OSSE has made measurable progress over the years in building an office environment and culture where staff feel connected to the agency’s mission and each other. In 2023, OSSE ramped up those efforts to celebrate employees’ cultural heritage, recognize outstanding talent and provide opportunities for staff to learn more about the agency’s work and grown in their careers.
Prioritizing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB)
We continue to grow our efforts to embed DEIB throughout the work of our agency. We implemented a new staff intranet page dedicated exclusively to DEIB with foundational definitions, cultural events, compliance trainings and cool information. This fall, the Kaiser Permanente Mobile Health Van made a special visit to our New York Avenue terminal where OSSE bus drivers, attendants and other Division of Student Transportation staff could stop by to get free blood pressure screenings, body mass index testing, diabetes tests and more.
In our annual staff survey, we heard the desire for more development opportunities and a desire to recognize and reward staff for excellent work. In response to that feedback, OSSE is leveraging its stimulus funds and existing tools to develop, reward and recognize outstanding staff performance and support retention and growth during this critical recovery period.
We held two virtual staff presentations celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month featuring multilingual learners in DC and the intersection of identity and work at OSSE. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, staff participated in our annual #OSSEWearsPink campaign.
Prioritizing Recruitment and Growing Employee Incentives and Awards
In 2023, OSSE focused on hiring smart, talented professionals who are passionate about preparing students for success in college, careers and life. Led by Human Resources, recruitment soared with the hiring of 160 new team members. In addition, 49 members of the OSSE team secured internal promotions.
This year, OSSE held its first ever OSSE Awards - the agency’s annual employee-nominated awards which highlight exceptional individuals and teams who have made significant contributions to OSSE, the District and the students OSSE supports. We were thrilled to celebrate the hard work and dedication of OSSE employees.
Improving Internal Communications
OSSE's Communications Team launched a Communications Toolkit for staff, featuring a brand new suite of tools, templates and style guides. With the new toolkit, OSSE staff can explore style guides and schedule brainstorming sessions directly with the team to develop tools to better tell the story of OSSE programs to the public.
This year, OSSE launched a monthly Strategic Plan Brown Bag virtual series to give staff a chance to learn and ask questions about the latest progress of OSSE’s work. In concert with OSSE’s monthly virtual series, we are also sharing our progress through a new monthly strategic plan newsletter that is being sent to internal staff and external stakeholders.
