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.

Women in Leadership

Women Hold 35% of the City’s Senior Leadership Positions
The City of Tallahassee is a diverse organization offering career opportunities in many fields. This video highlights six of the talented, focused, resourceful and dedicated women who serve this community and truly live our core values by demonstrating leadership at every level.

 

Municipal Equality Index

Tallahassee Scores a 100
The Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index (MEI) examines how inclusive municipal laws, policies and services are for LGBTQ+ people who live and work in more than 500 cities. For the second year in a row, the City of Tallahassee earned the highest rating allotted to municipalities leading in equity and inclusion.

OUR TEAM

The Office of Diversity & Inclusion tracks and measures the City’s progress toward its strategic initiative to have a workforce whose demographic composition is representative of the community we serve.

2022 Staffing Report

The Staffing Report below shows the year-to-year change in the gender and race/ethnicity makeup of the City of Tallahassee workforce from 2018 to 2022. With the creation of the Office of Diversity & Inclusion in 2019, efforts are focused broadly on closing the 10% gap in minority representation and addressing the underrepresentation of women as compared to the community of Tallahassee. 

According to the 2019 American Community Survey, the population of Tallahassee is 51% White, 35% Black, 7% Hispanic, 4% Asian and 3% multiracial. Gender representation sits at 53% female and 47% male. To achieve parity, we are taking action and are confident that, with a sustained effort, our goals are achievable.

The City is a robust organization with a workforce of some 4,000 dedicated employees who are proud to call Tallahassee home. Building a workforce that is representative of the community creates a sense of belonging for everyone. Both the organization and community benefit when people of different backgrounds, views, experiences and ways of thinking work collaboratively to better serve Tallahassee.

The Staffing Report dashboard is designed to promote transparency, accountability and results as we seek to live out the City’s core values. It serves as a tool to support our goal to further diversity, equity and inclusion within our organization. The data helps us to understand past and current workforce trends to support succession planning and identify opportunities to improve our recruitment, retention and promotion practices. In addition to examining our internal data, we also monitor external data from the United States Census Bureau and the American Community Survey to build a more holistic picture of our community at-large. A more micro view of departments shows that within several departments, including Aviation, Housing & Community Resilience and Human Resources & Workforce Development, over 40% of employees self-identify as Black, Indigenous or People of Color.

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.

OUR COMMITMENT

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

As part of its Five-Year Strategic Plan, the City is growing its efforts to ensure an inclusive and diverse workforce that is representative of the citizens it serves.

Established in 2019, the City’s Office of Diversity & Inclusion guides efforts to ensure a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace where all employees feel valued and respected.

ADA AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY POLICIES

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 STATEMENT OF 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.