Report 2021-104 Recommendation 14 Responses
Report 2021-104: Metropolitan Water District of Southern California: Its Leadership Has Failed to Promote Transparency or Ensure a Fair and Equitable Workplace (Release Date: April 2022)
Recommendation #14 To: Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
To ensure fairness and accountability in the hiring process, by October 2022 MWD should adopt and publish comprehensive formal hiring procedures that include the following elements.
- A documented process for screening applications based on defined criteria.
- Clear instructions for justifying hiring decisions, with examples of appropriate justifications.
- Document retention requirements for human resources staff and hiring managers that align with the steps of the hiring process required in MWD's hiring procedures.
1-Year Agency Response
Metropolitan fully implemented the recommendation to establish comprehensive formal hiring procedures to ensure fairness and accountability in the hiring process. In October 2022, Metropolitan adopted and published documented Recruitment Procedures, EEO Concurrence Process, and revisions to Operating Policy H-10 (Recruitment and Selection) and submitted the related documents to the State Auditor. These documents make up the comprehensive formal hiring procedures and were created/revised in collaboration with the bargaining units. The DEI Office is partnering with Recruitment in outreach efforts to assist and advise on outreach strategies to help create diverse applicant pools.
- Completion Date: October 2022
- Response Date: April 2023
California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Fully Implemented
MWD developed formal hiring procedures that specify requirements related to screening candidates, that include examples for appropriate hiring decision justifications, and that outline specific roles and responsibilities for parties administering a recruitment and hiring process. If it adheres to these formal procedures, MWD will better ensure a transparent and fair process.
6-Month Agency Response
To ensure fairness and accountability in the hiring process, Metropolitan adopted a recruitment policy (H-10) and comprehensive formal hiring procedures based on best practices. The new procedures include a documented process for screening applications based on defined criteria, clear instructions for justifying hiring decisions with examples of appropriate justifications, and documented requirements for human resources staff and hiring managers that align with the steps of the hiring process.
- Completion Date: October 2022
- Response Date: October 2022
California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending
This recommendation was fully addressed at the one-year agency response.
- Auditee did not substantiate its claim of full implementation
60-Day Agency Response
To ensure fairness and accountability in the hiring process, Metropolitan has dedicated resources and established a schedule to review, adopt and publish comprehensive formal hiring procedures and centralize all current documents pertaining to recruitment into a comprehensive document.
The draft document is expected to be shared with Metropolitan's bargaining units and presented to its Board within the next few months.
In addition, Metropolitan recently hired its inaugural Chief DE&I Officer. Collaborating with the Human Resources Department to create and refine equity-focused leadership development curriculum and educational opportunities, and to provide career advancement pathways for people of color, women, and LGBTQ+ staff as well as focus on inclusive recruitment and retention strategies.
- Estimated Completion Date: 9/30/2022
- Response Date: June 2022
California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending
All Recommendations in 2021-104
Agency responses received are posted verbatim.