Description
    The Personnel Division is a proactive, strategic business partner of the City committed to providing quality service in all personnel operations. All 800+ employees of the City of Danbury are serviced with integrity, responsiveness, and sensitivity. Personnel establishes, administers, and effectively communicates sound policies, rules and practices that treat employees with dignity and equality while maintaining organizational compliance with employment and labor laws, City directives, and labor agreements. The Division facilitates and manages all employee-oriented programs while influencing positive management-workforce relationships.

    The Division is also responsible for the negotiations and supervision of all collective bargaining agreements as well as promoting and recruiting the best qualified people while recognizing and encouraging the value of diversity in the workplace.

    Personnel is committed to providing innovative human resources solutions as well as maximizing the value of our greatest asset - our employees.

Successes
    This past year, the Personnel Division and the Police Department partnered together to develop and implement a diversity recruitment initiative for Entry Level Police Officers. As a result of this successful team effort, 253 entry level police applications were received and processed. In general, the department received and processed a total of 1,000+ employment applications in the 2007/2008 fiscal year.

    The Division successfully hired 36 full time employees, 30 part time employees, 130+ seasonal employees and promoted 18 City of Danbury employees. The Division also developed and implemented methods to improve communications to all applicants regarding status of applications and the testing process. A volunteer application and orientation process was also developed by the Division in order to integrate volunteers into the workforce by clearly communicating the City’s expectations, goals and policies.

    During the fiscal year the City of Danbury and the United Public Service Employees Union Local 424 Unit 14 engaged in good faith negotiations resulting in a collective Bargaining Agreement that will extend until June 30, 2009.

    In its commitment to improve its own efficiency and effectiveness, the Division updated its webpage to include more pertinent recruitment information and posted all Personnel Policies and forms on a shared computer drive to give all employees access to this information at any time. The Division continues to review and revise existing Personnel Policies as well as develop and implement new Personnel Policies as appropriate. Additionally, an internal policy and procedure manual has been developed in order to maintain consistency within the Division and provide high quality customer service.

    In order to promote growth, accountability and increased skill level within our staff, several training opportunities were offered within the last fiscal year. Personnel arranged management development training for all Department Heads and Anti-Harassment training for all management and supervisory employees. Additionally, the Division developed and facilitated employment law training for all Department Heads.

    For the next fiscal year, the Division will continue to ensure a diverse work force in a safe and discrimination free environment by maintaining compliance with employment laws and bargaining unit contracts; providing management and employee training; and developing and updating policies and procedures. Training will continue in areas of effective leadership, career/skills development of employees, and employment law and government regulations. Cultural Awareness Sensitivity Training for all employees will be a priority initiative for the upcoming year. This will help to ensure the fair treatment of all employees while achieving the higher employee morale and productivity.

    Additionally, the Division will continue to provide value added services in a cost effective manner by reviewing current processes and by conducting performance improvement initiatives within the department.