Prepare for Witching Hour at the Haunted Plaza

Something good is brewing and it’s coming at you in the form of contests, costumes and plenty of ghastly fun.

All employees are invited to the Haunted Plaza at the County Operations Center on Halloween Day. From 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., the plaza will be full of tricks and treats. Planned activities include dancing the Monster Mash, games and contests with sweet prizes, a mummy wrap, and more. A pumpkin carving and costume contest will be judged during the festivities, but registration is required beforehand.

A new highlight of this year’s celebration is a food drive for the San Diego Food Bank. Employees are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to the big bash on Oct. 31. Each person who brings in an item (or items) will receive one entry into a raffle. Winner need not be present to win.

In addition, there are four contests to sign up for this year. Please note:Pictures must not exceed 10 megabytes (MB).

Workspace Decorating Contest: Show your Halloween spirit by decorating your office, cubicle or other workspace with festive fall décor. To enter select a category—funniest, scariest or most creative—and email photos of your spooktacular workspace (no more than two, please!) between Oct. 20 and Oct. 24. A committee will select five finalists and employees will vote for the top winners via an InSite poll from Oct. 27 to Oct. 29. Winners will be announced Oct. 30 and recognized at the Haunted Plaza on Halloween Day. Read all the rules before submitting.

Scary Face Picture Contest: Have a spellbinding stare? Try entering the Scary Face Picture Contest. County employees can enter by emailing a boo-tiful “before” and a dreadfully eerie “after” photo of their scary face between Oct. 20 and Oct. 24. The frightening finalists will be selected and employees will vote for the winners via an InSite poll from Oct. 27 to Oct. 29. The wicked winners will be announced Oct. 30 and recognized at the COC during the big Halloween bash. Read the rules beforetaking those blood curdling photos.

Pumpkin Carving Contest: Calling all crafters. The Pumpkin Carving Contest is coming soon. The contest is open to both freestyle and pattern carvers. But don’t wait for the Great Pumpkin to arrive to sign up! The contest is open to just 50 artists willing to try their hand at crafting the best jack- o’-lantern. The participants’ carefully carved creations will be displayed at the Haunted Plaza where County employee will vote for their favorite. Register to enter as a patternorfreestylecarver by emailing your name, title and department. Read the rules before finding the most perfect pumpkin as your canvas.

Costume Contest: Get ready to dress to impress in the County’s Costume Contest.  Sign up to participate early! There are four costume categories this year: funniest, most creative, scariest or best group. (For best group, make sure to submit only one submission.) Registration is open to just the first 10 entrees in each category. The costumes will be judged during the witching hour (12:35 p.m.) at the Haunted Plaza on Oct. 31. We’re dying to see your DIY and found costumes.Read the rules before fabricating your disguise.

Prizes will be awarded to winners in the Workspace Decorating, Scary Face Picture, Pumpkin Carving and Costume contests.

Thrive Across America Winners Announced

County employees have been busy thriving – coast to coast, virtually! Some 1,681 employees participated in Thrive Across American and logged more than 2.55 million minutes of exercise during the eight-week program, which ran Aug. 5 through Sept. 29.

Wellness Coordinator William Erese said the program successfully urged employees to get and stay active. It encouraged fitness, held participants accountable and was fun, he said. A daily email with tips on weight and stress management plus healthy recipes nudged participants to stay motivated.

“It is great to see employees support and encourage each other to succeed in health and wellness,” Erese said. “It’s an activity that builds camaraderie through competition.”

Tim Caulder, the top male participant, said his decision to participate was simple: “I want to stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible.” Caulder, of Public Works, was one of several employees who exercised and logged their activity every single day of the contest.

The competition was fierce and the annual event continued to gain momentum. A total of 166 teams walked, biked and swam in this year’s contest compared to 144 teams last year.  

In addition to the increase in participants and the impressive amount of time they walked, ran, biked, surfed and held that yoga pose, many employees shed some pounds.

Melissa Martinez, team leader for the HR Admin Shredders, lost 10 pounds. She often fit her workouts in during lunch. Martinez, whose crew came in second place, said the key to her team’s success was daily exercise, eating well, teamwork and a little competitive drive.

“My goal next year is to encourage someone new to participate and help them succeed,” she said.

Due to several ties, 11 teams made the top 5 and nine females made the top 5.

Top 5 Women

• Judy Potts – 1^st
• Ofelia Martinez – 1^st
• Gina Petska – 2^nd
• Joanne Raymundo – 2^nd
• Lissa Tysall – 2^nd
• Rosemarie Munoz – 2^nd
• Xiaojun Wu – 3^rd
• Kristal Parce – 4^th
• Desiree Fuentes – 5^th

Top 5 Men

• Tim Caulder – 1^st
• Ronald Higley – 2^nd
• David Craig – 3^rd
• Rodney Bates – 4^th
• Blake Weisgarber – 5^th

Top 5 Teams

• Back2Back CHAMPS! – led by William Erese
• Catch me if you can! – led by Dulce Cahue
• Rock Stars – led by Michele Curley
• UP & ACTIVE – led by Arnel Encabo
• Walkaholics – led by Ann Rossi
• Yearning to Thrive – led by Cheri Nicolas
• HR Admin Shredders – led by Melissa Martinez
• Lazee Gals – led by Tina Duong
• The 5 Funky Monkeys – led by Samuel Montoya
• 3x as FAST, 3x as Fabulous – led by Clarissa Gonzalez
• Moving Forward – led by Nelia de Guzman

For more information, visit Thrive Across America or visit Wellness Program site.

Will You Survive a Major Earthquake?

As County Disaster Workers, do you know what to do to survive a major earthquake? Are you registered to take part in the upcoming statewide ShakeOut drill? You’re encouraged to participate in the drill at 10:16 a.m. on 10/16. But even if you aren’t participating at work, prepare your family by holding a drill at home with them anytime.

Review earthquake safety tips and practice what to do if the ground starts shaking. Walk through every room in the house and find the best places to take cover and maybe secure some of those items that could become hazards if they fall.

Here’s a five-question quiz to see how much you already know.

Wicked Workspace: Decorating Contest Starts Oct. 20

A 2013 winner of the workspace decorating contest.

It’s time to clear away the cobwebs on your Halloween decorations. Break out the bats, unpack the pumpkins and string up the skeletons. The Workspace Decorating Contest is coming soon!

Show your Halloween spirit by dressing up your office, cubicle or other workspace with festive fall décor. The display should be a treat for your co-workers.

Entering the contest is as easy as (pumpkin) pie. All you need to do is pick a category—funniest, scariest or most creative—and email photos of your awesome autumn workspace (no more than two, please!) between Oct. 20 and Oct. 24.

A Halloween committee will select five finalists. Then, employees will be able to vote for the winner via an InSite poll from Oct. 27 to Oct. 29.

Don’t be a mummy, read all the rules before submitting.

The Workspace Decorating Contest is just one of several frighteningly fun activities leading up to the big Haunted Plaza Halloween bash at the County Administration on Oct. 31. Check back on InSite for all the details in the weeks to come.

In Touch: Three Letters to Make Us Run Faster and Jump Higher

What if I told you I know three letters that can make you run faster and jump higher?

Not only that, they can train us to be leaders. They can teach us skills to get ahead in our careers and life. And they can make us a better County — by celebrating and respecting the things that make us different and by recognizing that valuing our differences makes us stronger collectively.

Well, OK, maybe they can’t make us run faster and jump higher.

But they can definitely do all the rest. And, I believe, much more!

The letters are E-R-G — shorthand for Employee Resource Groups. And we’re seeing a significant increase in the number of them and the people who want to be part of them.

We have five established groups — two that have been active in the County for decades and three newer groups that have started in the last few years — and three more forming! You may be more familiar with them by their formal names.

Our longest-tenured groups are the San Diego County Latino Association and the County of San Diego Filipino-American Employees Association. They’ve been joined in the last few years by the African American Association of County Employees; the Asian Pacific Alliance of County Employees; and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Allies Association. And we have three new groups forming: the Veterans Employee Resource Group (VALOR); the Emerging Workforce Association; and the Middle Eastern Employee Resource Group.

There was a time when employee resource groups were primarily social in nature. People with common backgrounds met to have fun, make friends and gain a greater sense of identity and unity.

Employee resource groups still do that. If you go to our County’s Insite page and look at the employee message section — it’s filled with events sponsored by our groups, from parties, to book readings, to brown-bag lunches, to cultural events.

But employee resource groups are much more than just social groups these days.

On the individual level, they’re places where employees access professional development and training. For example, workshops to train to take the tests for administrative analysts’ positions, coaching sessions to prepare for job interviews, or avenues to get scholarships.

They’re also places where employees enhance their leadership skills as the County’s leaders of the future — by taking seminars that discuss topics like emotional intelligence or organizational acumen; by helping plan and taking part in events and projects; by being engaged in group’s leadership structure; and by working alongside fellow County managers who belong to these groups.

But employee groups don’t just help us as individuals. They also have the power to make us stronger collectively, as a County.

For example, all of our groups have adopted four focus areas that support the County’s strategic plan. The first focus area, personal development, directly reflects two of the County Strategic Plan’s required disciplines: developing and maintaining a skilled, adaptable and diverse workforce; and continuous improvement and innovation.

The other focus areas are more communal, team-oriented: Cultural Awareness; Recruitment, Retention, Outreach; and Partnerships, Supporting County Initiatives.

You only have to look at our County’s Live Well San Diego initiative to see how our resource groups have embraced that last of those three. They’ve sponsored hiking events, group runs, Zumba and yoga classes.

And strong employee resource groups definitely help our County recruit and keep talented employees by creating networks that help everyone know they are valued and important members of our County team.

As for cultural awareness, our resource groups have the ability to become champions of Diversity and Inclusion. Diversity — the general idea of recognizing, valuing and respecting the things that make us different, whether that’s ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual preference, religious belief or physical abilities. And Inclusion — working together to use our differences to forge a stronger workplace that reflects the diverse communities we serve and makes everyone welcome and productive.

At first glance, it may seem counter-intuitive to think of groups created to celebrate specific collections of people as champions of inclusion. But a deeper look explains how inclusive they are.

First, the memberships of our groups are completely open. Any employee, whatever your background, can join any group. Second, our resource groups have been eager to work with each other, across groups, to help all employees.

Just recently, our employee resource group leaders devoted their own personal time to hosting a special weekend leadership summit. (By the way, I want to personally thank all of the committed employees who have worked so hard to establish our employee resource groups.) Over two days, more than 30 leaders from our groups, both established and still forming, gathered to talk about all of these ideas and issues with guest speakers and executive managers.

I know everyone left energized and ready to lead our County to the next level.

Three letters — E-R-G.

What fantastic resources for our County team!

They can make us run faster and jump higher!

County Employees Learn About Fire Prevention

Employees and members of the public visiting the County Operations Center got a chance to walk through an Interactive Fire Prevention Trailer and to talk to volunteer firefighters about various ways to keep their home and family safe.

As part of National Fire Prevention Week, the San Diego County Fire Authority parked a structure protection engine from Pine Valley and a brush CAL FIRE engine as well as the interactive trailer next to the entrance Tuesday to talk to people about how to safeguard their homes from fires.

The trailer, on loan from the San Miguel Fire Protection District, resembles an apartment inside and has two levels. At one point several children went through the trailer and had a chance to simulate an evacuation. Firefighters used a machine that uses vegetable oil to generate smoke and held it at one end of the trailer, prompting children to go out onto a balcony and climb down a ladder to escape.

Every year, Fire Prevention Week has a theme, and this year it’s Smoke Alarms Save Lives: Test Yours Every Month.

“Nationally, statistics show your risk of dying in a home fire is cut in half in homes with working smoke alarms,” said Herman Reddick, County Fire Authority. “Smoke alarms should be installed outside of every sleeping area and you should replace the battery at least once every year.”

The U.S. Fire Administration recommends that you have dual sensor alarms or both photoelectric or ionization smoke alarms because they detect different kind of fires. Alarms are also available for people with hearing loss which also have strobe lights or vibrations to alert residents.

Some newer smoke alarms now have 10-year lithium batteries which are non-replaceable, but units should still be tested monthly.

The Fire Authority also made informational materials available for employees and the public.

Visit the Fire Authority website to learn more about the agency and wildfire prevention.

Which County Park Are You?