Author: Christy Nealey

Henrico’s New Capability Model: The Customer Engagement Capability

Christy Nealey

As we enter the new fiscal year, Henrico County has introduced a new Capability Model that replaces the County Competencies. This model is designed to help all employees focus on and develop the knowledge and skills to successfully lead and serve in a rapidly evolving workplace and community. View the model below or learn more about the seven capabilities on our resource page.

To help you better understand each of the seven capabilities integral to the model, the County Connection will feature a series of articles, each focusing on a different capability. This article focuses on Customer Engagement.

Providing exceptional service and positive interactions is at the heart of Henrico County’s mission and is a significant component of The Henrico Way. The Customer Engagement capability complements these initiatives and is defined as “Cultivating positive relationships with internal and external customers by proactively seeking customized solutions to increase satisfaction and build rapport.”

Our County employees have consistently modeled the Customer Engagement capability. While it’s always been a priority, customer engagement took on new meaning and importance with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some examples of this exceptional customer engagement before and during COVID-19 include:

  • County Departments automated and converted processes to electronic for citizens to continue to do business during COVID-19.
  • The IT Department converted systems and increased bandwidth within weeks to accommodate remote work due to COVID-19 restrictions while communicating with and educating employees on best practices for working remotely.
  • The creation of a call center to support citizens during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The Nourish Henrico program was created to support local restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic by purchasing meals for first responders and other eligible frontline employees.
  • James River Juvenile Detention employees created a food pantry to help coworkers who lost income during COVID-19.
  • A DPU employee assisted a customer at the landfill even though he arrived before the dump was open for business. 
  • A Police officer responded to a citizen whose car broke down, pushed the car to safety, and stayed with her until the vehicle was repaired.
  • A Social Services employee reached out to multiple contacts beyond traditional resources to help a citizen in crisis.
  • Library employees implemented virtual story times for children during COVID-19.
  • DPU employees repaired a broken water service line even though the damage was in the customer-maintained portion of the water line. 
  • The Advocate for the Aging coordinated the removal of a rotten tree from a citizen’s property, even though it was outside the scope of her duties.
  • An Animal Protection officer spent multiple hours searching for a lost dog and continuously communicating with the dog’s owners until it was found and returned.

These examples show how County employees anticipated customers’ needs, both external and internal, and worked creatively to meet them. They went above and beyond expectations through transparent communication, making decisions, and, at times, adapting processes and procedures to ensure the best outcomes for their customers. 

Excellent customer engagement boosts our citizens’ confidence in our county government, enhances productivity, improves processes, expands services, and significantly contributes to our being a high-performing organization. To find more examples of exceptional customer engagement, view our “Who We Are: Leadership Lessons from COVID 19” video series on our OLTD YouTube page and the County’s Henrico Way web page.

For more information on the Capabilities, visit our resource page.

Read More

Team Henrico and the Corporate 5k Recap

Christy Nealey

Team Henrico wants to thank the Henrico County employees who participated in the Anthem Corporate 5k! This was the first year in a while that we could join in person, and we hoped to reclaim one of our first-place titles. After a pre-race meetup that included lots of socializing around intense games of giant Jenga, the 5k got underway. Congratulations to Colin Baumgartner (HCPS), who finished in 7th place overall with a time of 19:25! Once the race was complete, everyone enjoyed music, mingling, food, and more Jenga before heading home. If you are wondering if Team Henrico accomplished our goal, you will have to watch the accompanying slideshow to find out!

Thank you to all the employees, friends, and family members for their support and cheering on the Team Henrico participants. Be on the lookout for the next Team Henrico event you can participate in, and help us make the group bigger!

Read More

Keep it Cool During Warm Weather Workouts

Christy Nealey

Time It Right

  • Get outside during the coolest parts of the day, like the morning or evening
  • Avoid outdoor activity from 12-3 PM, the hottest part of the day
  • Give yourself time to warm up and cool down before each activity

Stay Hydrated

  • Drink water before, during and after activities, even if you don’t feel thirsty
  • Fuel up with hydrating fruits and veggies, smoothies and infused water
  • Carry a water bottle or hydration pack with you for easy hydration

Dress for Comfort

  • Wear lightweight, light-colored clothes made with moisture-wicking fabrics
  • Lace up with breathable shoes, lightweight socks and supportive insoles
  • Protect yourself with sunglasses, waterproof sunscreen and a hat or visor

Make it fun with warm-weather activities like:

  • Swimming
  • Hiking
  • Outdoor Yoga

For more ideas on staying active, visit heart.org/movemore

Read More

Henrico’s New Capability Model: The Courage Capability

Christy Nealey

In our ongoing commitment to meet our workforce’s and residents’ ever-changing needs, Henrico County has implemented a new Capability Model beginning in the Fiscal Year 2022-2023. This model replaces the previous County Competencies and focuses on the knowledge and skills needed to successfully lead and serve in a rapidly evolving workplace and community. 

The Capability Model is modeled around seven capabilities, with many former competencies woven into it. 

The four capabilities outside the circle – Courage, Customer Engagement, Communication, and Inclusion – are foundational to success and create opportunities to excel in the three capabilities within the circle—Leading Self, Leading Others, and Leading the Organization. The seven capabilities promote “Future Readiness,” as you see in the circle’s center.  

You may be wondering how each of these capabilities is defined and how they apply to your role. To help you better understand, the County Connection will feature a series of articles focusing on a different capability each month. 

We’ll start with the Courage Capability.

While some may think of courage as bravely fighting battles or standing up for a person or belief, the model refers to a slightly different definition. For county purposes, it is defined as a “Willingness to navigate uncomfortable situations, adhere to vision and values, take action and initiative on new ideas, and question assumptions and processes to improve outcomes.” 

So, what might the Courage capability look like in the workplace? Here’s one example: 

A team is responsible for presenting important information to all employees. One team member recognizes a segment of information that could be potentially interpreted as questionable or even offensive by certain audience members and realizes this could harm the County’s credibility. This employee shows courage by respectfully approaching the team leader, sharing the potential negative impact of the information, and suggesting an alternative approach. 

In turn, the team leader demonstrates courage by being open to the teammate’s feedback, challenging their own assumptions of how this information could be perceived, asking for input regarding alternative solutions, and actively making changes to the presentation based on their conversation with the teammate.

In this example, both employees are stepping outside their comfort zones with the shared goal of success. The employee with the concern did not simply present the issue – they also proactively came up with a suggested solution. The team leader remained open, curious, and engaged in healthy dialogue with the teammate to explore solutions that would benefit the organization. 

You can find more examples of the Courage capability on our resource page.

Courage in the workplace fosters employee engagement, decision-making, problem-solving, and innovation. As the County transforms to meet current and future demands, courageous employees play a crucial role in our success.

For more information on the Capabilities, visit our resource page.

Read More

Sun Safety: Protect Your Skin

Christy Nealey

Summer is full of outdoor activities. So, of course, you probably put sunscreen on yourself and your kids when you go to the pool or the beach. But do you know you should protect your skin with more than just sunscreen anytime you’re outside?

Sun protection is essential all year round, and it’s best to use several different kinds. When you’re working in the yard, watching a ballgame, or taking an afternoon walk, make sun safety an everyday habit so you can avoid sunburn and lower your chance of getting skin cancer.

Here are some tips to help make sure you and your family stay sun-safe:

Why is sun protection so important? Overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays causes most cases of melanoma, the deadliest kind of skin cancer. Protect your skin from the sun and avoid indoor tanning to lower your skin cancer risk. Here are some skin cancer fast facts to be mindful of:

  • Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States and includes different types.
  • The sun’s UV rays can damage unprotected skin in as little as 15 minutes.
  • Even if it’s cool and cloudy, you still need protection. UV rays, not the temperature, do the damage.
  • Anyone can get skin cancer, but some things put you at higher risk.
  • The most common signs of skin cancer are changes on your skin, such as a new growth, a sore that doesn’t heal, or a change in a mole.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/resources/features/SkinCancer/index.htm

Publication Date: 4/25/2017

Last Updated: 5/23/2017

Attribution: Content provided and maintained by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Please see our system usage guidelines and disclaimer.

 

Read More

The Division of Fire Continues Their Reign

Christy Nealey

The May 6th all-employee kick-off reenergized the sixth anniversary of the Public Safety Games season. Forty-six registered athletes between Police, Fire, and Sheriff began to compete for the 2022 Fittest Public Safety Division bragging rights by accumulating as many points as possible over four weeks. There were three individual events, four team events, and ten mini-event challenges for the athletes to attempt. (Visit our SharePoint page for a complete list of events.) The top teams with the most points earned them a spot in the head-to-head final obstacle course challenge, and the division with the highest total number of points was declared the overall division winner. The energy and motivation surrounding the events by each athlete was invigorating and really turned up the heat of the friendly competition. (Check out our SharePoint page to see pictures of each challenge.)

There was a lot of anticipation going into the final team challenge as there was no clear overall winner at that time. Thus, the first to finish the final challenge would be the decide the winner for the entire Public Safety Games season!

The final competition was the consummation of many performance tasks a tactical athlete could endure: teamwork, communication, tactical awareness, mental acuity, dexterity, maneuvering, endurance tasks, strength tasks, and the overall ability to work for an extended period in a high-stress environment. Zachary Sayles and Nathan Beahm from the Division of Fire went head-to-head with Dustin Hazelgrove and Trevor Holmes from the Police Division for the title by completing a seven-part obstacle course with a mental twist:

View the Final Obstacle Course Event recap video.

Congratulations to Zachary Sayles, Nathan Beahm, and the Division of Fire for claiming the Fittest Public Safety Division of the year title for the fourth time! Their names have been added to the Public Safety Games “Fittest Public Safety Division” plaque inside the lobby at the Henrico Training Center. We look forward to the 7th anniversary of the Public Safety Games in 2023, as our vision continues to unfold.

If you are sworn public safety personnel interested in either the Public Safety Games or joining our sworn-only fitness programs, please contact Joshua Gaskins at [email protected] or 501-7218. 

For more information about all of our programs, please view the Fitness and Wellness Division Sharepoint page. 

 

Read More

Henrico’s New Capability Model

Christy Nealey

Henrico County continues to stretch the boundaries of what it means to be organizationally agile, flexible, and ready to meet our workforce and residents’ current and future demands. Our county is continuously evolving while major global, national, and social events have challenged us to rethink how we interact, conduct business and provide services to our customers, residents, and workforce in all service areas.  

 

Recently, we introduced a new Capability Model that will go into effect in Fiscal Year 2022-2023. The new model replaces the current county competencies and highlights the capabilities needed to continue to reinforce performance management and how we hire, promote, train, and develop employees. In addition, each Capability is inclusive and applicable to all employees, in line with the county’s philosophy of leading at all levels in supporting the county and its residents. 

 

What You Need to Know

The Capability Model is centered around seven capabilities. As highlighted in the model below, there are four capabilities outside the circle: Communication, Inclusion, Courage, and Customer Engagement. These capabilities are outside the circle because they are foundational to what you need to succeed in your role. 

  • The four capabilities are core skills that create opportunities and space for you to excel in the three capabilities within the circle – Leading Self, Leading Others, and Leading the Organization – each represented by a different color. The bullet points are descriptors of what it takes to lead self, others, and the organization.  

 

  • If you look closely at the seven capabilities, you will notice that the current competencies are woven throughout so that we are not losing anything. For example, Communication and Customer Engagement are highlighted in numbers 3 and 4 on the “Our Capabilities” model chart. 

 

The Functional Expertise and Personal Accountability capabilities are highlighted under Leading Self, and Organization Awareness is listed under Leading the Organization, similar to Understanding the Business of Henrico County. 

 

Resources for You

After the Fiscal Year begins, we will transition to using the Capability Model, and the current competency model will go away. To help you navigate the model, HR created a resource page that houses tools and guides, and we regularly update that page. 

 

As we continue to move the needle forward with this project, HR will continue to share updates with employees to keep you informed about the new model and how it will impact you.  

 

Please know that HR is your partner during this process. If you have questions, reach out to HR, and we are happy to guide you through that process.  

Read More

Factoring Healthcare Costs Into Your Retirement Budget

Christy Nealey

Creating a realistic budget for your post-work life is a critical part of a successful retirement strategy. According to one commonly used rule of thumb, we’ll need to replace roughly 70% of our working income in retirement to maintain a similar lifestyle. That means a person making the median annual 2020 income of $67,521 would need $47,265 of income each year of their retirement.1

Another factor to keep in mind as you plan your retirement budget is your future healthcare expenses. We all know healthcare needs tend to increase as we age. So, it’s important to understand and budget for how much you may need to cover healthcare costs in your retirement.

No one can predict how much care they’ll need in the future. Everyone’s healthcare needs are different — and healthcare costs are always changing. But to give you a rough idea, one analysis by the Employee Benefits Research Institute found that, in order to have a 50% chance of having enough to cover premiums and median prescription drug expenses in retirement, a 65-year-old man would need $73,000 in savings and a 65-year-old woman would need $95,000 in savings. 2 Another study found that a 65- year-old couple that retired in 2021 can expect to spend $300,000 on healthcare and medical expenses throughout retirement.3

 When you think about your retirement budget, you probably focus on the things you want to do with the time you’ll have after a career of hard work. And you should. But it’s also important to keep in mind the other expenses you’ll face. Knowledge is power. And knowing healthcare costs may significantly impact your financial well-being in retirement can empower you to make better-informed decisions about your future.

1 Census.gov, “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2020,” 2021, census.gov/library/publications/2021/demo/p60-273.html.

2 EBRI.org, “A Bit of Good News During the Pandemic: Savings Medicare Beneficiaries Need for Health Expenses Decrease in 2020,” 2020, ebri.org/content/a-bit-of-good-news-during-the-pandemic-savings-medicarebeneficiaries-need-for-health-expenses-decrease-in-2020.

3 Investopedia.com, “How to Plan for Medical Expenses in Retirement,” 2021, investopedia.com/retirement/how-plan-medical-expenses-retirement/.

Read More

Return of the Public Safety Games

Christy Nealey

For the first time since the inception of the Public Safety Games, on Friday, May 6, 2022, over 50 employees, fans, and volunteers from many different departments contributed to the kick-off of the 6th anniversary Public Safety Games Kick-Off after a 2-year hiatus due to COVID-19.

 

Participants of varying fitness levels completed many different physically and mentally engaging challenges with the incentive to win both door prizes and potential votes for this year’s fan favorite. Fitness and Wellness chose specific challenges to help participants gain insight into the drills used to physically and mentally train our public safety heroes. These exercises included wall vaulting, window climbing, the Keiser sled, tire flips, the how-to or pull-up challenge, fit-tac-toe, stair climb word find, Echo Bike Jenga, and a 150-pound dummy drag. In addition, many other attractions like the K9 Unit, the Bomb Squad, a Fire Truck, and a Sheriff Recruit Vehicle were available to tour. Each successful challenge completed earned a Bucket Beirut toss to vote for the Fan Favorite. Congratulations to the Division of Police for winning the “Fan Favorite” and 50 points toward your divisional Public Safety Games score!

 

During the month-long competitions, eight teams of 2 and 35 individuals from Henrico’s Police, Fire, and Sheriff divisions are competing in Endurance, Work Capacity, Strength, and Mini Event challenges to determine who will win the title of the Fittest Public Safety Division of 2022. Currently, the Police Division is in the lead, with about 50% of the events still to be tallied. Stay tuned by following the leaderboard here: https://henricova.sharepoint.com/Fitness_Wellness/SitePages/PublicSafetyGames.aspx

 

We invite you to come to watch the explosive and entertaining final obstacle course team competition Friday, June 3 from 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM at the Henrico Training Center.

 

Check out our kick-off recap video!

 

Read More

Recreation and Parks App

Christy Nealey

As the temperatures rise and the flowers start to bloom, many people start to spend more time outdoors. If you are looking for where to enjoy nature, go for a walk on your lunch break, or simply spend time as a family after work, we can help! The Division of Recreation & Parks offers a variety of facilities and services for the Henrico community.

 

The Division exhibits more than just parks! It also oversees museums and historic sites, a theatre for movies and live performances, recreation centers with classes and rentals, a nature center, athletic complexes, and community events.

 

To discover all that is available, we encourage you to download the Recreation & Parks App or visit the county website. The app is available in the App Store and on Google Play – download today!  

 

App Features: 

  • Discover parks and facilities across Henrico County 
  • View park amenities by map overlay or list 
  • Find playgrounds, shelters, trails, and more 
  • Filter and search by what’s important to you 
  • Learn about (and even register for) programs and classes
  • View upcoming events in the parks 
  • Earn badges as you take on exciting challenges 

 

iOS/App Store – https://apps.apple.com/us/app/henrico-county-rec-parks/id1576766571

Android/Google Play –  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.visitwidget.hcrp 

Read More