Responsibilities

The Human Resources Department is responsible for maintaining the integrity of the workforce and risk management related activities of the City. It is designed to balance the concerns and operational activities of both the City, as the Employer, and the employees. As an internal business partner, the Department engages in good stewardship through contractual and fiscal responsibilities and provides direction regarding employment practices. The Human Resources Department directs and oversees the development, implementation, and oversight of organizational benefits, workforce development, policies, wage, risk management, compliance strategies, and budgetary preparation of related costs.

Benefit Programs

Direction and oversight of compensation and classification, to include but are not limited to, benefits, incentives, and wellness initiatives; legislative compliance; and market strategies. Because they have a significant impact on the well-being of the employees and their families, as well as may have legislative mandates, benefits programs are essential to the success of attracting and retaining quality employees. Therefore, sustainable health, wellness, job-related incentives, and retirement benefit programs are just one of several goals of the Human Resources Department and are achieved by designing and implementing those incentives to specifically address the individual employee’s needs in mind.

Maintaining quality and marketable benefits packages have a long-lasting impact both now and post-employment. Although legislative and economic factors have a significant role in costs for the employer and employee, ultimately dictating what is offered, the Human Resources Department is dedicated to designing healthcare, retirement and incentive programs that are founded in sound stewardship, as much as possible, for the good of the whole organization.

Workforce Development

Workforce development activities focus on a variety of processes regarding attracting and retaining a qualified workforce. Efforts in this area of responsibility are achieved via compensation marketability, sound classification strategies, succession and career-path planning, and encouragement of personal and professional advancement. A periodic market analysis is conducted to ensure the integrity of the organization’s pay structure through market evaluation. Developing and maintaining pay-for-performance methods, streamlining department efficiencies, and position classification are also conducted to further ensure integrity, allow for marketability, and addresses legislative compliance. Classification strategies aid in the development of career path and/or succession planning, and achieves parity among peer level positions to permit equitable placement within the compensation structure. Essential job functions and duties, legislative compliance, physical and environmental constraints, performance expectations, and education and credential requirements are other critical items addressed within a Classification System.

Employment Practices

Employment practices are the backbone of the organization’s operations and include, but are not limited to, labor policies and contract management; legislative and social compliance; selection and retention strategies; training and development programs; and other employment-related processes. Policies outline the employment arrangement between the employee and organization. They define how work is performed, the consequences for low or non-performance, how people may interact with one another, and the organization’s commitment to maintaining its integrity for adherence to legislative compliance. Because employment practices are of utmost import, the Human Resources Department has a great responsibility in keeping policies and procedures properly designed and implemented through continual review and consistent implementation.

In other words, its charge to keep is to ensure that each component of the City’s policies and procedures under its purview are administered efficiently and effectively through consistent, sound practices and methods in achieving parity and compliance.

Personal & Professional Development

Encouraging personal and professional development has a positive effect on employees’ confidence and professional growth. Therefore, the Human Resources Department engages in talent improvement through training and succession planning initiatives, a design of incentivized performance-based programs, career path guidance, and supporting personal growth, outside the realm of the employment.

Risk Administration

The Human Resources Department also directs and oversees risk administration for the City. Risk abatement and mitigation initiatives are accomplished through the development and application of appropriate administrative methods related to Workers’ Compensation, and Property and Liability. Both Workers’ Compensation and Property and Liability have related legislation and contract guidelines, and are administered by either being self-insured, partially self-insured or fully insured.

Vendor Contract Management

Vendor contract management is another integral part of the functional responsibilities of the Human Resources Department. Whether related to benefits or risk management, contracts are maintained with vendors to ensure proper methods of administration and appropriate forecasting of expenditures for the benefit of the organization.