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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-09 MAB Monthly Divisional Activities Summary (September)MAB MONTHLY DIVISIONAL ACTIVITY REPORT – SEPTEMBER 2026 Submitted by Sommer J. Tokihiro, Director, Department of Human Resources ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DIVISION • Continue to process personnel action forms, Flexible Spending Plan change in status forms, and leave sharing requests. • Continue to provide CoHnect training and support to departmental HR staff. • Working with Oracle to address problems in CoHnect. CLASSIFICATION & PAY DIVISION • Since the start of the fiscal year, C&P has been actively working on amending classes of work, creating new classes, and processing various position actions. • We have also begun the process of identifying when all position descriptions in the County have last been updated. The searchable database we completed last fiscal year has been helpful and we continue to keep that updated as changes to requirements are made. • Total completed since the start of the fiscal year: o New Classes Created: July (2) and August (2) o Class Specification Amendments: July (2) and August (32) o Review/Response to Jurisdiction Intent to Adopt New Classes of Work: July (1) and August (1) EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/ADA DIVISION • Continue to receive internal and external inquiries, complaints, and requests related to employment matters and reasonable accommodations/modifications. • A total of 11 inquiries/complaints received in August: One of the 11 was related to EO issues/concerns; and 10 of the 11 were related to ADA reasonable accommodations/modifications, issues, and/or concerns. • Continue to work with IT and departments on WCAG 2.1 AA compliance with the new effective date of 04/26/27. • Conducted monthly Anti-Discrimination and Harassment training. Received a request for training from the Hawaiʻi Fire Department for new recruits (training held 09/03/26). Page 2 of 5 HEALTH & SAFETY DIVISION • Met with Meadow Gold concerning boiler burn-off odors affecting Parks Maintenance Base Yard in Hilo. • Coordinated Emergency Operations Center-Call Center coverage for Hurricane Lala. • Coordinated Emergency Operations Center-Call Center coverage for Tropical Storm Moke. • Assisted with Damage Assessments post-Lala in Hilo, upper and lower Puna, Pāhala, and Nāʻālehu. • Participated in ADA site visit to the new Licensing and Motor Vehicle Registration Office in the old Bank of Hawai‘i building on Pauahi Street. • Coordinate assessments on heavy machinery and CDL operations for DEM: 2-sewer repairer and 3-EO III positions. • Participated in HIOSH Training and Consultation visits to Pāhoa and Hilo stations for HPD. • Assist P&R-Recreation Division with citation management and abatement for recently received HIOSH citation. • Discussion with Animal Control Agency Administrator regarding the Violence in the Workplace Policy/Procedure. • Conducted ergonomic assessment for workers’ compensation claimant that has a new workstation/set-up at the new Licensing/MVR Office. • Starting random vehicle/driver inspections as part of the Fleet Safety Awareness Program. • Provide assistance to DEM SW regarding PPE request for old Kealakehe landfill site. • Continue to work on bringing DQF into compliance with FMCSRs. • Continue to update Driver Improvement Program. • SDICs working on American Heart Association Heartsaver Instructor credentials with HFD Training Center. • SDICs began CDL training for P endorsement, completing the Entry Level Driver Training Program since they both have never held the endorsement before. Anticipate licensure by the end of September. • SDICs continue to work on updating heavy equipment training programs. • SDICs continue to create/update various driving programs and evaluation forms for division use. • Continue to work with UPW on County CDL Training Program. • Continue to work on temporary hazard pay request received by HFD from HGEA for WSO during Kona Low storms. • Continue discussion with Finance regarding procurement related to union contract. • Continue to assist Animal Control with the creation of various safety programs for their personnel and facility. • Continue to work on building an Intranet accessible library in SharePoint for H&S training topics/videos, important calendar reminders, etc. • Continue to work on updating H&S policies. • Continue to work on Powered Industrial Truck/Mobile Elevated Work Platform policy. Page 3 of 5 LABOR RELATIONS DIVISION • Provide guidance and support to departments regarding the application of collective bargaining provisions, the grievance process, consultations with the unions and other labor-related matters. • Prepared wage data reports for employees in all bargaining units as requested by State Department of Budget and Finance. • Met with County stakeholders and representatives from Oracle to develop a report to extract employee and position information needed for wage data reports. • Worked with the Department of Finance on revisions to the County’s Travel Reimbursement Policy and Procedure to comply with recently negotiated travel provisions for employees in Bargaining Units 02, 03, 04, 12, and 13. • Attended training on Creating Accessible Documents to ensure division’s ability to comply with WCAG requirements. PERSONNEL & ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (POD) DIVISION • There has been much interest in the new ʻImi Ka ʻIke, ʻImi Ka Hana (Seek Knowledge, Explore Work) Program for high school students. So far we have done presentations at Keaʻau High and Pāhoa High, and another scheduled with Kaʻu High on 09/11/26. In addition, Waiakea High has notified their students of this program, and we have already seen their students start to apply. More outreach efforts are underway to reach West Hawaiʻi schools. As of 09/04/26, a total of 46 students has already applied for the program. We are working with Workforce Development to advertise the program and help place students that are not interested in careers that the county offers, but other career paths such as health care, etc. • We have received seven Mentee applications for our Mentor Program. Program orientation will be held on 09/15/26 for both Mentees and Mentors. A kick-off meeting will be held on 09/25/26 at Gilbert Kahele Recreational Center so that each pairing can meet, connect, and start scheduling their meetings. The program will run from October 2026 through March 2027. • In addition to the 80’s Prom Themed Murder Mystery Event, that is scheduled for October 17th, we have added a “Clay-nection” Pottery Painting Networking Event on October 3rd. This event has had a lot of interest and is already full. Our goal is to help employees meet and connect with other employees from various departments across the County, all while having fun. • We have received approval to use Training Funds to bring in more supplemental training for County employees. The following classes have been added for Fall 2026: o 09/22/26: How to Interact With The Houseless Community (Kona) o 09/23/26: Navigating the Multi-Generational Workplace (Hilo) o 09/29/26: Master of the Storm (Conflict Management) (Hilo) o 10/07/26: Navigating the Multi-Generational Workplace (Kona) o 10/21/26: The Power of Stories (Hilo) o 11/06/26: Project Management Workshop (Hilo) o 12/11/26: Civility in the Workplace (Hilo) • In addition to Supervisory Training, two New Hire Orientations were conducted this month, one in Hilo and one for Fire Fighter Recruits. One Customer Service Training was provided in Hilo. Page 4 of 5 RECRUITMENT & EXAMINATION DIVISION Continuous Recruitment Update For August 2026 • Started with 42 continuous recruitments • Closed 8 continuous recruitments • Changed 16 recruitments to continuous recruitments • Ended with 50 continuous recruitments • Continuous recruitments increased by 8 in August 2026 Closed • Animal Transfer & Outreach Coordinator • Automotive Mechanic I • Contracts Technician • Legal Clerk III • Legal Clerk IV • Planning Inspector I • Police Evidence Custodian • Transit Vehicle Mechanic I Changed To Continuous • Aging and Disability Services Specialist I • Assistant Plumbing Inspector • Automotive Mechanic I • Civil Defense Staff Officer (Plans) • Community Service Worker III • Deputy Building Chief • Driver License Examiner I • Electrical Engineer II • Investigator IV • Kennel Technician • Planner V • Plumber • Plumbing Inspector • Program Manager (Finance) • Senior Account Clerk • Transit Vehicle Mechanic I Working On The Following To Boost Recruitment: • Attended the following career fairs/events: o 08/29/2026: Pacific Media Group and the Hawaiʻi Island Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Career Fair Prince Kuhio Plaza • Signed up to attend the following upcoming career fairs: o 10/07/2026: UH Mānoa Fall Career Fair, UH Mānoa Campus Center Ballroom (Recruitment & Examination Division continues on the next page.) Page 5 of 5 Other Activities/Projects: • Recruitment staff have completed the administration and scoring of the Police Officer I (Recruit) written examination on 08/27/2026. • HR Manager continues to assist the Fire Commission with conducting the recruitment of the Fire Chief. • The Recruitment and Examination team created and launched the following recruitment videos on our social media platforms: o Sewer Maintenance Repairer – Department of Environmental Management o Office Assistant III – Various Departments • The Office Assistant III recruitment is currently open, with a closing date of 09/08/26. Since the recruitment remains open, recruitment data is not yet available to assess the impact of the video. • The team created and posted two recruitment videos for the Office Assistant III position. The first video was posted on August 28, 2026, and generated the following engagement: o 14,085 combined views on Instagram and Facebook o 9 new Instagram followers o 60 Instagram profile views o 28 clicks from the Instagram profile link to the County’s jobs website • The second video posted on August 30, 2026, generated: o 12,372 combined views on Instagram and Facebook o 8 new Instagram followers o 106 Instagram profile views o 63 clicks from the Instagram profile link to the County’s jobs website The R&E team will continue identifying positions to feature in the Mālama in Action Series and coordinating with County departments to capture additional “Day in the Life” footage that showcases the variety of careers and meaningful work performed throughout the County of Hawaiʻi. WORKERS’ COMPENSATION DIVISION • There are 256 open workers’ compensation claims. • We are actively recruiting to fill our Account Clerk position through open-competitive recruitment. • We will meet with the Department of Environmental Management to discuss their open claims. • We continue to work with our medical bill auditing contractor to address bill disputes with vendors to comply with the Workers’ Compensation Medical Fee Schedule.