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DONAHUE Tammy G From: TAYLOR Dennis M Sent: Friday, March 26, 2004 4:07 PM To: *Eugene Employees Cc: MILLER Dawna A Subject: Important Value Diversity Training Diversity is an important value that informs my leadership and service. I am impressed by and committed to the respect for diversity as an enriching organizational value for the City of Eugene. Earlier this year, the Executive Management Team met to review recommendations from the City's Diversity Advisory Council (DAC) regarding attendance at diversity trainings. The Diversity Advisory Council was asked to meet and discuss several issues that have been raised by employees and Human Resource staff regarding citywide consistency in adhering to the expectations set forth in the City's Framework for Diversity Plan. At the request of the DAC, we asked department management teams and diversity committees to revisit the topic of diversity training expectations and to find ways to better manage a universal approach to ensure that every employee is provided training opportunities. In addition, asub-committee of the DAC evaluated and developed recommendations based on feedback from all City departments on training requirements. These recommendations were then approved by the larger DAC and forwarded to the Executive Management Team. After careful review of the recommendations, the Executive Management team and I reaffirm our existing City's expectation for all employees regarding diversity training. We believe that training and development are keys to ensuring that supervisors and employees have the necessary skills and abilities to convert understanding of cultural and workforce diversity into action. We, as a City organization, are committed to creating and maintaining respectful work environments for all employees. Consequently, we believe continuing the annual diversity training requirement for all City employees is appropriate and useful to meeting our individual and organizational commitment to diversity. A resource guideline sheet has been prepared and will be sent to all supervisors and managers to assist in the implementation of our diversity training requirement. We will also hold a supervisor forum to discuss these guidelines and to clarify any other questions. Other information on the diversity training will be forthcoming. We continue to have the following diversity training expectations: 1. The annual diversity training requirement for employees remains an expectation as set forth in the City's Framework for Diversity Plan. 2. Managers/supervisors should ensure that all employees attend the initial required class goals. 3. Managers/supervisors should meet required class goals and the annual diversity training requirement to model support and commitment to the training expectation. 4. Managers/supervisors should receive periodic reports on employee attendance at trainings to address accountability and adherence to the training expectations. 5. Other types of training, courses, and seminars designed to meet a specific goal of a work team, division or department, under specific guidelines, will meet the training requirement. 6. City sponsored sack lunch sessions, attendance at community events, and some activities that are not directly job- related or compensable, but meet a learning interest an employee might have, will be considered "recordable events" for the ease of overall information but will not meet the annual diversity training "requirement". Please help us achieve better uniform and citywide consistency to our diversity training goals. Thank you. --DMT Dennis M. Taylor -City Manager City of Eugene City Hall 777 Pearl Street, Room 105 Eugene, OR 97401