Employer Spotlight: Georgia Department of Administrative Services Video Transcript
Welcome to our Employer Spotlight. Today we are happy to have Monique Jenkins with us. Monique is a senior manager with the Enterprise Talent Management Services at the Georgia Department of Administrative Services. I know we're all excited to learn more about the Department of Administrative Services, what they do, and how they help the state of Georgia operate. Monique, thank you for being with us today. Thank you so much. It is great to be here and I am excited to talk about Team Georgia careers and the opportunities that we have with the state of Georgia. Awesome.
Alright, so to get started, why don't you tell us a little bit about the department, what services your office provides and any products that you provide? Yes. So the Department of Administrative Services, the agency that I work for is an agency that serves other state agencies and local governments. So our agency is about 200 employees and we provide services in the areas of Human Resources Administration, which is where I work.
And then we also provide state purchasing information and manage all of the state purchasing for the state of Georgia. We also helped local governments with procurement as well. Then we also offer surplus services. So for any state entity that is looking to transition their equipment, So maybe they are, they don't need it anymore. Our surplus division helps them disseminate that and hopefully sell it. And then we also offer those services to local governments as well.
And then we also have our risk management division, which is responsible for the states insurance program. So there are many types of insurance program that the state manages to support state employees in certain areas, and that includes our worker's compensation insurance. And then we also have our fleet management services, which manages the states fleet of vehicles, and also provides drivers service training and fuel card management for the State of Georgia.
The services that we offer as a state entity is really designed to make sure that state agencies have what they need so that they can serve Georgia citizens. So that's a little bit about my agency and what we do.
We are located in downtown Atlanta. Almost all of our employees are teleworking on a regular basis. Right now, that that's two days a month. But we love to be in person and we love to be around each other. We are operating on a hybrid schedule.
Okay. Awesome. Well, it sounds like a huge operation. Well, the Department of Administrative Services, we have a lot of responsibility, but as I mentioned, we are a small entity when we compare to other state agencies because we only have about 200 employees, but yes, we have responsibility for many statewide programs. And so that makes our reach touch almost every state employee.
Wow. So how would you describe the organization's culture? What are some of the benefits of working there? Things such as medical or health benefits, affinity groups, opportunities for community involvement, and any mentoring programs. So as a state entity, and I want to make sure that I talk about Team Georgia as a whole as well. But the state is a very large employer, so my agency is just one of more than a 100 state employers in the executive branch, which is who Team Georgia Careers represents. But our benefits are the same across entities with the exception of the 国产自拍, because they do have their own benefits program. But every other state employee that is not part of the 国产自拍 has a fantastic benefits package.
So we offer a very generous time off policy, as well as we offer 13 pay holidays, which is very generous. Employees start earning their time off upon hire. And there is really no waiting period other than you have to wait to accrue the time. But for new employee you can earn five hours annual leave and sick leave, her pay periods. So that's ten hours a month it's very generous and like I said, you start earning that upon hire.
And then we have a host of other benefits that help employees make sure that they are financially, physically and mentally healthy. And we offer those services through our flexible benefits program. So my agency actually manages the benefits program with the exception of medical. So we do offer a comprehensive medical program that offers three different medical options. So employees have a lot of choice when it comes to their benefits.
Then, because we are a government entity, we also offer a retirement plan that includes a pension. So we are still one of the few employers where you can get a pension. And that is based on investing schedule, based on ten years of service before you're vested in that pension. But we also offer a full 401K program with the match. And I'm very excited to announce that are match just increased with legislative action in July. And so we offer many many benefit opportunities.
And so outside of medical and financial, we also offer an employee assistance program. We have a medical program that pays employees for being healthy, for taking care of themselves. And then we also have the option to participate in programs such as the state employee discount program which is also managed through my agency.
And then we are focused on service, right? So we exist. Our sole purpose in state government is to provide services to the citizens of Georgia and for our state employees, they also have the ability to provide community support. We offer that in a number of ways. So first, we offer the ability for employees to take education support leave, to support education in Georgia. So that is up to eight hours of paid time off to be in our schools and help our youngest citizens. And then we also offer employees the opportunity to contribute financially to charities in Georgia through our state charitable contribution program, which every year we raise thousands of dollars, almost millions of dollars in support of non-profit entities in Georgia.
And then all of our agencies have their own ways to provide community support. So we have community engagement days for our employees where they can go and volunteer. I know with the Department of Administrative Services, we are supporters of individuals who are trafficked. Human trafficking is one of our big support areas. So every year we do a toiletries drive to support those individuals who are in programs that are in support of victims of human trafficking. But we also every winter do a clothing drive, long johns drive, for those individuals who are homeless. And so every agency is different because we are 100 different entities, but we do offer our employees the opportunity to get involved with the communities that we serve.
That is awesome. I love to hear about organizations and agencies that really give back to the community and try to help people. How that looks is gonna vary based on the agency. I know some of our agencies because it's back-to-school time, so quite a few of our agencies conducted back to school supply drives. And so it really is going to depend on the type of agency that an employee is, with and how they feel they can best support citizens of Georgia. But yeah, that is just one of the benefits of working for my agency and the state.
Awesome. Then I guess on a more personal note, what do you admire most about the organization or the agency? Yes. So for me, it has been great because I am at this point a long-term state employee. I have been with the state of Georgia as an employee for ten years. And one of the things that I admire is the ability that I've had to grow in my career. So when I started with the state in 2009, I was a recruiter and I worked for a very large agency, but I've had the opportunity to work for three additional agencies throughout my career with the state of Georgia, with my current one being the Department of Administrative Services. And I've been in this role for almost four years, but I started out as a recruiter, as part of a recruitment team at a very large agency. And now I am a Program Manager leading state-wide programs and I've been able to do that with one employer, the state of Georgia. But while also growing in my career and experiencing other state agencies, because all of our state agencies have their own culture because they can be big or small. And so it really gives you an opportunity to learn and grow and develop, but still stay part of one employer and stay connected. So I've made, life-long connections, people that I have met that are still with the state that I still know today from when I started back in 2009. So that's really been a great part of working for the state and what I admire.
Okay. Sounds good. And then how can students learn more about careers and internship opportunities? Yes. So the best way that students can learn about careers and internship opportunities with the state of Georgia and with my agency would be to go to our careers portal which is careers georgia.gov. That is really the one-stop shop and the first place that anyone interested in learning about working for the state and all the benefits that I just talked about, but also all of the agencies and the opportunities that exist, that is the best place.
So we have most of our state agencies posting their full-time, part-time and internship opportunities on our website and then also on the careers.georgia.gov website, there is a internship page. So it is specific to students who are interested in internships, whether they are undergraduate students or graduate students. And also on that page, we list out the organizations that offer internships and we tell students when those internships would be offered, whether they're paid or unpaid, what type of student the agency is looking for, what type of major you need to have to qualify. And then we also provide a link to the agency's web page so that the student can very easily be connected with that agency and find that internship opportunity.
Yes, it is awesome. I have checked out that internships page when I'm working with students and I have to say, I love it. Well, thank you. We worked hard on it. Yeah, it looks good. I love the information that you can find there.
Monique, thank you so much for joining us today and teaching us a little bit more about the Department of Administrative Services and what you do. I know we're going to have a lot of students ready to check it out and check out the jobs and internships that are featured there on your website. So thank you so much. You're welcome. And it was my pleasure. And I look forward to seeing students on campus, but also I wanted to say, as you are looking at our website, please be sure to follow us on social media. So we are on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Team Georgia Careers. Excellent. Thank you. Thank you.