Report 2015-608 Recommendation 13 Responses

Report 2015-608: High Risk: State Departments Need to Improve Their Workforce and Succession Planning Efforts to Mitigate the Risks of Increasing Retirements (Release Date: May 2015)

Recommendation #13 To: Social Services, Department of

Social Services should identify a key resource, such as a unit, by June 30, 2015, to track the results of workforce and succession planning activities across the department to ensure that the workforce and succession planning activities it implements are monitored on a departmentwide level.

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From November 2016

CDSS has completed the requested action and it has been fully implemented. The Department designated the Workforce Development Branch (WDB) to serve as the key departmentwide resource for workforce succession and planning. WDB has designated an Organizational Development Analyst that will continually partner with two other units to analyze vacancies and retirements for mission critical priorities. In partnership with Research Services and Special Projects, they will view trends and evaluate strategies of our workforce and succession planning activities annually, via multiple methodologies. The Department will update and evaluate as necessary to ensure that strategies are effective.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Fully Implemented

1-Year Agency Response

The Workforce Development Bureau (WDB) remains the ideal unit to track results and findings of the workforce and succession planning efforts. Processes to achieve these goals are being revised and evaluated to be implemented by June 2016. The Bureau will be utilizing this opportunity to further refine its monitoring processes, in addition to increasing qualified staff available to manage the project.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Partially Implemented

6-Month Agency Response

The Workforce Development Bureau is the entity within the Department tracking the results of workforce and succession planning activities. The Department expects to complete the deliverables by December 2015.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Partially Implemented

60-Day Agency Response

In its initial response, CDSS identified the Training and Development Unit to perform the previously mentioned function; however, the Workforce Development Bureau is the more appropriate entity within the Department to track the results of workforce and succession planning activities. Additionally, the Department expects to complete the deliverables by December 2015; rather than the previously stated 2016.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Partially Implemented

All Recommendations in 2015-608

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.