COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION OF THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES 2 Coral Circle, Monterey Park, CA (323)

Background - Los Angeles Urban County  Largest Urban County Program at $29.6M  Staffing – Currently at 42 staff for program administration down from a high of 60 in  Function like a state program with 42 small cities and 5 Supervisor’s Districts  Subrecipient management is our main thrust

“All’s Fair in Love, War and Recruitment”  Recruit “happy people” to avoid the PITA  People will be people so depersonalize it  A “happy” with CDBG/HOME experience is the ultimate!  Next best is someone with other federal or state grant experience – Section 8, CSBG.

Where to Hunt?  Poach from thy neighbor!  Network through trainings, meetings, etc.  Maintain contacts with previous staff  Even HUD is fair game!  Maximize your advertising buck and use the technology

What’s in Your Bait Box?  Can you out-bid your competitors with salary and benefits?  If not, focus on flexible work schedules, part-time work, 9/80 or 4/10 plans, casual dress, free parking etc.  Potluck Quotient – sell your culture and try to emulate that in the interview.

Keeper or Throw Back?  Maximize info collection – at least 2 interviews, supplemental questionnaire, reference checks, writing exercise  “Happy” Factors – good eye contact, sense of humor, comfort level, good communication skills  Beyond minimum qualification thresholds  “Uh-ohs” will be amplified on the job

Training- It’s an investment!  Start with a strong performance plan  ID essential job functions and weights  Include measureable objectives  Review with new employee, quarterly for first year  Strong and knowledgeable supervisor – if they need training get it!  Current unit procedures manuals – ease your training.

Training (cont’d)  Peer to peer with several if possible  To acquire different perspectives  Strengthen the peer trainer  Cross train with in-house specialists in labor compliance, relocation, financial  Use staff meetings for case studies from field  External training – NCDA’s CDBG Basics course, HUD, Nat’l Development Council, for profit training, online courses.

Retention – more than just about the money  But sometimes it is…  Keep salaries/benefits current through regular compensation reviews  Have clear jobs classifications and associated salary levels  Defined levels of responsibility within classification  Regular staff evaluations with goal setting for advancement

Retention (cont’d)  Effective discipline = morale maintenance  Safety net – support within team and at relevant levels of management…”open door  Practice employee recognition  At staff meetings  Employee achievement award/certificate  Team recognition  Thank you lunches

Retention (cont’)  Provide opportunities for creativity/learning  Objective oriented management – give parameters and let staff solve the problem  Create ownership through committee participation, strategic planning  Provide cross training and special assignments

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