15 Sep OWASA Board of Directors Meeting Summary for September 10
OWASA’s Board of Directors met virtually on Thursday, September 10, 2020, and considered an agenda that included adding Juneteenth as a Paid Holiday for employees, reviewing HR Policy guidelines regarding the Referral Fee Program, and receiving an update on OWASA’s Diversity and Inclusion Program.
The Board of Directors is currently meeting virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Juneteenth
The Board approved Juneteenth as a Paid Holiday for OWASA employees. The Board on June 11, 2020, adopted a Resolution Affirming OWASA’s Diversity and Inclusion Values and Supporting a Community Free of Hatred and stated their interest in acknowledging Juneteenth as a holiday for eligible OWASA employees. The annual observance will allow OWASA employees to join community members in promoting and cultivating knowledge and appreciation of Juneteenth history and culture.
Referral Fee Program
The Board approved proposed changes to OWASA’s HR Policy regarding the Referral Fee Program. The program has been in place since 2001 and changes were proposed following a review by OWASA’s Diversity Resource Group. The proposed changes increased the referral fee distributed to employees who recommend an external candidate who is then hired to fill an open role at OWASA and eliminating the probationary period requirement before that distribution is made.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Board received an update on OWASA’s Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Program and Equal Employment Opportunity Report for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020. All action items identified in the D&I Initial Implementation Plan in 2017 have now been completed, although OWASA will always strive for continuous improvement in this area. OWASA has seen growth in race and gender diversity of its workforce over time and will continue outreach to outside agencies in an effort to improve the diversity of applicant pools for open positions.
Executive Director Focus Areas
The Board approved the Key Focus Areas for OWASA’s Executive Director for the period of September 2020 through June 2021.
Next Meeting
The Board will hold its next meeting remotely on Thursday, September 24, 2020, via Microsoft Teams at 6 p.m.; a link will be provided here.
OWASA’s administrative office is closed to the public to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Customers in need of assistance can still contact OWASA from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday by calling (919) 968-4421, emailing customerinquiries@owasa.org, or using the chat function available in the bottom-right corner of the web page. Please allow for additional time for OWASA staff to respond during this time. We appreciate your patience.