Employee Development Program

Employee Development Program
The Employee Development Program is a program implemented to ensure that our employees have the tools they need to be successful in their jobs. The program encompasses education to allow employees the opportunity to acquire additional skills and abilities for upward mobility and to maximize their effectiveness in County government.

Tuition Assistance
Santa Fe County offers employees tuition reimbursement for accredited college courses and participation. This benefit provides employee opportunities beyond internal training with the purpose of providing additional resources and training for employees that will encourage growth and development and enable them to perform their job functions in an effective manner. Employees may be granted up to $2,500 per year in Tuition Assistance.

New Mexico Edge
New Mexico EDGE (Education Designed to Generate Excellence in the Public Sector) is a continuing education certification program. This program is designed to provide comprehensive courses of study to County employees, through which participants can acquire and apply the best practices to their behaviors and strategies using the highest professional standards. The purpose of NM EDGE is to “provide better government through education” by expanding training programs beyond county government into other areas of the public sector such as municipal entities, state agencies and other public-oriented organizations that have a need for specialized training.

Years of Service
Santa Fe County recognizes the value of employee retention and recognizes employees on a monthly basis who have completed years of service in five-year increments. It is important that we express our appreciation to those employees who contribute to the County and choose to make their career with us. Employees receive a service pen with the years of service listed and their years of service accomplishment is recognized at the monthly Board of County Commissioners (BCC) meeting.

Employee of the Quarter
Human Resources strives to support employee accomplishments. In the third quarter FY14, Human Resources revised the “Employee of the Quarter” recognition program. This process was revised to increase participation in the program and to continue Santa Fe County's effort to promote a culture where we consistently recognize and appreciate extra efforts made by Santa Fe County employees. The Employee of the Quarter has six (6) Employee Recognition Teams comprised of all the County departments and Elected Offices. Each recognition team selects one (1) Department/Elected Office Employee of the Quarter for their team. These six (6) Department/Elected Office Employees of the Quarter are automatically considered for the countywide Employee of the Quarter process. The countywide Employee of the Quarter is selected by a three (3) member panel selected by the County Manager.

County Cares Program
The County recognizes that increasing employee wellness programs, training and development will promote healthy choices for employees and result in lowered health premium costs, increased employee morale and productivity, increased retention of current employees and increased outreach to the public. Human Resources works to educate employees through training, county-wide email blasts, flyers and personal assistance with the various wellness and training programs offered. In 2015, the County implemented the “County Cares Wellness Program.” The successes gained through increased attention and implementation of the “County Cares Wellness Program” strives to enhance our employees’ well-being through increased training and wellness opportunities, increased services to the public and increased personal and professional development opportunities for employees. The Santa Fe County employee wellness program includes monthly professional and personal development training opportunities, health and wellness challenges and programs, alternative dispute (stress reduction) services, employee assistance programs, an annual employee health fair and outreach at many community activities.

"Manager’s Commit to Be Fit Challenge”
The Manger’s Commit to Be Fit Challenge is a program under the Santa Fe County Cares Wellness Program. The challenge teams compete in three areas; Exercise, Eating Right and Community Service. All employees are invited to register teams of 4-6 co-workers for this fun and motivating 10-week health and fitness challenge. Each week, teams of participants log their exercise or physical activity minutes for the week to score points. To encourage everyone to do their part and to reap the benefits of exercise, all members of a team must complete a minimum number of minutes in order for their team to score points. Santa Fe County recognized a need to develop an affordable, simple and measurable wellness challenge for employees to engage in as part of a larger health promotion program. The County recognized that it is often very difficult for employees to balance their own health needs against their work day, family responsibilities and other outside obligations. The County realizes that challenges like the Manager’s Commit to Be Fit Challenge helps to create a culture of healthy lifestyles in the workplace and provide employees the comfort of practicing healthy habits at work.