Pear-fect bites of employee events, initiatives, spotlights, and more!

Welcome to this week's edition of The Slice!

Below you will find helpful information about what is going on in the workplace.

If you have suggestions for future content, please email hr@pearlandtx.gov. 

Welcome to January

Dates to Remember

2025 Holidays

Lunar New Year Begins January 29th

Tech Byte

Winter Preparedness Tips

HR News - Events, Reminders & Happenings

Employee Recognition

January Work Anniversaries

Congratulations to all of the employees who will meet their tenure milestone in January. The Tenure Thursday celebration will be held on Thursday, January 30th, from 9:30 - 10:30 AM, in the City Council Chambers. Please join us as we celebrate our January honorees!

Benefits & Wellness News

Cigna's January Health Check Newsletter

Kelsey Seybold's Webinar Wednesday: Healthy Heart Tips

February is Heart Month! In this webinar, Dr. Mehran Massumi, Interventional Cardiology, will provide tips on how to keep your heart healthy by adopting sustainable behaviors.



In addition, he will go over the most common heart-related chronic illnesses and their risk factors. Dr. Massumi will also answer audience questions.

Training & Professional Development

Manager's Corner

Training & Professional Development Opportunities

HR Training Request Form

Would you like to request training for your team or department? Great! Your HR Training & Development team now has an online Training Request Form that you can complete to request your desired training.

Please use this form to make a formal request.

Important Information

We are proud to be partnered with Work Shield in aiding to prevent, deal with, and help solve any harassment or discrimination that may happen in the workplace.

Starting now, if you experience any form of workplace harassment or discrimination - from a co-worker, manager, independent contractor, or someone else from the workforce - you now have options in reporting.



1. Go to your Supervisor/Manager
2. Come to the Human Resources department
3. Report the incident directly to Work Shield

When an incident is reported to your supervisor or HR, we will help you get the information submitted to Work Shield so that their specialized professionals can conduct an impartial investigation into the incident and help resolve it fairly and quickly.

To report an incident to Work Shield directly, there are a couple options: 

1. Visit pearland.workshieldportal.com
2. Call 866.946.5558.
3. Come to HR and we will help you submit the claim

See Something, Say Something

City of Pearland

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Log-in information

City of Pearland

After Hours Mobile Drug Testing Protocols

Mobile Drug Testing will be available after hours (9 pm -9 am) 7 Days a week for the following:

Employee involved with an accident/ incident

• Supervisor contacts Risk Management through accident/ incident hotline: (713) 775-1471
• Determination is made (non-Injury) as to if Mobile Drug Testing can be used.
• In the event immediate medical attention is required:
• Employee is to be taken to afterhours treating facilities (Neighbors or Memorial Hermann)
• Testing to be performed by process available at Treating Facility - Policy 3.13a (B)



Risk Management:

• Will notify Mobile Drug Testing firm with the Specifics for the Employee
• Employee will be taken to Designated Testing locations:

• Mobile Drug test agent will provide Supervisor/ Designee with Identifying credentials (ID, Driver License).
• Mobile Drug testing agent will perform sweep thru of assigned testing bathroom where testing can be performed.

Results:

• Will be sent directly to HR – Fax, email
• HR/ Risk Management will notify Supervisor of the results

LEADERSHIP

LaRae James

Human Resources Director



ljames@pearlandtx.gov

O: 281.652.1852

C: 832.405.7129

Melissa Sullinger

HR Assistant Director

msullinger@pearlandtx.gov

O: 281.652.1633

C: 713.725.3072

Business Units: Administration, Legal, Parks & Recreation

Benefits/Wellness & Generalist

Melissa Avila

Benefits & Wellness Coordinator

mavila@pearlandtx.gov

O: 281.652.1618

Bich Nguyen

HR Generalist

bnguyen@pearlandtx.gov

O: 281.652.1613

*FMLA, general inquiries, VOE

Kennedy Mendes

HR Office Assistant

kmendes@pearlandtx.gov

O: 281.652.1851

HR Business Partners

Shaterica Washington

HR Business Partner

swashington@pearlandtx.gov

O: 281.652.1620

C: 832.977.6895

Business Units:

Communications

EPW

Utilities

Visit Pearland

Valerie

Johnson

Senior HR Business Partner

vjohnson@pearlandtx.gov

O: 281.652.1634

C: 832.470.3771

Business Units:

Fire

Community Development

Human Resources

IT

Samira

Areshia

HR Business Partner

sareshia@pearlandtx.gov

O: 281.652.1656

C: 832.470.3702

Business Units:

City Secretary

Finance

Municipal Court

PEDC

Police

Payroll

Lisa Vera

Payroll Manager

lvera@pearlandtx.gov

O: 281.652.1773

Juanita Vela

Payroll Coordinator

jvela@pearlandtx.gov

O: 281.652.1767

Risk & Safety

Brittany Anderson

Risk Manager

banderson@pearlandtx.gov

O: 281.652.1615

C: 281.740.2364

Chris Hall

Risk & Safety Coordinator

chhall@pearlandtx.gov

O: 281.652.1833

C: 281.775.1471

TRAINING & ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Latrice Benson

Organizational & Development Manager

lbenson@pearlandtx.gov

O: 281.652.1617

C: 832.840.2219

Melinda Thomas

Training & Development Coordinator

mthomas@pearlandtx.gov

O: 281.652.1612

The Slice is created by the Training & Organizational Development team with content approved by HR Director LaRae James. To submit a story for inclusion, email hr@pearlandtx.gov with "Employee Announcement" in the subject line by Thursday at 12 p.m. on the week prior to when you would like it included.