This "Agency Plan," will include identified pay practices, pay structures that meet the needs of each agency, and performance management issues to be addressed.

To help with the agency plan development, the central Implementation Management Team and the Department of Human Resource Management (DHRM) will schedule Secretariat-wide planning meetings. During these sessions, agency directors will be assisted in identifying key management issues, such as budget implications, accountability and the decision-making process, the role of the HR office, reporting needs and philosophies. They also will include a review of strategies for working with agency financial officers, as well as executive and senior managers.

Each state agency already has identified and registered compensation reform trainers to facilitate learning about the new system in agency work sites. At the conclusion of these three-day "train-the-trainer" courses, these HR officers will introduce the specifics of compensation reform and implementation for employees throughout the Commonwealth. The next issue of Commonwealth Currents will include an article focusing on compensation reform training.

Graduating to Safety

When 16 employees from the buildings and grounds departments within DJJ's correctional facilities throughout the state received their Safety Officer certifications, they represented the culmination of 160 hours each of intensive training on workplace safety issues and techniques for keeping all of DJJ's employees safely out of harm's way. They also embodied the fruit of many months of successful inter-agency and community planning and cooperation.

Carl Peed, DJJ's director, has been a visible and vigorous supporter of the Safety Officer Certification Program. Donning a white hardhat at the graduation ceremony, he thanked all of those who contributed toward making the program a success and provided a broader philosophy of the ongoing significance of safety as a priority in DJJ's future.

"I congratulate you. I view this program as a building block in our overall goal of reducing workplace negligence and liability throughout the Department of Juvenile Justice and the Commonwealth. We will extend our philosophy of safety and security to protect all those who visit our facilities, as well as the people we house and the employees who work there," Peed said.

"And we are going to measure the effects of this program and our philosophical approach as we move forward. We have a marvelous resource in all of you," he concluded, directing his remarks to the graduates and program support staff.

The staff person largely credited with bringing the Safety Officer Certification Program into reality is Vaughn Taylor, DJJ"s training and development coordinator who began working on the program in 1997. In his remarks, he praised the unfailing support and encouragement he received from DJJ Training Manager Lisa Walker, Director Peed and Mike Williford, risk manager at the Department of Corrections.

In a personal expression of appreciation offered in behalf of the graduating class, graduate Ronald Cooper presented Walker with an engraved plaque.

"This is the best training we've ever participated in, especially because of the relationships it created. By putting employees of the buildings and grounds department in partnership with the communities and our agency's administrators, we gained a new appreciation for the role all of us play in the success of DJJ," Cooper observed.

Right now, the Safety Officer's role is a part-time component of their overall job responsibilities, although hopes are that this will change as the program matures. Each of the graduates aspires to become the full time safety officer at his or her respective facility. For now, they will spend about four hours per week inspecting and documenting safety concerns for DJJ's facility superintendents. The nature of safety conditions varies considerably from institution to institution. Monthly, the Safety Officers will review all workplace accidents or hazardous conditions with the appropriate supervisors.

"Each day, the Safety Officers will use a checklist during their normal rounds, inspecting conditions and reporting possible workplace hazards. This will be standard operating procedure," Walker noted. "But we do not want this program to stop here. Our goal and our hope is that this program will take on a life of its own; that it will perpetuate itself and expand the good that it does," she said.

Already, the program is showing results. A hazardous chemical storage condition was discovered during the training period. A malfunctioning metal shredding machine was repaired. A serious grinding wheel accident was averted. Each graduate can properly place an injured worker on a stretcher or expertly unfurl a fire hose. Already, a supplemental, two-day emergency preparedness training session for Safety Officers is on the drawing board. And there are anticipated bottom-line financial benefits for the Commonwealth in the reduction of Workers' Compensation claims, injury leave and the medical treatment costs. "Even a single injury is unacceptable. This training will have a positive impact on our costs in these areas," Peed said.

Work of the Safety Officer Certification Program within DJJ began in 1997, with a proposal to model the training after that already used by the Department of Corrections. The effort was bolstered in 1999, when Governor Jim Gilmore issued his Executive Order (52) 99 on Workplace Safety and Health, mandating that all state agencies beef up their efforts to ensure workplace safety. Also in 1999, the Division of Risk Management (then a part of the Department of General Services and now a division with the Department of Human Resource Management) provided initial funding for the fledgling program.

In addition to these agencies, other state agency partners in the program included John Tyler Community College's Business, Industry and Government Services Center, Virginia State Police, the Department of Labor and Industry, the Department of Emergency Management, and the Department of Housing and Community Development's Fire Marshall's Office.

Community partners were the Chesterfield County Fire Department, Circle Safety and Health Consultants, LLC, Emergency Services Training and Consulting, Inc., Forest View Volunteer Rescue Squad, the Industrial Training Company, Mark Electric, Inc., the Safety Services Division of Rental Uniform Service, Textilease First Aid Services and the news division of WWBT Channel 12 TV in Richmond.

"When all agencies come together to share information and work together, the Commonwealth becomes a terrific work environment dedicated to the safety of all employees," Taylor shared from his firsthand experience.

Schroeder, the newly christened safety officer at the Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center is the institution'sLead Groundsman and Painter. His proud wife and daughter were on hand to share in the celebration.

"The training, the instructors and the materials were first-rate. You could tell that many people put a lot of time and energy into it,"he confided.

More information about the Safety Officers Certification Program, which will begin its second phase of training this fall, is available by contacting Vaughn Taylor at (804) 323-2401, or by e-mailing him at taylorvj@djj.state.va.us

A Rewards and Recognition Task Force composed of employees from 20 state agencies undertook a thorough review of Policy 1.20 - Employee Recognition Programs - after determining that the existing policy did not provide meaningful recognition for outstanding employee performance. Research by the task force revealed that the Commonwealth generally lagged behind most other public and private sector organizations that had instituted more ambitious "best practices" in this area.

As a result, the revised Policy 1.20, soon to be issued to all state agencies and made available on the DHRM Web site, provides additional support for the use of employee rewards and recognition to celebrate employee contributions to the objectives of an agency or the Commonwealth. Under provisions of the new policy, all state agencies will develop and implement recognition programs, taking guidance in their structure from a Handbook on Employee Recognition, now being developed.

Among the agency guidelines will be requirements to communicate the establishment of recognition programs to employees, to establish criteria for making awards of providing recognition, describing the selection process, explaining the types of awards and their manner of presentation, and identifying the people and the mechanism that will be used to select reward recipients.

Policy 1.20 will provide for monetary and non-monetary awards. The total value of these awards cannot exceed $1000 per employee per fiscal year, and they may be used, for example, to acknowledge outstanding efforts of an individual or a team of employees. These awards do not affect an employee's base pay, although they are considered "income" for tax purposes and the employee will be subject to the applicable state and federal taxes.

Examples of non-monetary awards might include jewelry, meals, trips, plaques, trophies or gift certificates redeemable for tangible goods and services other than cash.

Finally, Policy 1.20 also provides for Recognition Leave - time off for up to five days in a single fiscal year, which expires if not used within 12 months from the date of award. The value of recognition leave is not included in the computation of the $1000 limit for cash awards.

More information regarding the new recognition and rewards policy, including agency responsibilities under the policy, is available from each agency's human resources office.

Check for injuries. Make sure your passengers and those in the other vehicle(s) are okay. If anyone is injured or killed, contact the police immediately. If no one is injured and you're blocking traffic, move your car out of the way first. Notify the police if any of the following conditions exist:

Warn oncoming traffic of the accident or hazard to prevent other accidents. Some common warning practices are raising your hood, turning on your emergency flashers and using flares. Common ways of letting motorists know you need assistance are tying a white handkerchief to your door, waving a red flag and using a flashlight at night. Remember, if you're waiting for assistance, be patient. Crossing a roadway or attempting to stop traffic can be dangerous, especially at night.

Exchange information. Give your name, address, phone number, vehicle license plate number, vehicle description, driver's license number and insurance information to anyone else who was involved in the accident. Get the same information from the others involved and the names, addresses and phone numbers of any witnesses.

If you're involved in an accident, here's how to access the State Police:

So if you, or anyone you know, haven't been contacted regarding the Census, either by mail, phone, or in person, please contact your nearest local Census Office (listed below).

This year's Savings Bonds Campaign included literature and sign-up cards for the purchase of Series "I" (inflation-indexed) bonds. As noted in the Bond Campaign's literature, the Commonwealth's computerized payroll system is not yet configured to handle series "I" bonds. DOA is in the process of obtaining the necessary software modifications. Agencies will be notified once the modifications are received, tested, and installed. Until then, employees should bear in mind that series "I"cards will be held, unprocessed, until the system is ready to accept them.

The Virginia Department of Transportation's public relations efforts have paid off handsomely in peer recognition from the Virginia Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. During a recent annual awards ceremony, VDOT's three awards in two categories capped a series of awards taken this year by Virginia state agencies.

The Virginia Housing Development Authority won an award for its 1999 annual report. The Department of Motor Vehicles won two awards, one for its external newsletter "Motor Voter News" and another for writing the speech: "Working in the Balance - How DMV's E-Government Delivery Enhances Personal Freedom". Virginia Commonwealth University won in the category of news writing, for "Investigational Drug Shows Promise in Treating Female Infertility",and the Virginia Credit Union took an award for its external publication, "ReMember." VDOT won awards for its I-95 James River Bridge Employer poster and its Springfield Interchange Improvement Project poster. Additionally, VDOT shared an award with the Department of Human Resource Management for the Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign video.

The Department of Human Resource Management has secured the services of an independent organization which will provide external review of denied claims appealed to the Director of DHRM from Key Advantage and Cost Alliance. A contract was recently awarded to The Center for Health Dispute Resolution of Pittsford, New York. This impartial health organization will confidentially examine TrigonÕs final denials under the Key Advantage and Cost Alliance plans to determine whether the decisions are objective, clinically valid and compatible with established principles of health care. The provision for an independent external review organization was passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Gilmore in 1999.

Member Handbooks are available now for employees enrolled in the Key Advantage and Cost Alliance plans. If you have not yet received a Member Handbook, please contact your benefits administrator. Copies also are posted on the Department of Human Resource Management's web site at www.dhrm.state.va.us/hbenefit.htm

What advantages do FRAs offer? Participants save money by having funds set aside from their paycheck on a pre-tax basis for certain medical or dependent care expenses not covered by their health plans. As FRA participants incur eligible expenses, they request tax-free withdrawals to reimburse themselves. The result: tax savings and more discretionary income.

To calculate the potential savings from an FRA, employees may visit the Department of Human Resource Management's (DHRM) web site at www.dhrm.state.va.us/hbenefit.htm.

An FRA worksheet is available under the Flexible Benefits heading, along with additional information on reimbursement accounts.