Wednesday, July 24, 2024

News and Updates

Employee Recognitions

Last Thursday, your City Commission recognized some longtime employees for their service to the City of Gainesville and our residents. Please join us in thanking them and congratulating them for their dedication!

15 years of service:

• John Gates, Staff Specialist

20 years of service:

• Janielle Burney, Recreation Leader
• Mark Greene, Police Officer Administrative
• Heather Palmatier, Code Enforcement Officer
• Russell Stiriz Jr., Financial Systems Analyst Senior
• John Veilleux Jr., Recreation Aide II
• Shaneka Young, Records Manager

25 years of service:

• Rebecca Turner, Executive Assistant Senior
• Kenneth Olivier, Maintenance Mechanic II

30 years of service:

• William Chestnut Jr., Technical Systems Analyst Senior

Payroll Changes

The Department of Financial Services is announcing two upcoming changes to payroll processing and deadlines that will begin the pay period ending Aug. 18, 2024 (payday Aug. 22):

1. The deadline for fully-approved timesheets in Workday will be moved back to 8 p.m. on the Monday after the end of the pay period (payroll Monday). This provides additional time for submitting and approving timesheets.
2. There will one off-cycle (supplemental) payroll process each pay period, which will be on the Friday immediately following the normal Thursday payday.

To be included in the off-cycle process, all timesheet corrections must be fully approved in Workday by noon on Friday and meet one of these two criteria:

• The direct deposit must have failed and Payroll receives official bank notification of the funds being returned, or
• The total gross wages paid were less than the regularly scheduled number of hours (usually 80 hours) times the employee’s base pay rate.

Please contact the Payroll Office at x5057 if you have any questions.

Summer Pet Photos!

Summer is officially here! To celebrate, we invite all community builders to share a fun photo of their pet cooling off in the summer heat.

This week's photo comes to us from Dustin Walsh from the Communications Office.

Pawsitively loving this shady spot! Check out this photo of Barnabus cooling off in the shade at the dog park! Submit your pet photos for a chance to be featured in next week's insideGNV!

Crisis Intervention and De-Escalation Training for Community Builders

Many of our community builders are interacting with multiple neighbors every day, whether it be services at a front desk, answering a main phone line, hosting education sessions or something else. In this work, we may encounter people who are struggling with mental health or substance use related challenges, or may be in crisis. To equip everyone to best support our neighbors, Gainesville Fire Rescue (GFR) is partnering with the Alachua County Crisis Center to bring crisis intervention and de-escalation training opportunities to front-line staff. 

This is a two-hour training that defines what a crisis is and how it may affect a person, debunks common myths about crisis, presents key principles of crisis intervention and provides an overview of de-escalation and intervention skills that people can use to support a person in crisis.

GFR and the Alachua County Crisis Center will be offering two training opportunities over the summer, with a maximum capacity of 30 people each. If these sessions reach capacity, additional dates may be added. Interested staff can sign up using this form and will receive a confirmation email approximately one week before training. Trainings will be held in person at the City Hall Complex – specific room will be determined based on class size.

• Monday, Sept. 9 from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. (HR Training Room/Old Library Building)

Professional Development

Are you ready to enhance your leadership skills and communication abilities? Look no further! These quarterly courses offer a wealth of learning opportunities across various topics. Whether you’re interested in effective communication strategies, leadership development or mastering Microsoft Office programs, we’ve got you covered.

Leadership Communication Skills

• Explore key strategies to engage, inform and inspire others as a leader across generations
• Discover effective ways to communicate complex information
• Strengthening business relationships
• Foster innovation by creating strategic alliances and building trust
• Learn how to stimulate effective relationships across your organization

Remember, these courses are available on demand! Simply browse Workday learning to access these valuable resources. Let’s unlock your potential together!

Microsoft Office Programs Training through Clip Training

• Outlook: Master email management and scheduling.
• Excel: Dive into data analysis and visualization.
• SharePoint: Collaborate seamlessly with colleagues.
• Word: Enhance your document creation skills.

R.A.D. Self Defense

GPD is hosting a Womens’ Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) class Monday, Aug. 12, Tuesday, Aug. 13 and Wednesday, Aug. 14 from 6 p.m. - 10 p.m. at GPD's Hall of Heroes (545 NW Eighth Ave.). You must attend all three days. RSVP to valdesls@gainesvillefl.gov.

Affirmative Action (AA) Training Coming Soon

The City of Gainesville is in the process of revamping its mandatory Affirmative Action (AA) Training for hiring managers and HR professionals. Some of you may have previously participated in this training, while others may be entirely new to it. Regardless, it is crucial that the city's hiring managers, HR professionals and all individuals involved in the hiring and recruiting process know about the city’s commitment to its Affirmative Action Plan (AAP) initiatives. The goal of these initiatives is to establish a workforce that accurately represents our community. The first virtual training will likely occur in either late August or early September. The Office of Equity and Inclusion will announce exact dates soon; however, they wanted to give advance notice about the training.

Workday Wednesday

Workday Tips & Tricks: Using the Favorites App

Do you have a list of favorite reports? Do you find yourself frequently searching for the same tasks? Use Workday’s favorites app to store links to your favorite reports or tasks and quickly access them via the Menu button.

First, if you haven’t already, add the “Favorites” app to your Workday menu:

1. From your Workday home screen, select "Menu" > "Apps" in the upper left corner

2. At the bottom of the menu, select the "Add Apps" button

3. In the find apps search field, enter “Favorites,” then select the plus sign (“+”) icon to add the app to your Workday menu.

4. Select the “Back to Menu” link to return to your main Workday menu – the “Favorites” app will appear at the top by default, but you can use the "Edit" button to reorder the list.

Next, add your favorite reports or tasks to your “Favorites” list:

1. From your Workday home screen, select "Menu" > "Apps" > "Favorites" to open your favorites page

2. In the top right corner of the favorites page, select the gear icon, and then select "Manage Favorites"

3. Use the different search fields to find and add your favorite reports and tasks – select "Okay" at the bottom of the screen when you’ve added your desired reports and/or tasks.

• Use the “Favorite Tasks/Reports” field to search for and add your most often completed tasks (ex. Complete Form I-9) or your favorite Workday-delivered reports (ex. your time off and leave calendar)
• Use the “Favorite Custom Reports” field to search for and add your favorite Workday custom reports 
• Use the “Favorite Business Objects” field to search for and add your most referenced business objects 

4. On the manage favorites screen, to add or remove any reports or tasks from your list, select the manage favorites button.

5. Select "Done" at the bottom of the screen

For all Workday inquiries, please submit a ticket.

Meet with the City Manager - Updated dates

City Manager Cynthia W. Curry is hosting listening sessions with city staff and would like to hear from you about any concerns or recommendations you can provide her. City Manager Curry will be in Room 105 of Thomas Center on the following remaining dates:

• Tuesday, Aug. 13 from 3-5 p.m.
• Monday, Sept. 16 from 3-5 p.m.
• Friday, Oct. 18 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

If you wish to meet with City Manager Curry for a 30-minute session, please contact Alison Novack at novackal@gainesvillefl.gov or 352-393-8679 to schedule a time.

No specifics are required for meeting content. City Manager Curry looks forward to your feedback and meeting with you.

Timekeepers: Please print and post this notice in a common area for those community builders who do not have regular computer access.