professional e (HR) management practices that are oo:eaisect productivity and improved customer Compensation and Staffing specialties include: measuring and assessing performance- ~ worker competencies; -promoting state government as an employer and facilitating the application process; managing and developing statewide compensation-reward systems; and consulting with agencies on best practices, customized HR solutions and legal compliance. FY the capabilis of The JobSite were developed and implemented to complete an Internetb a s e d process for the posting of jobs by customer agencies, as well as the application for jobs through the use of an online resume building tool. The access and utilization of these functionalities have been shown to increase in substantial numbers as the state transitions from a paper-driven to an electronic process to advertise and recruit for job candidates. The]obSittr. has 649 registered users representing 137 agencies (a 250% increase and 100% increase, respectively, over FY 1999) averages over 500,000 combined job hunter and recruiter visits per month. has listed 4,200 job postings during this reporting period. has established 19,200 "applicant accounts" between January 1, 2000 and June 30, 2000 (since inception of the Applicant Resource Center) 'Recruihnen f In an effort to reach potential top applicants just entering the job market, during FY 2000 Compensation and Staffing recruitment specialists continued the semiannual visits to selected colleges, universities and technical colleges. During the Fall 1999 effort, 13 institutions were visited. Ten institutions were visited during the Spring 2000 tour. Presentations were made and on-site testing services were made available to those in attendance. Job Ma r ke f 'Research Compensation and Staffing conducts state-of-the-art job market research and analysis with the goal of providing agencies with tools to help them determine appropriate salaries for their employees and of comparing the competitiveness of state salaries with the overall job market. In FY 2000, market data was collected for almost 500 jobs covering almost 51,000 employees. Three major job market surveys (of the southeastern states, of Georgia health care employers, and of Georgia counties, municipalities, and local school systems) were conducted. Customized salary surveys or studies were conducted for several agencies, including the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority and Public Health Desi,sdtrisicatbi2li'tiinesaadddjiutidoincattoiolna,wanednfeomrcpelmoyeenet,bseonceifailtss.ervic- In addition, the 1999 Job Market Salary Report, which compiles salary data for the Merit System's major surveys and from salary surveys purchased from human resource consulting firms, was developed and distributed to agencies. The Job Market Salary Report provides agencies with market analysis for select jobs in the information technology and accounting fields. This year's report was expanded to include market data for agency unique jobs as well as for common jobs. Each year the division compiles data on state jobs, state salaries, and the competitiveness of state salaries to the overall job market in an extensive report for the Governor, the Office of Planning and Budget and the Legislature as a basis for appropriations decisions affecting pay for state employees. Opplicanf Ossessmenf ':ierv fces FY 1999 projects to develop and implement behavioral interviewing processes for Special Agent positions in the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, and for Child Support Enforcement Agent positions in the D epartment of Human Resources continued into FY 2000. Both projects included developing training materials and conducting the training of agency hiring managers in the use of the process. Preliminary work was also begun on developing a similar process for Auditor positions in the D epartment of Audits. A validation of a physical fitness test for the selection of Tactical Squad member in the Department of Corrections was completed. Job analysis was completed and selection process development was begun for Assistant Financial Examiner in Banking and Finance. Agreement in principle was reached with the Department of Human c:bila Resources to measure job performance and develop a competency model for superior performance in The division also assisted agencies with the screening of applicants by administering work sample tes llqQ applicant qualifications. Of the more than 16,000 tests administered in FY 2000, more than 75 percent request for jobs unique to the individual agency. Qualifications assessment decisions continued to be a much requested service utilized by the customer agencie this reporting period. The types of assessment decisions accomplished by staff are reflected as follows: 24,651 requests for Statement of Eligibility review 9,993 training and experience evaluations 2,198 approvals of qualifications of a complex nature for written tests f:afr Labor ':ifa ndards Compliance The division continued to offer services to strengthen the capacity of state agencies to deal with compliance is the Fair Labor Standards Act. Division staff: responded to agency requests for information on FLSA and guidance on such issues as work hours, overtime and granting compensatory time off participated in the development of the statewide policy for emergency response and subsequent overtime compensation The division also continued its role as liaison with the Attorney General's Office and a private-sector employment law firm and as designated investigator for state employee FLSA complaints to the U.S. Department of Labor. Job Onal11s fs ':ierv fces In FY 2000, the division analyzed, classified and made pay recommendations for 15 positions for the Soil and Wa~ Conservation Commission; 16 positions at Albany Area Community Service Board; and for all positions in the Workers Compensation Specialist job series at Subsequent Injury Trust Fund. Over 50 common jobs were developed for the conversion of "A" code jobs and hourly positions used in the Phoenix H R System. Approximately 880 job actions were processed to include the review and/ or development of new agency-unique jobs, job description changes, paygrade changes, clerical changes, and job inactivations. Division manages the Deferred Compensation and Flexible Benefits Programs. E mployee Benefits d both change and growth during FY 2000. In keeping with maximizing pre-tax benefits to loyee Benefits Plan Council authorized the addition of several options to the Flexible Benefits offerings include: d dental plan, and a dental plan that includes periodontal surgery through Spectera f Life insurance coverage for employees from 3 to 5 times annual salary, and an increase in ;verage rtation benefits that allow employees to save on work-related commuting expenses. int effort by the Merit System, D epartment of Administrative Services, and G eorgia ty. a cancer/dread health supplement was also explored. Hon Program sivmmar11 Wfogt:am provides state employees with tax-efficient and cost-effective supplemental tment options. 457 Plan Date # enrolled Change 06/30/98 19 ,092 1,311 06/30/99 18 ,975 (1 17) 06/30/00 18,599 (376 ) Enrollment % change FY 98-00 = -3% Assets% change FY 98-00 = 31% % change 7% - 1% -2% Assets 388 ,104 ,810.45 461 ,350,277.67 508 ,529 ,950 .00 Change % change 79 ,277 ,697 26% 73,245,467 19% 47,179,672 10% 401{k} Plan Date # enrolled Change 06/30/98 5,996 1,876 06/30/99 10 ,729 4 ,733 06/30/00 13,383 2,654 Enrollment % change FY 98-00 = J23% Assets % change FY 98-00 = 301 % Combined 457 and 401 {k} Plans Date # enrolled Change 06/30/98 25 ,088 3,187 06/30/99 29 ,704 4 ,616 06/30/00 31 ,982 2,278 Enrollment % change FY 98-00 =27% Assets % change FY 98-00 = 39% % change 46% 79% 25 % Assets 12,137,61 4.00 29 ,020 ,336 .00 48,712 ,383.00 Change 8 ,754 ,015 16,882 ,722 19,692 ,047 % change 259% 139% 68% % change 15% 18% 8% Assets 400 ,242 ,424.45 490 ,370 ,613.67 557 ,24 2 ,33 3 .00 Change % change 88 ,031 ,712 28% 90 ,128 ,1 89 23% 66,87 1,71 9 14% llment including Employer Contribution and Rollovers Total Plan Assets as of June 30, 2000 = $557,242 ,333 Total Enrollment as of June 30, 2000 = 31 ,982 {:lex{ble 8 enefffs ':;ummar11 Based on 85 ,649 active employees- Fiscal Year 2000 Flexible Benefi ts include: Term Life Insurance, Dependent Life Insurance, Accidental Death and D ism Insurance, Short-term and Long-term Disability Insurance, Spending Accounts (healthcare and dependent Insurance, and Vision Insurance. All except Dependent Life, Short-tern Disability, Legal Insurance, and Care Insurance are before-tax deductions, which result in a tax-savings for employees. Fiscal Year 2000 Fiscal Year 1999 Product # enrolled % active emp. Total premiums # enrolled Total premiums Life Insurance - 1 Life Insurance - 2 Life Insurance - 3 Life Insura nce - 4 Life Insurance - 5 Total 14,383 19,361 19,733 11 ,854 3 823 69,154 16.79 22.60 23.03 13.84 4.46 80.74 111,096 262,342 383,576 302,115 74620 1,133,751 18,990 22,138 25,580 66,708 165,338 317,366 507,363 990,068 Accid. Death & dismbr. Accid. Death & dismbr. Accid. Death & dismbr. Accid. Death & dismbr. Accid. Death & dismbr. Total 11,696 10,810 20,390 6,968 13,762 63,626 13.65 12.62 23.80 8.13 16.06 74.28 13,527 25,054 72,238 34,074 79,170 224,064 12,753 12,144 37,296 62,193 14,992 28,702 134,779 178,474 Dependent Life -1 De~endent Life -2 Total 16,293 23,652 39,945 19.02 27.61 46.63 32,911 95,554 128,465 39,497 39,497 86,893 86,893 Short-term disab.+Soc.Se Short-term disab. -Soc.S Total 31,679 63 31 ,742 36.98 0.07 37.06 283,814 685 284,500 29,981 57 30,038 249,866 550 250,417 Long-term disab. -Ret. + Long-term disab. +Ret. + Long-term disab. -Ret. Long-term disab. +Ret. Total 27,375 10,813 95 49 38,332 31.96 12.62 0.11 0.05 44.75 285,849 91 ,716 1,123 553 379,243 26,760 9,866 81 32 36,739 291 ,427 87,003 995 395 379,823 Dental - Single Dental - Family Dental, PPO - Single Dental, PPO - Family Dental PRPD - Single Dental PRPD - Famill'. Total 19,418 19,510 4,260 4,344 1,888 2,366 51 ,786 22.67 22.77 4.97 5.07 2.20 2.76 60.46 360,786 1,070,123 54,016 162,291 27,338 85,412 1,759,969 17,675 19,166 3,956 4,291 45,088 292,694 924,367 43,951 138,513 1,399,526 Spending Acct. - Health 9,345 10.91 605,720 9,414 548,543 Sj!ending Acct. - Dej!end. 1,048 1.22 244,735 1,096 246,269 ' l Total Legal Insurance - Single Legal Insurance - Famil,r 10,393 4,324 4,345 12.13 5.04 5.07 850,455 38,483 49,967 10,510 4,078 4,553 794,812 36,294 52,359 Total 8,669 10.12 88,451 8,631 88,653 Long-term care - base 2,466 2.87 47,481 Long-term care - Intlat. 202 0.23 14,080 Long-term care - Reduc. 172 0.20 5,579 Long-term care Intlat. P 74 0.08 7,440 Total 2,914 3.40 74,581 2,482 184 201 73 2,940 51 ,574 12,439 6,994 7,167 78,175 Vision - Single Vision - Famill'. Total 17,156 151628 32,784 20.03 18.24 38.27 93,500 236,764 330,264 d and provide services that respond guickly and appropriately "t System realigned several units to create the Customer Service focused division provides a single point of contact for all Merit s that are designed to assist agencies in assessing, developing, their workforce, and enhancing employment relations. Relations achieved impressive outcomes including the Alternative which aided in resolving conflict at the lowest possible level. training and coordination of a pool of certified mediators and cerThis year Employee/Management Relations: mediators tion practicums for 23 veteran mediators new hearing officers ~ officers to cases assistance to over 5,000 employees and managers "cal assistance to over 11,000 Web site inguiries 00 percent of requested mediations with agreement of the Customer Service Division is policy and procedure development and review, and the production ployee handbooks. Last year the division developed and distributed over 3,900 customized employee 4 agencies. Staff also guided agencies in the development of five policy manuals and developed and template on the Web site. _.r.,m,TafoT'l/ Servfces regulatory services include State Personnel Board Rule development, distribution, and interpretation. 2000, the Customer Service Division provided policy/rules technical assistance to over 200 agency HR e division also provided technical assistance to over 400 managers and employees for Equal Employment 'ty, ADA, and the Medical and Physical Examination Program. ONTRIBl Charffable Confr{buHon s Progra m The State Charitable Contributions program is a statewide, community-based program that provides an opportunity for employees to donate to charities of their choice through payroll deductions. State employees and employees of the Georgia university systems contributed $2.7 million during fiscal year 2000. Gmplo11ees' SuggesHon Program The Employees' Suggestion Program, which includes provisions for process improvement and monetary rewards for adopted suggestions by state employees, was amended (effective July 1, 2000) to include unclassified state employees. Twenty-seven suggestions were processed during FY 2000. Two state employees' suggestions were adopt- ed and generated more than $163,000 in savings to the state. '71,e f:affhful S ervice Owards Program This program recognizes graduated years of employee service with a pin and/ or certificate. The program was amend- ed (effective July 1, 2000) through legislation to include special recognition for retirees. Awards based on graduated years of service were presented to 9,989 employees. Medical and Ph11s fcal GxamfnaHon Program and Sfafe Drug CfesHng The Medical and Physical Examination Program assures that applicants meet the standards of medical and physical fitness as prescribed by law. Statewide drug testing includes pre-employment drug testing, random testing of employees in high-risk jobs, and critical incident alcohol/drug testing programs. The division administered 10,779 random drug tests during FY 2000. Training and Organization Development Division provides, customizes and coordinates statewide training for government employees. The Merit System Training Center, located in Decatur, provides teleconferencing, features satellite downlink facilities and an education and training resource library. The division also assists state agencies in assessing job-related skills needed to hire, train and develop employee competencies in the following areas: Management and Supervisory Training Secretarial and Support Staff Communication Skills Development Workplace Skills Development Trainer Skills Development Professional Secretaries Development Program O ccomplfshmenfs and O cHviHes for f:iscal ]1ear 2000 Developed a three-phase Pre-Supervisory Training Program in collaboration with DHR's Division of Rehabilitation Services. Provided training and administrative support for the State Financial Management Certificate Program (the University of Georgia) and the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing Training Program (DOAS State Purchasing). Implemented the PMP Performance Expectations and Measures database. This web-based resource provides managers with model performance expectations. The division also coordinated the publication of Georgia Interagency PMPT calendars for statewide Performance Management Process training classes. Coordinated and administered the Training/ PeopleSoft Focus Group, which is a multi-agency group that focused on administering the training module of PeopleSoft (Phoenix HRMIS). This group developed change requests designed to increase the utilization of the training administration module and to make it more useable. Developed a training needs assessment survey for D OAS State Purchasing. Coordinated the Ninth Annual Professional D evelopment Conference for Support Staff that was attended by 341 individuals from 82 state government organizations. Provided GSAMS and distant learning support services to multiple agencies including the Georgia Cancer Registry and various county offices of DHR's Department of Family and Children Direct Delivery Qf Training Services for FY 2000 Classroom Training Participants Session Locations Organizational Entities 6,442 418 248 Performance Management/ Performance Training (PMPT) 438 23 111 Services and the Division of Public New PMPT Instructors 21 2 6 Health. Courses via Telecourse/Satellite 670 9 59 Received approval for 20 Georgia Merit System Support Staff Conference 341 82 courses to qualify for POST certification. Trainers' Conference 135 37 e changes &om a paper-based to an electronic-based medium, access to services continue to escalate. By capturing the power the Internet, the Merit System is moving steadily forward with new matnres aimed at enhancing service delivery to our customers through To provide the greatest benefit to our customers, we are constantly improving the Merit System's Web site's content and functions. In iupgraded the state's job vacancy posting site (called The JobSite) to include tion for state employment. The JobSite averages half a million visits th. Both applicant and agencies have embraced these services and are vigorously as like services are used in the private sector. this year, the Merit System began offering direct deposit for reimbursement care and dependent care spending accounts. Although electronic fund transfer is not new technology, being offer it provides the prompt service that employees who benefit from Flexible Spending Accounts want. We also transferring paper- and labor-intensive processes as the annual Flexible Benefits Open Enrollment, the Charitable ti.ons Program, and the Employees' Suggestion Program to Internet-based systems. Automating these processes hip with the new Georgia Technology Authority will save the state considerable money and make enrollment cipation more convenient for most employees. tance of online learning is growing. As the methods and techniques for online training evolve to utilize more capacities of Internet technology, educational possibilities will be infinite. Our Training Division began exploring 'pOSSibilities and looking for ways to adapt them to the training needs of state employees. Vision. A quarterly newsletter published by the Georgia Merit System that communicates news of person- trends and events that affect successful management of state agencies and employee productivity, efficiency and satisfaction. During FY 2000 more than 6,000 newsletters were distrib- ,........,,.......,_~ _..._...._..._.....-____...___..,____ State Health Benefit Plan Offers PPO Option in place of Stondard Op...,t.ion ._ , .,,...., .. _