Q&A
Challenges with civil service exam eligibility for current HRA employees
1:28:01
·
155 sec
Council Member De La Rosa highlights specific challenges faced by current HRA employees who may not meet the licensing requirements for the civil service exam but are already performing the job duties. The discussion focuses on finding solutions to retain talented workers who don't meet formal qualifications.
- De La Rosa emphasizes the disconnect between job performance and exam eligibility, particularly for social workers without completed degrees or licenses
- She suggests the need for alternative pathways or titles to retain talented workers who don't meet formal qualifications
- DCAS representatives explain that hiring requirements generally match exam requirements, but acknowledge there may be exceptions
- The conversation highlights the tension between strict civil service requirements and the practical need to retain experienced workers in a time of high vacancy rates
Carmen De La Rosa
1:28:01
I think with the social work, it's a little different because they have to be licensed.
1:28:04
Right?
1:28:05
And if this is an employee that's a city hired that's working towards their license, but has still, like, 2 years left on a master's degree, but they're working, they're doing the work, they're not a licensed social worker.
1:28:16
And so the in order to take the exam, you have to have that minimum qualification.
1:28:21
Right?
1:28:21
So that employee would drop off of it wouldn't be eligible to take that exam.
1:28:26
And so but there's still, you know, there's still talent there is what I'm saying.
1:28:30
Like, that worker shouldn't simply be discarded because like, if they're good enough to do the job when it's an emergency, they still haven't had they they're not licensed yet.
1:28:39
There should still be a a way that we should be using that worker's talent in the city.
1:28:44
Maybe it's a diversion to a different title.
1:28:48
It's that type of comprehensive sort of customization for city workers happening.
1:28:54
Especially in this case where, you know, HRA hired a ton of workers.
1:28:58
Some of those workers are not licensed social workers, but they're doing the work of processing applications and other things.
1:29:05
And now an exam list is produced.
1:29:08
They don't qualify to take the exam because they don't have a master's degree, but they've been doing the work.
1:29:14
So what do we do as a city to not lose that talent, especially in the face of, you know, such high vacancy rates?
Kadian Outar
1:29:24
I do wanna note that for somebody that is hired into a specific civil service title as a provisional, the requirements are usually the same for the exams.
1:29:32
So for example, if we hire somebody into a social work title, the requirements that are there to allow that person to be qualified and hired into that title is generally the same requirement for
Carmen De La Rosa
1:29:43
We're hearing that that's not the case for some social workers.
1:29:47
That is not the case because there was a backlog.
1:29:49
Remember when the HRA backlog was happening with, the application?
1:29:53
There there was a backlog.
1:29:54
And so I'm not a 100% sure as to what were the accommodations that were made, but we're hearing that that there is indeed not, overlap completely in the eligibility based on the exam and and how that person is licensed.
1:30:09
Now and I understand, like, we need licensed social workers.
1:30:11
But in my mind, in a city where we have such high vacancy rate, if someone is doing the job and they're qualified to do that job, then we shouldn't lose that talent.
1:30:22
There should be another way to either put that person in another unit or in another title and, you know, actually help them to compete and and keep moving up while they finish their master's degree, for example.
1:30:34
Just putting that
Katrina Porter
1:30:35
out there.
1:30:36
Okay.
1:30:36
Thank you.
Lincoln Restler
1:30:37
Couldn't agree more.
