Our Differences Are Our Strength

The City of Tallahassee represents and respects individuals of all cultures, ethnicities, nationalities, genders, sexual orientations, ages, physical abilities, neurodiversity and beliefs. As a team, we draw on our differences—including who we are, how we think and what we have experienced—to become better, together. To “be the national leader in the delivery of public services,” we must reflect the community we serve.

OUR COMMITMENT

Promoting equity and celebrating diversity is core to our City’s values and who we are as a community.

The City of Tallahassee’s Office of Diversity & Inclusion leads with tolerance, encouragement, and respect to foster a diverse, inclusive, and equity-driven workplace where all employees feel valued and our workplace matches the diverse population of our community. This is accomplished by the department’s efforts in working:

• To promote diversity and inclusion throughout the workplace. 
• To utilize analytics, provide statistics on demographics, and to consistently monitor the City’s workforce.   
• To offer more opportunities for promotional growth as well as to intentionally attract the most qualified and diverse talent for vacant positions.

For more information, or for questions regarding the City of Tallahassee's commitment to maintaining a diverse workforce, please contact Angela Hendrieth at 850-891-8295 or send an email to angela.hendrieth@talgov.com.

OUR STRATEGY

The City has developed and implemented several programs and events to further its diversity and inclusion initiatives. The following highlights a few of the ways we strive to move the needle in diversity, equity and inclusion.

Career Mapping

Maintaining a diverse and inclusive workplace requires building career development pathways at every level. The City offers two professional development programs that support employee growth and retention: the New Public Servant Initiative (NPSI) and Certified Public Manager (CPM) course. Participants in both programs are drawn from all City departments and reflect the diversity of the City’s talented workforce. These programs allow employees to develop valuable skills to be more effective in their current roles as well as prepare for future City opportunities.

Diversity Outreach

To enhance its recruitment efforts, the City is partnering with local organizations and educational institutions to reach a broader pool of diverse talent and the next generation. Networking mixers such as “Evening with Engineers” and “Legally Speaking” provide college students with the opportunity to learn more about City careers and internships. The Office of Diversity & Inclusion also hosts a “Leader In You” event for high school girls. The event showcases positions where women are traditionally underrepresented, such as engineers, firefighters, police officers, and construction managers.

Training

The Office of Diversity & Inclusion currently offers three recurring training courses. Anti-Harassment Training is a required course for all City employees. The course provides an overview of the City’s Harassment and Discrimination Policy and expectation for professional conduct. Workplace Inclusion is a training course for supervisors. It explores the role of self-awareness and management in helping to address unconscious and conscious biases. Diversity Awareness Training is designed for non-supervisors. The course gives practical strategies for ways every employee can help create a supportive and welcoming work culture. 

Community Events

The Office of Diversity & Inclusion develops ongoing community events to celebrate diversity and promote equity and inclusion. In 2020, the City hosted its most recent Race Relations Summit, which brought together local leaders, renowned experts and residents in a virtual setting. Participants engaged in community dialogue on topics such as racial health disparities, educational equality and how to build bridges to social justice. These City-sponsored events provide opportunities  for the community to learn, grow and collectively build a better Tallahassee, together.

ADA Statement of Policy

The City’s equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation policies, as well as information for individuals who wish to report concerns of discrimination or harassment or who wish to request a reasonable accommodation or modification, can be found at Talgov.com.

ADA Policy

It is the policy of the City of Tallahassee to promote the comprehensive realization of equal opportunity by providing equally effective reasonable accommodation to all applicants, employees and residents with disabilities, unless doing so imposes an undue hardship on the City organization or program, or would be a direct threat to the individual or others in the program or in the City organization.  

The efforts of the City extend beyond the requirements of ADA based on its commitment to create a stable workforce but are not intended to provide greater benefits than those specified by law. 

Specifically, the City resolves to carry out the intent of the ADA through a willingness to reasonably accommodate qualified applicants, employees and residents with disabilities, whether hidden or manifest. To this extent, creativity and flexibility in the modification of processes related to applying for positions and performing essential functions of jobs and accessibility to programs, services, and activities would be considered to reasonably accommodate persons with disabilities. Assistant City Managers, the leadership team, division directors, and supervisors are specifically responsible within their particular organizations for publicizing and enforcing this policy.   

ADA / Title VI / Non-Discrimination Policy

ADA (Questions & Answers)

A: According to the EEOC, a person can show that he or she has a disability in one of three ways: 

• A person may be disabled if he or she has a physical or mental condition that substantially limits a major life activity.  Major life activities include physical and mental activities (e.g. walking, talking, seeing, hearing, or concentrating) OR the operation of a major bodily function.  Examples of limitations to the operation of a major bodily function include abnormal cells growth (cancer) or abnormal operation of the endocrine system (diabetes).

• A person may be disabled if he or she has a history of a disability (such as cancer that is in remission). 

• A person may be disabled if he or she is regarded as having an impairment that they do not actually have (someone sees an inhaler on an employee's desk and assumes he has asthma) 

Q: Are there specific types of reasonable accommodation? 

A: The ADA recognizes three categories of reasonable accommodations: 

• Modifications or adjustments to a job-application process so that a qualified applicant with a disability can be considered for a position the applicant desires. 

• Modifications or adjustments to the work environment or to the manner or circumstances under which the position held or desired is customarily performed so that a qualified individual with a disability can perform the essential functions of that position. 

• Modifications or adjustments that enable an employee with a disability to enjoy equal benefits and privileges of employment as are enjoyed by other similarly situated employees without disabilities.