County of Los Angeles

1 County of Los AngelesEMPLOYEEHANDBOOKC opyright July 2003 County of Los Angeles Department of Human ResourcesOrganizational and Employee Development Division. All rights project was supported and financed through theProductivity Investment Fund of the Quality and Productivity Commission, County of Los AngelesLu Takeuchi, Project ManagerRosie Maloof, Technical ConsultantHelen Miller, Technical ConsultantDarin Chiu, Technical ConsultantJim Johnson, Technical ConsultantLACERAP ublic HealthPublic Social ServicesPublic WorksSheriffRhonda AlbeyJimmy AyalaAngela BaileyDaphne BellRose BriscoeMarian HallNancy EiserLarry GonzalesNan FletteSandy HillHoward PhillipsRon PortnoyPaula SilerJerry StulerDan TraudtMaureen ValentineGreg WaliaJoyce WashingtonRichard ZernMartin ZimmermanBoard of SupervisorsGloria MolinaYvonne Brathwaite Burke Zev YaroslavskyDon KnabeMichael D.

2 Antonovich First District Second District Third District Fourth District Fifth DistrictSpecial thanks to:Michael J. Henry, Director of PersonnelDavid E. Janssen, Chief Administrative OfficerAffirmative Action ComplianceAnimal Care and ControlAuditor-ControllerChief Administrative OfficeCounty CounselContributing departments:District AttorneyFireHealth ServicesHuman ResourcesInternal ServicesAl KnaussMarisa LopezToni MahargAnn MarinovichBruce McDonaldMary MogckSusan MoserAlice NatalePrem Notani-SharmaAdriana OronaNaidu PerrmaulProject Team:The County of Los Angeles Employee Handbook was developed by theOrganizational and Employee Development Division,Department of Human Resourcesin conjunction with:TopicSectionAbout the BPerformance DLeaves.

3 FCareer GDepartmental HEmployee IList of 1 District 2 Quick of ContentsTTTTTNOTE: This Handbook has been compiled from information from the County Code and County policies andregulations. For employees who are represented by a bargaining unit, if there are any discrepancies betweeninformation in this Handbook and the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the MOU takes to Use this HandbookHere are some tips about using this handbook: Tab Dividers sections are set apart by tab dividers, which are printed and correspondto the Table of Contents. By looking for the right tab, you can zero in on the specificinformation you need. Section Summaries the first page of each section contains a list of subtopics. Ifyou re not sure if a section contains the information you need, read the summary tofind out for major sections of this handbook are: About the County general information about the County and its vision.

4 Policies policy statements that relate to the type of work environment the Countyprovides for you. Performance Expectations things that are expected of you as a County employee. Benefits benefits you enjoy as a County employee. Leaves various programs providing you time away from your job. Payroll the financial part of your relationship with the County . Career Growth ways to advance your career. Departmental information specific to your department. This section is blank onpurpose. Your supervisor or others in your department may give you information toinsert behind this tab. Also, you can use this section to store reference materials foryour own use. Employee Relations various organizations that deal with the relationship betweenthe County and its July 2003In addition, there are five appendices with additional information you may find useful, including: List of Departments and Agencies a description of every administrative unit withinthe County government.

5 District Breakdown a breakdown of the County by supervisorial district, includingdistrict maps and lists of cities and unincorporated areas within each district. Quick Facts a list of facts about the County of Los Angeles and County government. Glossary IndexOne final note policies and procedures and other information will change from time to would be impossible to keep this handbook 100 percent up to date all of the time. So, theremay be times when parts of this handbook are out of date. For that reason, you should alwayscheck with your supervisor on matters of policy. You can also keep up-to-date through theCounty s official website: 2003 TOC-6A-1bout The CountyAAAAAYou are part of a team of employees who serve nearly 10 million County ofLos Angeles residents and thousands of businesses.

6 You can take pride inknowing that you help make a difference in people s lives by providing vitalservices to the people who live in our 88 cities and vast a County of Los Angeles employee, you need to know about performanceexpectations, policies, your benefits, your rights, and how to succeed atyour job. You can t possibly memorize every last detail, but it s all importantto know. So, this handbook was created to make it easier for you to havethis , there were other reasons behind the creation of this handbook. Forone, the County of Los Angeles government is vast. In any largeorganization, you can feel overwhelmed. This handbook is designed togive you the big picture of the County government and your department,your division, and your work of the first items in this handbook is the County of Los Angeles VisionStatement, which describes our purpose, philosophy and position ondelivering quality public service.

7 The Vision Statement and the CountyMission are elements of the Board of Supervisors Strategic Plan for thedirection and operation of County services. County Mission To enrich lives through effective and caring serviceCounty of Los AngelesEmployee HandbookJuly 2003A-2 ABOUT THE COUNTYBOARD OF SUPERVISORSA Board of Supervisors, elected by the citizens of the County in five votingdistricts, operates the County of Los Angeles Government. Members of theBoard of Supervisors are: Gloria Molina, First District Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, Second District Zev Yaroslavsky, Third District Don Knabe, Fourth District Michael D. Antonovich, Fifth DistrictThe Board of Supervisors serves as the governing body of the County . Inthat capacity, the Board enacts ordinances and establishes specificregulations for the administration of County departments and special Board also adopts the final County budget each year and fixes heads of the various departments of the County government reportdirectly to the 2003A-3 ABOUT THE COUNTYThe Board of Supervisors has unanimously adopted the County Strategic Plan,including the Mission, Vision Statement and Goals for the County of Los Angeles ,providing their support and endorsement of a unified strategic direction for theCounty.

8 Development of the Strategic Plan was accomplished with the activeparticipation of Board offices, executives from all County departments, as well asthousands of County staff who provided input via an Internet survey. The Countyteam is now fully engaged in the process of implementing the Strategic Plan Goals;a process that touches, and requires the active buy-in of every County STRATEGIC PLANC ounty VisionOur purpose is to improve the quality of life in the County of Los Angeles by providingresponsive, efficient, and high quality public services that promote the self-sufficiency,well-being and prosperity of individuals, families, businesses and philosophy of teamwork and collaboration is anchored in our shared values: Responsiveness Commitment Compassion Integrity Accountability Respect for Diversity Professionalism A Can-Do AttitudeOur position as the premier organization for those working in the public interest isestablished by: A capability to undertake programs that have public value.

9 An aspiration to be recognized through our achievements as the modelfor civic innovation. A pledge to always work to earn the public MissionTo enrich lives through effective and caring serviceCounty of Los AngelesEmployee HandbookJuly 2003A-4 ABOUT THE COUNTYC ounty GoalsORGANIZATIONAL GOALS:Organizational goals define how the County seeks to provide services andmanage its employees and EXCELLENCEP rovide the public with easy access to quality information and services that areboth beneficial and EXCELLENCEE nhance the quality and productivity of the County EFFECTIVENESSE nsure that service delivery systems are efficient, effective and RESPONSIBILITYS trengthen the County s fiscal 2003A-5 ABOUT THE COUNTYPROGRAMMATIC GOALS:Programmatic goals address the conditions the County is working to build/developfor its residents and the larger AND FAMILIES WELL-BEINGI mprove the well-being of children and families in the County of Los Angeles asmeasured by achievements in the five outcome areas adopted by the Board: goodhealth; economic well-being; safety and survival; social and emotional well-being.

10 And educational/workforce SERVICESI mprove the quality of life for the residents of Los Angeles County s unincorporatedcommunities by offering a wide range of department coordinated services responsiveto each community s specific AND MENTAL HEALTHI mplement a client-centered, information-based health and mental health servicesdelivery system that provides cost-effective and quality services across SAFETYI ncrease the safety and security of all residents in Los Angeles County through well-coordinated, comprehensive response and recovery plans for terrorist are designed to provide you with the kind of work environmentthat you have the right to expect under the law. It is important to understandboth your rights and your responsibilities under Countywide anddepartmental policies.