To: Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Human Resources Department
Staff Name and Phone Number: Janell Crane, 707-565-2885; Laura Gilbert, 707-565-3023
Vote Requirement: Informational Only
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Employee Engagement Survey Update
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Receive a presentation from Human Resources on actions taken since the first Countywide employee engagement survey in 2024 and the status of 2026 employee engagement survey.
end
Executive Summary:
This report provides an update on the County’s Employee Engagement Survey, highlighting progress since the first survey in 2024, key lessons learned, and improvements and support planned for this year’s administration. Significant actions include the addition of engagement goals in department workplans, employee focus groups, creation of the Employee Engagement Hub intranet site, and formation of the Employee Engagement Champions working group. Lessons learned from the first survey informed improvements to the 2026 process, including plans for faster sharing of results, increased support for leadership, and enhanced data disaggregation. A new vendor, TMA Performance, is providing a shorter, more user-friendly survey, and the addition of division-level reporting will support more targeted insights for larger departments. Results will be available to department heads in December, with a Countywide all-hands meeting planned for late January. Human Resources anticipates returning to the Board this Spring to provide an overview of the 2026 survey results, including a review of year-over-year trends.
Discussion:
In alignment with the Board of Supervisors’ Five-Year Strategic Plan (2021-2026) and its pillars of Organizational Excellence and Racial Justice, Human Resources (HR) conducted the County’s first all-employee engagement survey in November 2024. Since then, HR, Department Heads, and the Office of Equity have worked collaboratively to act on the recommendations from the initial survey, focusing on key drivers of engagement. At the time of this presentation, HR will be administering the second Countywide employee engagement survey.
Key Actions Following 2024 Results:
Following the presentation of the first survey results to the Board in May 2024, HR partnered with departments to review their data, celebrate strengths, and identify improvement areas. Consultants provided a list of recommendations focused on four primary engagement themes: 1) Department Mission, 2) Leadership and Managing Change, 3) Department Culture, and 4) Inclusion and Belonging. Department Heads received department-specific reports and incorporated employee engagement goals into their 2025-2026 Workplans. To further explore the preliminary findings, 11 focus groups were conducted in May 2025 with 101 employees from 25 departments. Their feedback reinforced the need for improvements in employee recognition, supervisor and manager skill development, communication and change management processes, and more awareness and opportunities to contribute to the County’s racial equity efforts.
HR then launched the Employee Engagement Hub intranet site for County employees, providing easy access to survey results, data dashboards, and engagement-related training resources. In August 2025, HR convened the Employee Engagement Champions working group to establish a community of practice focused on idea sharing, best practices, and helping departments plan and implement engagement actions. The group’s initial work focused on improving employee recognition and increasing employees’ sense of feeling valued. Department Champions completed department recognition self-assessments, reviewed focus group and pulse survey insights, and evaluated current County recognition efforts. This led to immediate improvements, including an expanded 2026 Public Service Recognition Week celebration, and enhancements currently in progress for the service-year recognition program. The group has since shifted toward strengthening department and countywide communications and are currently encouraging participation and completion of the 2026 survey.
Departments made significant efforts to respond to their survey reports and keep employee engagement an ongoing conversation and priority. The majority of departments developed survey action plans, integrating these plans with other department goals, REAP and Equity work, and current strategic plans. Many departments held further focus groups and listening sessions, formed engagement working groups or committees, and increased training and professional development opportunities for employees.
Lessons Learned from 2024:
As the 2024 effort was the County’s first all employee survey, the experience provided important insights that guided improvements for 2026. Key lessons included the need for more timely sharing of results at the employee level, additional division level data for our largest departments, and stronger support for leaders in interpreting data and developing action plans to ensure meaningful follow-through. Additionally, while the 2024 participation rate reached 56%, which is a strong baseline for a first survey, some participants found the survey to be too long, impacting completion rates.
To address the lessons learned from the 2024 survey, the 2026 survey response and support plan will include two executive-level training sessions to review the results and support action planning. Recognizing the pivotal role of supervisors and managers in employee engagement, HR will provide additional learning sessions and offer continued training and action planning support through a manager-focused community of practice for 2026-2028.
The Employee Engagement Champions group will remain active, helping to share department results, implement department-level actions, and provide feedback on countywide efforts. HR will continue to maintain the Employee Engagement Hub, distribute regular updates, and coordinate additional activities informed by 2026 results.
The County selected TMA Performance as its new survey partner through a procurement process that included cross-departmental input after being notified that the previous vendor would no longer be providing employee engagement survey services. TMA Performance has more than 25 years of engagement survey experience and a modern platform for improved analysis and reporting. Staff used this as an opportunity to streamline the 2026 survey, making it significantly shorter and more user-friendly. The previous 120-question survey was reduced to a set of validated, research-based questions designed to provide meaningful insights without overwhelming participants. While some questions have changed, year-over-year comparisons will remain available for key metrics. Where items have been modified, comparable questions from 2024 will be provided. New questions will establish a fresh baseline for measuring progress in future years and benchmarking against the public sector. This year, the County will also provide division-level reports for the six largest departments, enabling more targeted and actionable insights at the operational level.
Status of 2026 Employee Engagement Survey:
The 2026 survey is currently underway with coordinated communication efforts to encourage robust participation. Results will be shared with Department Leadership in December, followed by a Countywide virtual “All Hands” meeting in January 2027. HR anticipates returning to the Board in Spring 2027, to present an overview of the 2026 survey results, highlight year-over-year trends, and provide an update on the County’s updated response strategy. Making informed, visible change is essential to continue to build trust with our employees and demonstrate that we are listening and taking meaningful action.
Strategic Plan:
This item directly supports the County’s Five-year Strategic Plan and is aligned with the following pillar, goal, and objective.
Pillar: Organizational Excellence
Goal: Goal 3: Become an employer of choice with a diverse workforce that reflects our community, and an employer with a positive work culture that builds engaged and developed employees.
Objective: Objective 2: Conduct an employee engagement survey by mid-2022, and based on survey data, develop and implement strategies to incorporate survey outcomes into future operational planning.
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
Yes
Prior Board Actions:
March 2, 2021 (item 35) - Board adopted five-year strategic plan (2021-2026) - File Number 2021-0103
May 16, 2025 (item 2) - Board received a presentation from HR on the first County-wide employee engagement survey - File Number 2025-0168
Fiscal Summary
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
$50,000 was included in the Fiscal Year 2026-27 department budget to conduct the survey. Additional engagement costs are being absorbed within existing county budgets.
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
1. Presentation
2. Racial Equity Analysis
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
N/A