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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 2508-5042CITY OF PALO ALTO Policy & Services Committee Special Meeting Tuesday, August 12, 2025 6:00 PM     Agenda Item     4.Wellness and Belonging Update Report to the Policy and Services Committee; CEQA Status – Not a Project Supplemental Report Added, Staff Presentation Item No. 4. Page 1 of 17 9 4 1 Policy & Services Committee Supplemental Report From: Chantal Cotton Gaines, Deputy City Manager Meeting Date: August 12, 2025 Item Number: 4 Report #:2508-5042 TITLE Supplemental Report - Wellness and Belonging Update Report to the Policy and Services Committee As indicated in Staff Report #2410-3700, Item #4 on the August 12, 2025 Policy & Services Committee Agenda, Attachment A was expected to be distributed as a late packet on August 7, 2025. This supplemental report provides Attachment A. ATTACHMENTS Attachment A: Status of Wellness and Belonging Action Plan Items APPROVED BY: Chantal Cotton Gaines, Deputy City Manager Page 1 Wellness and Belonging Action Plan Update Updates as of July 2025 Action Plan Item 1.1: Share information about specific cultural and heritage months and holidays Lead Dept. CMO, W&B, Comms Status: On-track Estimated Completion: 2025 Q4 Project Description: Develop and implement a strategy to share information that highlights specific cultural/heritage months and holidays. This initiative aims to foster awareness and belonging by uplifting the histories, traditions, and contributions of diverse communities through internal and external communications. Update: Staff set the scope as a collaborative city-wide effort to celebrate, educate, and engage its communities. Staff is currently developing criteria for sharing information surrounding cultural events, months, and holidays. The next steps are to develop a process for finalizing the list of dates of significance that can be used as a guide. Action Plan Item 1.2: Review citywide events through an inclusion and equity lens; identify gaps Lead Dept. CSD Status: Started Estimated Completion: 2025 Q4 Project Description: Conduct a comprehensive review of citywide events through an inclusion lens to assess representation, accessibility, and cultural responsiveness. Identify gaps and opportunities to ensure events are inclusive and welcoming of all cultures and identities. Update: Staff define the scope as ensuring City events are inclusive and accessible to people of different backgrounds, cultures, and identities. A list of citywide events has been compiled with the intended next step to review events and identify any gaps in programming with the project progressing towards the Q4 deadline. Not Yet Started 19% Started 23% On Track 35% Behind0% Completed 23% Status -Action Plan Page 2 Action Plan Item 1.3: Create a process that includes HRC for annual calendar setting related to holidays and heritage months Lead Dept. CMO, W&B Status: Completed Estimated Completion: 2025 Q1 Project Description: Establish a collaborative process that includes the Human Relations Commission in the development of the annual calendar, recognizing holidays and heritage months. The process will ensure input, representation, and alignment with the city’s values of belonging. Update: Staff coordinated and collaborated with HRC for annual calendar setting related to holiday and heritage months. Annually, a list of holidays will be reviewed in collaboration with City Clerk’s office in Spring/Summer and shared Human Relations Commission. Staff will present list to Council for approval in the fall. Action Plan Item 1.4: Annually report progress on Wellness and Belonging goals, accomplishments, activities especially giving recognition to departments or teams advancing Wellness and Belonging strategies (can be combined with other reports) Lead Dept. CMO, W&B Status: Not Yet Started Estimated Completion: 2025 Q4 Project Description: Develop and deliver an annual report highlighting progress on Wellness and Belonging goals, key accomplishments, and citywide activities. Update: Staff will report progress on Wellness and Belonging goals across the City of Palo Alto annually. The next step will be meeting with the department liaisons to compile and report on the Wellness and Belonging efforts for the past two Fiscal years. Staff seeks to do the first report by the end of calendar year 2025. Action Plan Item 1.5: Establish resources for difficult interactions between City staff and the public. The resources should highlight the importance of de-escalation as well as employee safety and support. Lead Dept. CSD Status: On track Estimated Completion: 2025 Q3 Project Description: Develop and implement resources to support city staff in navigating difficult interactions with the public. These resources will emphasize the importance of de-escalation techniques, while prioritizing employee safety, well-being, and access to support systems during and after challenging encounters. Update: Staff have established resources to support staff with difficult interactions with the staff and the public through a combined effort of a special projects team project completed in FY 2025. Staff will review the draft materials as a next step with the intention of rolling out resources citywide. Page 3 Action Plan Item 1.6: Understand existing language barriers with the public. Assess which departments need translation services the most to better serve the public. Lead Dept. CMO, W&B Status: Started Estimated Completion: 2025 Q4 Project Description: Assess existing language barriers between city staff and the public to identify gaps in communication and service delivery. Conduct a department needs assessment to determine which department has the highest demand. Update: Staff is collaborating with City departments to review current gaps in communication and services delivery related to language. The next step is researching common languages most spoken in Palo Alto, with the project still progressing towards the Q3 deadline though efforts are expected to continue beyond this completion timeline. Action Plan Item 1.7: Allow all residents to provide feedback to the city in their language of choice Lead Dept. CMO, W&B Status: On track Estimated Completion: 2025 Q4 Project Description: Establish mechanisms that allow residents to provide feedback to the City in the language of their choice. This initiative aims to enhance community engagement. Update: Staff are researching options and resource needs for residents to provide feedback to the city in their language of choice. The next step is meeting with the project team and assessing options, resource needs, and phasing for this work while balancing resource constraints in the current fiscal environment. Action Plan Item 2.1: Share Wellness and Belonging values with employees at New Employee Orientation in the context of work culture Lead Dept. CMO Status: On track Estimated Completion: 2025 Q3 Project Description: Integrate Wellness and Belonging values into new employee orientation to foster a supportive and inclusive workplace culture from day one. This initiative will introduce employees to the City’s commitment to wellness, psychological safety, and community care, setting the foundation for a positive and engaged work environment. Update: Staff are working towards coordinating sharing Wellness and Belonging values with employees at New Employee Orientation in the context of work culture. The next step is for materials to be reviewed by the City Manager’s Office. Page 4 Action Plan Item 2.2: Conduct Quarterly Interactive Wellness & Belonging workshop trainings for all employees. Lead Dept. CMO Status: Completed Estimated Completion: 2025 Q1 Project Description: Design and facilitate quarterly interactive Wellness and Belonging workshops for all employees. These sessions will support employee well-being through engaging, hands-on learning experiences that strengthen a sense of connection and belonging across the organization. Update: Project has been completed by staff. Wellness and Belonging trainings for staff are offered bi-monthly on an on-going basis. Trainings are both in-person and virtual. Action Plan Item 2.3: Establish a staff Wellness & Belonging committee Lead Dept. CMO Status: Not yet started Estimated Completion: 2025 Q4 Project Description: Establish a Staff Wellness and Belonging Committee to promote a culture of belonging, support, and well-being across the organization. The committee will serve as a collaborative space for employees to share ideas, provide feedback, and help guide initiatives that foster connection, equity, and a healthy workplace environment. Update: Not yet started Action Plan Item 2.4: Explore options related to affordable housing for City staff to live in the city of Palo Alto Lead Dept. CMO Status: On-track Estimated Completion: 2025 Q3 Project Description: Explore and evaluate options to increase access to affordable housing for City of Palo Alto staff. This initiative aims to identify strategies that support workforce retention. Update: The first step of the project has been completed by the Special Project team with the next steps to be evaluation of options. The project of assessing options is still progressing towards Q3 2025. Action Plan Item 2.5: Finalize process for annual City staff demographic data reporting; release the first report online Lead Dept. CMO Status: Completed Estimated Completion: 2025 Q2 Project Description: Collect city staff demographics and share the report online Update: The Wellness and Belonging team, in partnership with Human Resources, finalized and published the 2023 employee demographic data, which was released online on December 19, 2024. Page 5 Action Plan Item 2.6: Finalize process for annual City Board, Committee, and Commission members demographic data reporting; release the report online Lead Dept. CMO Status: Completed Estimated Completion: 2024 Q4 Project Description: Design and develop a finalized process for the annual collection, analysis, and reporting of demographic data for city board, committee, and commission members. Ensure the finalized report is published online each year. Finalize the process for annual City Board, Committee, and Commission members demographic data reporting; release the report online Update: Staff have finalized the process for City Board, Committee, and commission members' demographic reporting data collection. The next step is to collaborate with the City Clerk’s office to release the 2025 survey. Action Plan Item 2.7: Break apart employee survey data by demographic(s) and identify any differences; work with department directors to address differences identified Lead Dept. CMO Status: Completed Estimated Completion: 2025 Q2 Project Description: Ivy Planning to analyze employee survey data disaggregated by demographic categories to identify trends, disparities, or gaps. Data was provided to Ivy planning through POLCO employee survey. Collaborate with department directors to review the findings and develop targeted strategies to address any identified differences. Update: Staff completed this project. Department Directors reviewed the employee survey data as available online. Further discussions on the employee survey data will align with the next employee survey. Action Plan Item 2.8: Create more diverse interview panels (tools and policies) Lead Dept. HR Status: Completed Estimated Completion: 2025 Q3 Project Description: Establish tools and policies to support the creation of more diverse interview panels across departments. Update: Staff completed this action item. The hiring manager toolkit has been updated and includes information about ensuring representation on the panel, increasing cultural competency, and tools to reduce implicit bias. Action Plan Item 2.9: Expand demographic data collection related to candidates Lead Dept. HR Status: Started Estimated Completion: 2025 Q4 Project Description: Collaborate with HR to expand demographic collection related to candidates Update: This project is to collect aggregate demographic data about job candidates. As part of the City's RFP process for the Applicant Tracking System, the ability to track candidate demographic data was included in the requests and questions. The selected vendor, NEOGOV, included a feature that the City could choose to enable for demographic data collection as part of the implementation if Page 6 other details are worked through (such as ensuring application raters do not have access to the data and other concerns). The project is progressing towards the Q4 goal. Action Plan Item 2.10: Expand recruitment efforts to attract diverse talent Lead Dept. HR Status: Started Estimated Completion: 2025 Q3 Project Description: Enhance recruitment strategies to attract a more diverse pool of candidates by expanding outreach efforts, building partnerships with community organizations, and utilizing job postings and platforms. Update: HR has launched job post reviews and recruiter training focused on inclusive, engaging language and visuals to attract diverse candidates. Staff are also piloting Large Language Models to reduce bias and enhance job posting content. Outreach has expanded to job fairs at community colleges, CSUs, UCs, private colleges, and apprenticeship programs, with plans to engage high schools to build entry-level talent pipelines. An upcoming upgrade to our applicant tracking system will enable real-time candidate pool creation at events, improving engagement and analytics. Our partnership with Careers In Government will continue to extend our reach through automatic posting to top diversity-focused job boards, connecting with over one million job seekers monthly. City staff have thoughtfully and diligently found synergies between these two plans to ensure no duplication of work while maximizing outcomes. Action Plan Item 2.11: Further define and communicate employee career paths by function/department, encourage all employees to have individual development plans to make sure employees are fairly developed Lead Dept. HR Status: Started Estimated Completion: 2025 Q3 Project Description: Clarify and communicate defined career paths with each department to ensure transparency and support employee growth. Encourage all staff to develop and maintain individual development plans to promote equitable access to professional development opportunities. Update: Staff have coordinated and set the scope as supporting employees in developing their career paths. HR launched Workforce Career Advancement and Continuity Planning to accelerate the development of interested employees to critical positions in the organization, with the project progressing towards the Q3 goal. Page 7 Action Plan Item 3.1: Create a space/process for employees to share input and suggestions in areas where they see current barriers related to the inclusion needs of specific groups (e.g., gender- neutral bathrooms, accessibility, etc.) Lead Dept. CMO,W&B Status: On-track Estimated Completion: 2025 Q3 Project Description: Establish a structured process and safe space for employees to share input and suggestions on barriers to inclusion that impact specific groups (e.g., gender-neutral restrooms, accessibility challenges). This initiative aims to elevate employee voices, identify areas for improvement, and inform actionable changes that foster a more inclusive and responsive workplace environment. This action item was included in the Special Projects (2024) initiative Update: Staff have coordinated and set the scope as creating a safe space for employees to share input and suggestions related to the inclusion needs of specific groups. Staff completed a presentation on vendors that have developed systems capable of delivering this service. The next step is to meet with the IT Department to explore whether the City can implement an in-house version of one of these systems. Action Plan Item 3.2: Begin exploration and understanding of pronoun usage for the City of Palo Alto organization Lead Dept. CMO W&B Status: Not Yet Started Estimated Completion: 2025 Q4 Project Description: Begin exploration and understanding of pronoun usage for the City of Palo Alto Update: Not Yet Started Action Plan Item 3.3: Begin to partner with the HRC to work with other commissions to apply an equity lens to their work (will further define with the HRC) Lead Dept. CMO W&B Status: On track Estimated Completion: 2025 Q4 Project Description: Initiate a partnership with the Human Relations Commission to collaborate with other City commissions in applying an equity lens to their policies, programs, and decision-making processes. Update: Staff have coordinated and set the scope as partnering with the HRC to help other commissions integrate an equity lens into their work. No further progress on this item at this time however, staff has planned unconscious bias trainings for BCC members in the month of September. Staff would seek to align further progress on this action plan item with BCC Workplan timeframes. Page 8 Action Plan Item 3.4: Finalize CEDAW Ordinance and present to the City Council for Adoption Lead Dept. CMO Status: On-track Estimated Completion: 2025 Q2 Project Description: Collaborate with the City Attorney’s office to finalize CEDAW ordinance and prepare it for presentation to the city council for review and adoption. Update: Staff have partnered with the City Attorney’s office to support creating a CEDAW ordinance draft. The next step is to bring the draft CEDAW ordinance to the Policy and Services Committee in Q3. Action Plan Item 3.5: Develop a best practices protocol for writing policies in alignment with the City’s inclusive language standards and equity lens. These best practices protocols will be incorporated into Policy 1-01 MGR which establishes guidelines for any city department writing or revising policies. Once developed the HR team in conjunction with the City Departments, will plan a five-year review cycle to bring all policies into alignment with these best practices Lead Dept. HR Status: Not Yet Started Estimated Completion: 2025 Q4 Project Description: Develop a best practices protocol for drafting and revising polices in alignment with the city’s inclusive language standards and equity lens. Update: Not Yet Started Action Plan Item 3.6: If identified, then begin to implement solutions that address the inclusion needs of specific groups (e.g., gender-neutral bathrooms, accessibility, etc.) Lead Dept. CMO W&B Status: Not yet started Estimated Completion: 2025 Q4 Project Description: Begin implementing solutions that address the unique needs of specific groups if identified. Update: This project has not yet started. Completion of this action Item is dependent on the completion of Item 3.1. Action Plan Item 3.7: Coordinate with City departments to learn how they are supporting citywide Wellness and Belonging efforts Lead Dept. CMO W&B Status: Not yet started Estimated Completion: 2025 Q4 Project Description: Coordinate with city departments to gather insights on how each is contributing to citywide wellness and belonging initiatives. Identify current efforts, share best practices, and support alignment with the City’s overall Wellness. Update: This project has not yet started. Page 9 Action Plan Item 3.8: Work with an external firm to begin analysis and present an analytical summary of the RIPA (Racial Identity Profiling Act) Police data Lead Dept. CMO Status: On track Estimated Completion: 2025 Q4 Project Description: Collaborate with an external firm to conduct an initial analysis of RIPA data and prepare analytical summary highlighting key findings, trends, and areas for further exploration. Update: Staff have collaborated with the National Policing Institute (NPI) to analyze RIPA data from the Palo Alto police department; NPI has analyzed the 2023 and 2024 data. Staff is coordinating scheduling for the report to be brought to the City Council when finalized.