The City of Americus Human Resources Department will be rounding out the year by recognizing and celebrating employees who have excelled in the arenas of maintaining a safe driving record, dedicated years of service and notable perfect attendance. The 2017 Employee Appreciation and Christmas gathering will be the first formal banquet held in more than five years, and will be a highlight to the accomplishments throughout the year.
Among those accomplishments were a number of goals positioned to advance the overall state of personnel services offered by the Human Resources Department. A committee was established to reform the City of Americus Personnel Manual. Members of the committee set out to review, restructure and update policies that would provide a broader range of coverage and guidance through employee concerns. After more than 12 months of reviewing and revising the City’s Personnel Manual, Mayor and Council adopted the newly revised policies effective April 1, 2017.
Another change that was incorporated in the new policy, as a part of the City’s health and wellness program is the designation of the City of Americus as a “tobacco-free” campus. With the new health and wellness program in full swing, tobacco cessation became an almost immediate necessity for employees to reap the optimal benefits of having a full-service program. Through Corporate Health Partners, employees have access to two health coaches, monthly health and wellness updates, quarterly lunch and learns and health challenges, an annual health fair and free annual health screenings for preventive care.
In addition, now available to employees is a new full-service employee assistance (EAP) program through CorpCare EAP, where they have 24-hour access to expert counselors. In addition to improved employee health, wellness and productivity, because of all of the efforts made, the City is continuing to position itself to see a reduction in insurance premiums.
Going into 2018, employees and customers can expect to see more convenience in accessing information from HR. For employees, information has become readily available through a new employee-only intranet system, where they can find documents, announcements, health insurance information and a myriad of other items for their convenience. For customers, HR is stepping out into the world of social media and is now advertising employment opportunities, weekly tips and employee activities through a City of Americus Human Resources Facebook page. Customers can now see HR in action and connect with us on the go from any smart phone or device.
We are genuinely excited about all that the New Year will bring, and will continue to strive toward being the very best in service to our employees and customers.

Dee Jones is director of the Human Resources Department, City of Americus.