The Best HR Department Project
Lauren Secko
Human Resource Management
SNHU

71 Aiken Street, Unit H6
Norwalk, CT 06851
Telephone: 203.550.8114
Email: lsecko@newcanaanymca.org
Instructor: Dr. Bonnie Nelsen

Executive Summary
The best HR departments are ones that bring out the best in the team that they are working with. This is done through asking for and being open to feedback from those that you are representing. There are many components that go into this process, and one is no more important than the next. It is all of them together that brings forth an innovative and inclusive HR department that is there to service each and every staff member that is hired. From training and development, to retention and top talent recruitment, HR departments need to understand what is important to their staff and how they can make that team feel engaged and valued. When one is able to perfect that, they can then formulate a department and company that is working towards a common mission and goal. I hope to address this process through my paper that follows.

The Best HR Department The best HR departments are ones that are able to attract and help to retain top talent. These departments help their employees feel valued as more than just a number or a tool to make their company better. Instead they make sure that employees know that who they are outside of work and what experiences they bring to the table every day, are valued and received. HR should be a place to advocate for the welfare and the benefits of their employees. This is the best way to make sure that you are bringing in the innovative and forward thinking team that will help your respective company thrive and grow to the next level. The components that go into creating such a supportive and amazing cohesiveness are all very important standing alone and move stable and solid when thrown together and implemented by a strong and transparent department that values and supports their team.
HR Competencies Our workplace and the demands of every-day-life have brought a change in what is needed to offer flexible options for candidates and staff. More households need to have two incomes coming in to support the expenses that are increasing. This new and complex demand is one that needs to be reflected on how HR departments offer positions and opportunities. The Capital One virtual workplace is one examples of model of how this can take place. As stated in the article, “The goal was to create a physical environment supported by HR policies and technologies that enables employees to work when and where they will be most effective” (Khanna&New 2008). There are many mothers and fathers, grad students and others, that would be more productive having the option of working virtually. A parent with a sick child at home would not have to stress about how they will be able to care for their child and work on that deadline that she/he has at work. This shows our employees that we value their other responsibly as well as where and when they feel they can be most effective.
Positions at the YMCA When it comes to positions at our YMCA I first struggled on how we would be able to implement such a virtual work environment. We face the struggle of being a community organization that still very much relies on face-to-face interactions. With this being said I feel that though we likely cannot offer a permanent, fulltime, virtual position, we can offer the virtual option on a case-by-case basis. I feel that certain positions can work from home when a child is sick, or any other circumstance where the employees feels they could be more productive. I believe that a supervisor can approve this option, when the need arises. Our staff laptops that have server connections to our work network can be issued to that person. There is also a way to access this server from remote personal laptops and this option can also be looked at as a possibility. Some positions that I see the program working for are our Administrative Assistants, Registration Support Staff, Directors, and Finance Staff.
A Great Place to Work
HRMS
Allowing our team to work remotely is only one of many services that can be offered. As an HR professional though, we can get caught up in all of the systematic and routine based duties and fall short of the services that really matter to our employees. With this being said it is smart to use a HRMS system to keep all of these databases and systems organized and less time staking. In our YMCA it would be very helpful to have payroll, job reviews, benefits and other data systems all in one place. We currently use the ADP Portal to do this now and it seems to substantially help. We unfortunately do not use it to its maximum strength though. As I did more research I noticed that none of our directors put their job performance reviews in this system. They seem to all keep them in a separate and less secure area. Also, much of our HR benefits and paperwork are not uploaded onto this portal. I would like to change this going forward so that we only have to log into once place to access every single HR need. This would streamline the process of accessing all of our HR needs and give us more time to be better at the more personal and important aspects of our role.
Great Employer I am aware that there is no avoiding the tasks of payroll and performance reviews, but there is so much more to being seen as a great employer. You cannot be a great employer without a great HR mindset and a team to implement it. When I interviewed Katherine Morrissey, our HR Assistant at the YMCA, I realized a lot about what exactly it means to have a strong HR department. I feel this also reflects what is means to be a great employer. I did not feel that Ms. Morrissey had what I deem it takes to implement those above and beyond aspects of taking care of her team and fighting for and working towards what it truly means to be a supportive and innovative HR professional. When thinking of Ms. Morrissey the following quote runs through my mind: "The best and the brightest don't go into HR” (Hammonds 2005). Katherine just does not seem to have what it takes to reflect what the NEW HR should look like. You is empty and lacks the innovation and sharpness that it would take to use HR to benefit her team and her company. To be fair I started to think of what I would do differently if I were in her shoes. To be a great employer you need to be able to truly care about your team. If you care about the team you have that is trying to carry out your companies’ mission, you will be able to keep them invested and retain them. This means that you need to be transparent and open about what your mission is. As a YMCA we have 3 Core Values: Youth Development, Healthy Living, and Social Responsibility. Those core values seem to sometimes feel like they only apply to our members and not our staff. If I was able to have more control over our HR department I would make sure that all of our values also applied to our employees. I feel that a great employer cares about their team as much, if not more, than their customers. Without a team that is respected and appreciated, customers will not be able to feel and invest in your mission and goals if they are not being delivered them by staff that is exuding them. A great employer also communicates and is open to feedback from their team. They truly care about what is happening on the front line and are not just consumed on the bottom line. They encourage staff to take care of themselves and give them opportunities to do so. They are willing to change with the world around them and understand how detrimental complacency is.
Leading Change At the YMCA we are lead by a CEO that truly hates the word and concept of complacency. Innovation and adapting to the needs of our community is extremely important to him. I wish that he and our HR department would allow this mind-frame to cross over into our staff needs as well.
The Drivers of Change in our industry are more and more working moms and two family households. In the area where I live there is a large amount of stay-at-home moms and many of those moms, due to the economy, have had to become working moms. From an HR standpoint this has put a huge strain on those moms and families being able to justify not only mom going back to work, but also the cost of childcare that that work then requires. I feel that as a YMCA we should be making this a lot easier on our working moms that are in our company by giving discounts and making the childcare that we have onsite more employee friendly. This is not the case at all though, and myself as the childcare director, cannot afford to send my daughter to the center that I run. I feel that this is causing a very big issue with team moral.
See/Feel/Change
There has been a lot of resistance to meeting the drivers of change in our organization. The one that I am reflecting on is the increase of mothers that need to be working in our demographic. If our CEO, board, and HR department would see just how much many of us, working mothers, would benefit from being able to afford the childcare services in our building, then maybe they would feel how stressed and unproductive we are due to it. Change would help mothers and fathers that work for our YMCA, to have piece of mind when they have their children in the same building as them. They would not have to worry about rushing out of a meeting to make it to another daycare before they close. They also would be given he opportunity to nurse their child throughout the day and have that peace of mind that if their child needs them they are steps away. I truly believee that if this change could occur, staff will feel they and their families are important and valued. It would create the cross over of our core values into our staff and truly have a positive and forward impact. It would do this by helping them be more productive and be able to spread and live our mission every single day. They will be invested instead of resentful and angry about not being able to afford their own company’s childcare program.
HR’s Role Human Resources really and truly needs to advocate more for these types of benefits. Being a community organization should not stop at just our members, our staff should be the most important part of that community. I feel that when looking at the HR budget, a certain about of thought and money need to be allocated to helping staff be able to utilize our childcare program in an affordable manner. This may mean looking into a sliding scale based on income, much like what we use for members on financial aid. HR needs to fight for their staff and realize that the benefits they will get in return will be more valuable and priceless to the organization in the long run. They will be able to retain staff and also attract top talent with such a program in place.
Recruitment & Selection When talking about how to retain employees, one must also reflect on how we need to attract and recruit the right employees for the future. You want to have a team that is going to be invested in your mission and therefore one that you, as an employer, are going to want to invest in as a person. This is why the recruitment and the selection of employees are so important. In my Best HR Department I would follow a very specific and regimented process to attract staff that I feel will work for me and make me want to work for them. For example, if I were hiring for a preschool director I would take the following steps:
First Week: Put together a job description complete with education and certification qualifications as well as mandatory job experience
Week 2 - Have Job Opening and Position posted to Job Boards, etc.
Week 3 - Week 6 - As resumes come in have 3 folders - Red (NO), Yellow (Maybe), Green (Strong) - this will help to organize your candidates. You can also start to call GREEN folder candidates for initial phone interviews, as well as YELLOW Candidates.
Week 7 - Start face-to-face interviews
Week 9 - start to narrow down candidates and start education and background checks on them.
Week 10 - have final 2-3 candidates go through the thorough DCF background check process
Week 12 - make selection
This Process is long, but I feel it is necessary to be able to pick the right candidate for all of the right reasons. With such a role, the requires an intensive background check, you need to make sure that you cover all of the areas that may pose any legal or liability concerns. It will also allow enough time to interact with the candidate and get to know them and if they will fit well into the core values that your organization may have. This is of the same importance as the background checks because it will allow the right candidate to stand out and therefore will allow you organization more of an opportunity to pick someone that will be invested and retained more easily.

Retention
Retention does not have a one-size-fits all approach. Many companies are dealing with different generations that all have various needs and desires when it comes to what is important to them. In my Best HR Department, I would make sure to really look at being fair to all generations and also giving equal thought and concerns to what the needs are. I would want each staff member to feel like they are valued and that their needs were being provided to them. This can vary from maternity leave benefits to retirement contributions. The best way to find out what those needs are though is to have a retention plan. My plan would be as follows:
Employee Surveys: How else can you better find out what you employees are looking for? This is a way for employees to openly give feedback on what they like and what they are looking for. It will be done anonymously so that honesty is not deterred. I would recommend having surveys done once a year and putting together a board of staff and executives that will comb through and discuss the results.
Leadership Development and Process: I feel that we do a great job with our leadership ladder. HR would continue to offer trainings for development and encourage staff to follow the leadership plan if they wish to grow within the organization.
Open Door Policy: Staff should be encouraged to communicate with their supervisor on any issues or concerns they may have. They should be encouraged to give suggestions and feedback on how they feel policies and procedures are going. There should also be more formal time set aside to bring casual talk and feedback to the CEO’s attention. This can happen during coffee mornings or chili lunches once every other month.
Awards and Events: Staff Appreciation through the form of awards and events are always positive times to highlight all the progress being made. This shows staff that what they are doing is not going unnoticed.
Wellness Programs: As a YMCA this is so important. We work in an environment that allows wellness to be at our fingertips. Classes before work hours begin and during lunchtime would be helpful to promote well-being of staff. It will also promote a more proactive and productive workforce.
Generation X and Y When it comes to retaining top quality staff you need to know how those members tick. The above is a general way of doing that. The results you get back will be very different because, for example, Generation Y and X are very different. Generation X feels that they are not heard and had to work hard to get where they are today. They did not expect to be handed anything and just want to make sure that they are heard and that their ideas and opinions matter. As an HR director that would mean giving plenty of feedback and pats on the back when something is done right. This also means treating that generation as the person that they are and appreciating that they are in and out of work. Basic benefits are very important to this generation and they need to feel as if their hard work is being seen and noted.
On the other hand, Generation Y has been raised by the baby boomer generation. This was a generation the rocked the boat a bit and make it known that they were here. They have raised their children to be the say way, just this time it is laced with entitlement. Y-ers feel that they are owed something. They essentially work to live and feel that they corner office should be theirs. They do not look at and respect authority in the same way X-er did either. Therefore, as an HR director I would make sure to make my expectations very clear to this generation. If they are a good employee I will make sure to always fill their bucket with what they need. They are fast and quick and you need to keep up with them. They like instant gratification and this needs to be used to hold them and retain them.
Training and Development
One of the many ways to retain good staff that is in my retention plan for every generation, X and Y, would be Trainings and Development. At the YMCA we have a great way of making sure that those that want to grow within, can. Being a learning organization if very important. As is having a clear-cut way of how once can use that development to move up the ladder and grow. Below is my Development Plan is as follows:
The Goal: This plan will be put into place in order to attract and retain quality staff. It will focus on nourishing our current staff and finding those key players that we want to grow the bigger roles within our organization.
Plan: Training and development go hand-in-hand. They are so important when coming down to sustaining a successful company with innovative and participating teams. In order to keep up with competition and also keep staff feeling appreciated and motivated we must have a plan for them where they can look forward and see that the sky is the limit within our organization.
How The Plan Works
Part-time staff will be given the opportunity to go to YMCA trainings in our regional area. This will help to develop them for the next step of coordinator if this fit is right for our company and the individual. Trainings will be held on a quarterly basis. Full time non-exempt staff will be given the chance to go to regional trainings as well and bigger zone trainings on the EAST coast. They will also be invited to go to the Policy and Principle Leadership training that involved 3 different components to establish and gain their Team Leadership Certification. This should be encouraged to be obtained by their 5th year of employment. This sill help them to move up into and Exempt Full Time Director role if they see fit and if the right fit for the organization.
Exempt Directors/Leadership Staff will be encouraged to go to national, regional and zone trainings. They will also be encouraged to get their Multi-Team/Branch Leadership Certification. This should be obtained within 7 years of being in a Leadership Role. This will allow them the chance to move up to a senior staff position. Next is the CEO training Institute. This is for those that are interested in taking a bigger role as a CEO one day. All prior certifications must be obtained before this step.
T his development plan can be utilized anywhere and is a great way to show staff that they have a ladder that they can climb internally. Someone should never feel that in order to grow they need to leave. This is detrimental to retention and moral in the workforce. The ladder of development, combined with trainings and reviews will help supervisors see their team’s strengths and therefore know how to move forward to be a more proactive and competent organization with strong HR values and techniques. It is important to remember that “Encouraging professional growth shows your team you care about their progress and their future, and it inspires loyalty in employees” (Harbour 2014). This loyalty will create a team that is invested and ready to grow through their strengths and learn through their weaknesses.
Competencies
When you have a solid and trustworthy training and evaluation process instituted into you HR polices and leadership ladder, you are better able to know your team and what their strengths and weaknesses are. With this being said, it would be easier to utilize a competency analysis when you are selecting whom you should assign the work that needs to be done. In the ideal HR department reviews should be to show who your natural leaders are. This will help you implement well-rounded teams that can successfully work together. You will also observe the different personalities and skill sets that can be ideal when formulating a team and getting the work down that will make your company successful. Performance management plays a very big role in this process because without it you would not be able to focus on everyone’s talents and which team members can compliment their fellow partners and teammates.
Performance Management When it comes to being the Ideal HR Department, one has to give a detailed and trustworthy way of evaluating and coaching staff. As stated before, this is the best way to be in tune with what the strong points are and weaknesses may be with the team that you are leading. There is no better way to do this than to have a clear cut and transparent evaluation and mentoring program set in place. In my best HR department I would make sure that I established goals, both long and short term, with all of my staff. This should be done at the same time each year and there should be goal-coaching meetings established on a monthly or quarterly basis. The following performance management plan would be what I feel, ideal: Every August supervisors should sit down with their team members in both a group and individual sessions. During these meeting there should be an evaluation done and staff should be rated on different competencies. These may vary, but should include: customer service, budget management, and interaction with other staff, basic policy and procedure compliance, and professional development. Each category will have key points that will be rated as either: FM (Fails to Meet Requirements), MM (Meets Minimum Requirements), MR (Meets Requirements), ER (Exceeds Requirements), and OA (Outstanding Assessment). There should also be an area for specific comments under each category. At the end of the performance review there will be an area for you and your team members to go over personal goals (family, wellness, etc), short teamwork goals and long-term work goals. This should also be when staff is awarded their percent increase based on performance. After these formal meetings it is important to sit down in 2-3 months and go over where staff is with their long term and short-term goals. These meetings can be very casual and should feel as though they are a time to get productive coaching done. I feel it is also important that during monthly staff meetings there is recognition awards that are given. I would personally have a FRED of the month in my meetings. “It doesn't matter how large or even how screwed up an organization is. An individual can still make a difference within that organization. An employer can hinder exceptional performance, choose to ignore it, and not adequately recognize or encourage it” (Sanborn 2001). This is a concept from the book Fred Factor. I truly believe that as directors we need to recognize those that are going above and beyond to make a connection with customers or work on a project in an innovative manner. This should be something that is praised and highlighted during monthly meetings. It will give a sense of appreciation and motivation for your team members. In addition to doing small monthly “Fred Awards” I think that there should be awards given during your yearly holiday party. These recognitions should be given based on what your core values are and the mission of your company is. At my company those awards would be: Youth Development, Social Responsibility and Healthy Living. This again will give a sense of pride to all those that worked hard to carry out what you team and company stands for. In terms of recruitment, development and retention of top talent, performance management is very import. Top talent wants to feel valued and stimulated. They are going to seek out companies that provide a well-rounded incentive program. This means a good balance been work and life, as well as growth and ways to get better as an individual. Nobody wants to feel like just a number, they want to feel as though they means something more and that their life outside of work means just as much to their employer as there hours committed to work. We want staff that is invested in our missions and us as an organization, but we need to meet them half way. We need to value our staff and make sure that they feel that we are invested in them as well. Also, companies that have internal growth and an active coaching plan will keep top talent because they do not need to leave to grow. I feel that every company should implement an educational program to help internal staff move up among the ranks. This will be an investment that helps to retain top staff that wants to keep learning and molding themselves. This will also turn over into a loyal and invested team of individuals that will carry your companies mission and values out. Fair Treatment & Legal Compliance When discussing those that are loyal and invested in your company there is no black and white when it comes to what your team will look like. We just went over how everyone on your team will learn from their weaknesses and want to be praised for their strengths. With this being said, your team will be diverse and each has their own unique and “different” backgrounds. These need to be respected and treated fairly by an HR Department and the team that they represent. We live in a world and a country that is ever changing and in fairness we need to change with it. Offering feedback and trainings, combined with policies and procedures, can help an HR department to make sure that everyone on your team and in contact with your organization is treated fairly and you are legally compliant. In my Ideal HR Department I would make sure that policies are clear cut and signed off on every year by my staff. I would also have trainings that help to hit home how important it is to be an integrated and inclusive place to work. The National Inclusion Training Project offers wonderful trainings that help to show how important it is to be fair to all. I would require my staff to attend one of these trainings. My ideal HR Department would have the following plan: New Staff and current staff will sign off on the policies and procedures, code of conduct and inclusion training outline. Staff will then receive trainings each year in how to be more welcoming and inclusive to all those that they work and service. Staff will be allowed to give feedback and there will be an open door policy for anyone that feels there is a shortcoming of what it means to be fair and compliant. If this happens, a round table discussion of all levels will take place and the code of conduct and/or policy and procedures will reflect any changes made. This is just one way of creating and establishing a healthy and well-rounded work environment for all. Wellness Programs Being inclusive and compliant is important for the health and well-being of your organization, but so does being physically healthy. So lets face it, healthy employees cost less in the long run. Employees that are active, healthy and overall well, translate into more effective and productive team members. They also tend to stick around longer and become more loyal and trustworthy employees. “A study by Towers Watson and the National Business Group on Health shows that organizations with highly effective wellness programs report significantly lower voluntary attrition than do those whose programs have low effectiveness (9% vs. 15%)” (Berry 2010). So what does it take to have a strong and effective wellness program? Leadership is a very important pillar to success. The supervisors and middle managers need to encourage their staff to take advantage of the wellness program. Setting aside a wellness goal section in their performance reviews can do this. Also, managers and middle managers can encourage and invite staff to come to a fitness class as a team building approach. Personally I find that we do a great job at the YMCA with encouraging wellness. This is done by making sure we all schedule time to do something for us throughout the day. Our managers tell us to block out an hour to make time to go out for a walk or take a class. This is encourages and treated like it is an important meeting that should not be cancelled or rescheduled. I feel that the leadership mentality truly helps for a plan to be implemented I would make sure that is communicated when implementing a formal wellness plan. I also would make sure that as managers shift and come and go, the alignment of this program stays consistent. “Ideally, a wellness program should be a natural extension of a firm’s identity and aspirations” (Berry 2010). I feel that at the YMCA this is one of our pillars of focus: Healthy Living, and therefore makes this program more likely to be sustainable and successful. Planning is also very important. You need to figure out what exactly you want to get out of a wellness program. I have decided that I want to encourage staff to be tobacco free. Therefore, I will be giving a $50 monthly discount on their insurance policy premium if they pledge to make this healthy lifestyle change. We will also give staff a reason to get annual and important medical test done. For example a woman who need to get a mammography will be given a gift card when she present her paperwork from the doctor saying that she did so. This will be a VISA/MC gift so that she can use the money anywhere she pleases. We will also make sure that all products that we sell within our YMCA are healthy ones. That means no more soda machines or potato chips. Staff will be given healthy options in our staff lounge and at our kiosk. Healthy options will up the chances of healthy choices. The program also needs to be fun, therefore we will kick off the idea by doing a Commit to Fit program where all employees are given a punch card. This card will be punched every time they make a healthy choice. This could be when they work out, eat a healthy snack instead of a cookie, or decide to quit smoking. This has to be observed by someone else and that person will sign the card for his or her teammate. At the end of the contest, 6 months, each staff member with over 100 punches will be entered to win one of ten prizes. They will range from a massage package to a weekend away. This will help to kick-start and motivate people to begin a new and healthy way of living by making it fun. Conclusion Being the best HR department takes a lot of work and learning as you go. You must know your team and understand what is important to them. This is done through surveys, exit interviews and reviews. It is also done through casual meetings and personal struggles you may witness them going through. Your staff will change and each of them has a separate and unique set of talent and needs. With this being said, you need to make sure that you, as an HR professional, are able to make each employee feel and know that they are valued. Having diverse and inclusive benefits and programs that can help and develop each and every team member does this. At the end of the day, the best HR department for me may be very different from what someone else thinks. That is the beauty of the career path though; it is ever changing and evolves by careful and thoughtful reflection and listening.

References

Berry, L.L. (2010). What’s the Hard Return on Employee Wellness Programs? (December 2010). Harvard Business Review

Hammonds, K. M. (2005). Why we hate HR. Fast Company (August 2005) 97. Retrieved April 4, 2007, from http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/97/open_hr.html

Harbour, s. (2014). Ways to Promote Professional Development in the Workplace (July 2014). Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/ways-promote-professional-development-workplace-45524.html

Sanborn, M. (2004). The Fred factor: How passion in your work and life can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary (1st Currency ed.). New York: Currency/Doubleday.