Employee Professional Development

The purpose of the Employee Development Program (EDP) is to provide a system and a range of resources to assist you in your career development and the expansion of your knowledge, skills, and abilities, and to assist the District with succession planning, business continuity, the achievement of its mission, strategic goals and objectives, and creating a proactive, empowering, supportive culture of achievement. While your career is your responsibility, the District will be a partner in your journey.

The EDP can help you perform better in your current job and/or get you ready for advancement and job opportunities in your department or another department. The components of the EDP include the Career Development Plan and the elements of education and training, shadowing, and crosstraining.

Career Development Plan

The Career Development Plan (CDP) is part of a formal process where the employee and supervisor or manager work together to identify career goals, identified the needed knowledge, skills, and abilities, make a gaps assessment, and develop a plan to help obtain those proficiencies. This may include education and training courses, certification programs, and/or work on projects, cross-training, participate in meetings, work on special assignments, be asked to present, and/or join a program.

The CDP form is included attached. The CDP form is used to assist the employee and their supervisor in formalizing the employee’s career goals at the District, taking a current assessment, making a gaps assessment, identify areas for improvement and expansion, and developing a plan of action. The action plan may include recommendations for education and training, shadowing, and/or crosstraining, among other suggestions. Approvals are needed to begin implementing a CDP as shown attached.

Education / Training / Certifications. If the approved CDP calls for additional education, training, and certifications, the District will work with you to identify resources to obtain those and may assist financially in obtaining those components within the constraints of the training budget. Work closely with your supervisor as he/she will need to budget ahead to meet anticipated educational, training and certification costs.

Crosstraining and Shadowing. These programs give employees the opportunity to learn about other departments and provide the opportunity to be more prepared for future job opportunities. Employees should benefit by having the opportunity to develop new skills and try different positions in different areas. Employees may elect to go through a brief and informal process of shadowing an individual or straight to a formal process of crosstraining through an approved CDP. In order to participate in crosstraining and shadowing, employees must have been in their current role for at least one year, have passed a fit for duty exam, received a minimum of a three on their last performance review, and not be on a Performance Improvement Plan.

Shadowing is an opportunity to allow employees some time to see what others do, to expand their knowledge, and/or experience a different potential career path at the District. For example, this could be someone from Customer Service working with Public Affairs or a Meter Reader working with Distribution. This is an informal process and is anticipated to last no more than 8 hours over one to four days. Supervisors and Managers from both the employee’s and the shadowed department must agree on the shadowing component(s) and schedule.

Cross-training Program is a formal process which allows an employee to work in another position or another department as part of a career development process and which may be recommended as part of an approved CDP. Due to likely impacts in both the sending and receiving departments, cross-training is generally limited to one employee per department at a time for a maximum of 100 hours per year. Supervisors and Managers from both the sending (employee) and receiving departments must agree on the cross-training opportunity including work components and schedule. Longer assignments may be approved if found to be useful and where they are not problematic to the District and the sending and receiving departments. In all cases, the needs of the District, the department, and the employee’s current work performance come first. Assignments may be changed, shortened or eliminated due to District needs or changing circumstances. Where multiple crosstraining requests are received, an employee’s seniority will take priority. However, upon an employee exercising their priority, they will then be placed at the bottom of the wait list until all others have had a chance to participate.

After completing a cross-training assignment as part of a CDP, the employee will be asked to give a quick presentation during the All-Hands Meeting, to the Employee Development Program Committee Meeting, write an essay, or other task as agreed to by the employee and the current supervisor. Additionally, all participants agree to be interviewed by Public Affairs for a story to be included in the Employee Newsletter.

Process

To get started on a CDP or crosstraining effort, engage with your supervisor or manager, or talk to Human Resources. Human Resources can help facilitate the CDP and crosstraining engagements between the employee and the necessary supervisors and managers and get you started. Complete a CDP, get it approved, and start working your action plan with the District as your partner.

While the District supports career growth and advancement, the District’s EDP and CDP are not guarantees of a potential new job. These programs are here to provide the resources, direction, and atmosphere which helps employees advance their capabilities in their current job and to compete favorably with other candidates for any given position in the future through the established recruitment process.

Our new Strategic Plan includes “Be an Exemplary Employer” as a primary goal and “Prioritize Staff Development, Career Opportunities, and Succession Planning” as a strategy. The EDP and CDP will help get us there. Also, these programs are part of a continuous improvement cycle and are constantly evolving and subject to change by the EDP Committee and the General Manager. As always, we seek all staff input in the development and implementation of these programs.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. I’m not interested in another position. What can I do with the Program?

This program can be used as a framework to elevate and accelerate your own professional development in your current position. Go ahead and work with your supervisor on a custom CDP for you which may include shadowing and cross-training opportunities.

2. When can I start a CDP and how do I get it started?

The program can be initiated at any time by filling out the CDP form and engaging your supervisor or others pertinent to your career journey. HR means human resources, and this department is for you and is always available as a resource to you.

3. How do I initiate a shadowing opportunity?

This is envisioned to be an informal process. If you see something you are interested in, consider talking to someone in that department and bring it up to your supervisor. HR can help facilitate.

4. How do I initiate a cross-training opportunity?

This is a more formal process that requires a CDP which communicates the cross-training element and includes agreement between supervisors and various signatures. Cross-training can be challenging to organize and implement as discussed in the plan document – the intent is for all of us to work together to help make cross-training and other good things happen for you, your career, and the District. HR can help facilitate.

5. Why are all these signatures required?

We want to make sure supervisors are working together and in agreement, especially with cross-training taking place, and we want other managers to be aware and supportive of the process and your career development.

6. How is this related to my annual review?

There is no connection to the annual review except that your review may reference future goals identified on your CDP. The CDP is kept in a career development file separate from your performance review file.

7. What happens if I don’t finish certain goals on schedule or if I change my mind?

You can opt out of the CDP at any time without consequence on the annual review. Dropping out may impact support for a future CDP or cross-training opportunity, however.

8. Can I obtain certification credits through cross-training?

You can obtain such credits if you meet the requirements, and if it is approved by the supervisor in charge. Keep in mind that cross-training is generally set up for up to 100 hours as detailed in the plan document.

9. Can I cross-train without developing a CDP?

If you are requesting a cross-training opportunity for career development, it must be included in a CDP. A CDP doesn’t have to be massively elaborate, just detail the objectives and how cross-training would be helpful. In addition, supervisors may identify cross-training opportunities within their department to address expected future vacancies. These opportunities will be advertised internally to identify interested parties who we will work with to cycle through the activity.

10. Will OT be paid when cross-training?

OT may occur during the course of a cross-training event and will be accrued and paid as per the MOU and District policies.

11. I work in a small department. How can we accommodate cross-training and other elements of a CDP?

Let’s get together and figure something out. Consider shorter, multiple segments over time, on certain days of the week or times of year when the departments involved aren’t so busy. We can look at external resources and/or assistance from other departments as well.

12. This looks like a very detailed program. What if there’s something that doesn’t work right for my situation?

Please discuss your issue with someone, such as your supervisor or HR. They can bring this to the attention of the EDP Committee which will continue to meet, discuss, modify, and improve this program over time.

13. Why do I need to do a fitness for duty exam?

An office employee interested in cross-training out in the field needs to do a fitness for duty exam as a safety precaution. This is to make sure that there is no chance of somebody getting hurt. The fitness for duty exam would only be done for someone in the office that is interested in working out in the field. It is not required for field staff or for office staff interested in cross-training with an office staff department.

14. Does cross-training count towards acting pay?

No, cross-training is designed to enrich the employee and to help further their career. This program is designed for the employee to voluntarily want to participate and is not required by the District.

15. Could I do courses during District time?

No, courses need to be done outside of District’s time and during the employee’s personal time.