Mike Wolanin | The Republic The exterior of The Commons with the Bartholomew County Courthouse pictured in the background in downtown Columbus, Ind., Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017.
Bartholomew County government, with more than 400 full-time workers, has never had a human resources director.
Efforts to create a human resources manager position in county government have been turned down twice over the past few years. But after losing 25% of its workforce in 2022, there might be a change of heart, Bartholomew County Commissioners Chairman Tony London said.
Back for a third consideration, the proposal for an HR director has the backing of department heads, law enforcement and the commissioners, London said. He explained they see it as a way to help stop employees from leaving the county’s employment – or at least find out why they are quitting.
Resistance stems from the council’s dislike of hiring new employees with wages and benefits that increase on an annual basis. In Indiana, the average HR director working in government makes $44,781 annually, according to the ZipRecruiter website. However, that same source states a highly-experienced person could make up to $73,126. Higher salaries are likely in the private sector.
During this month’s work session, the Bartholomew County Council heard a presentation on the subject with data largely collected and organized by Chief Deputy Auditor Dalene Pattingill and County Administrator Tina Douglas. London said it’s just one part of an ongoing effort to make Bartholomew County government more efficient.
While the recruitment of prospective employees will be part of the HR director’s job, two other responsibilities are known as onboarding and offboarding, London said.
Onboarding refers to the process of introducing a newly-hired employee into an organization. Also known as organizational socialization, onboarding is considered an important part of helping employees understand their new position and job requirements.
Offboarding is the process that leads to the formal separation between an employee and a company through resignation, termination or retirement. It encompasses all the decisions and processes that take place when an employee leaves. One of those decisions might be transferring the departing employee’s responsibilities.
But another key reason for having an HR director is designating a person who has the time and knowledge to provide consistent and centralized benefit administration, London said.
Many county employees are unaware of the benefits available to them, London said.
“We feel this is one of the reasons why we are losing so many employees,” London said. “The employees don’t know who to talk to with regard to different employment issues.”
If approved, the HR director will help employees understand insurance benefits, such as the Family and Medical Leave Act, London said. That person would also administer retirement benefits such as the Public Employees Benefit Fund (PERF) – a pension benefit and defined contribution account benefit. PERF can also include life insurance, accidental death and injury insurance and other benefits available to employees. “When we talk to others in this community that work for other companies of any sort of size, they are shocked to find out we don’t have anyone working in these areas,” London said. “We looked at many other counties of our size, and quite frankly, we might be the only one in Indiana that doesn’t have a human resources director.”
The matter will be discussed at the council’s regular meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, council president Jorge Morales said. While council members are expected to be presented a job description for the HR director at that time, Morales said he anticipates the position will be “very mixed in responsibility.” A job description should be prepared and presented to the council at that time.
Other efficiencies being considered for county government included the use of more technology. London said one idea would involve the creation of a user-friendly website where a resident who creates an account can access any service the county provides, such as getting property tax information, obtaining birth certificates and changing beneficiaries. Payment options would also be part of that website, he said.
