HR Administrator Responsibilities: Tips and Tricks for Success

1. HR 101: A Primer for Newbies Dr. Kimberly C. Chambers Director of Human Resources Adlai E. Stevenson HSD 125 kchambers@d125.org 847-415-4111

2. Purpose of today’s conversation • Discuss the key HR Administrator responsibility • Learn tips and tricks from an old veteran HR administrator in managing the responsibilities of this role • If this is your first or second year in HR, this is the place for you! • If you have been in HR longer, please jump in and contribute.

3. What is the primary responsibility of an HR Administrator?

4. Setting and Monitoring Culture • We demonstrate our culture to our candidates and new employees from our first interactions with them • Welcoming, understandable hiring processes • Respond to requests quickly and accurately • Friendly, embracing onboarding process • We demonstrate our culture in how we interact with our employees • Respond quickly and accurately • Treat everyone with respect, even when having difficult conversations • We demonstrate our culture in how we support our administrators • Provide adequate guidance and training • Provide the necessary resources for them to complete the HR-related portions of their jobs

5. Providing Effective and Timely Communication • We notify employees of policies, procedures, and other necessary information • We notify supervisors of the same • We serve as problem-solvers • We work closely with employee groups (unions, associations, administrative teams)

6. Competently Negotiating and Writing Policy • Collective Bargaining • We know the mandatory topics of bargaining • We negotiate on behalf of the Board but remember that we all need to work together after the process is over! • We know the CBA better than anyone • We manage the CBA • We make sure that others understand the CBA • Board Policy • We write compliant policy • We know the policy • We manage the policy • We train others on the policy

7. Providing Supportive Supervision and Evaluation • We write and implement evaluation plans and protocols for faculty, administrative staff, and support staff • Improve performance • Recognize excellent performance • Document sub-standard performance • We provide professional development and training for managers and evaluators on • Appropriate documentation • Use of the plan/protocol • Importance of process and deadlines • We create employee handbooks…and keep them updated

8. Appropriately Managing Information & Data • We gather necessary information and keep it organized and updated • Personnel files (paper, digital) • Human Resources Information Systems • We appropriately store and manage medical and HIPAA files • We appropriately store and manage investigation files

9. Compassionately Handling Employee Discipline • We follow the CBA, Board Policy, state statute, and federal statute – and we train others to do the same • We treat employees fairly and in a non-discriminatory fashion • We do not make employment decisions based upon protected factors • We document, document, document! (And ensure that others do the same) • What did the employee do? • What should the employee have done? • What was the impact of the employee’s actions? • What do you expect from the employee in the future? • Legalese… (right of rebuttal, union representation, information in the personnel file, etc.)

10. Creating Careful and Compliant Hiring and Staffing Practices • We create recruitment plans • What is your District looking for? Develop a profile • We hire great employees • Legally-compliant process • Properly licensed and endorsed • We appropriately assign employees to best serve the students’ and district’s needs • Ensure compliance with FLSA (work hours, overtime, lunches, breaks); exempt and non-exempt status • We do not move around poor performers • We manage releases, RIFs, and dismissals • We provide induction and mentoring programs to new employees

11. Monitoring and Managing Compensation & Benefits • We administer programs fully and without bias • We serve as a resource to all staff members (on all sorts of things!) • We benchmark salaries and benefits against comparable districts • We research trends in salary and benefits and make recommendations

12. Delicately Handling Investigations & Complaints • We respond graciously to threats of lawsuit, EEOC complaint, and Wage & Hour violation allegations • “Here’s my contact information” • We respond to and manage complaints and grievances • We thoroughly and quickly complete investigations • Harassment • Misconduct • Title IX • Discrimination

13. Decision Making Cheat Sheet • Do I have both all sides of the story? • What does the state school code say? • What does my district’s CBA say? • What does my district’s board policy say? • What is the history around this issue? What is my district’s past practice? • Would I make the same decision for any other employee? • Can I defend my decision to … my superintendent? My Board? The Association President? A reporter? A Hearing Officer or Judge?

14. Resources • Your District’s: • Legal Counsel • CBA/s • Board Policy • Evaluation Plan/s • Employee Handbook/Manual/s • An HR Mentor • State School Code • State Pension Sites • National Labor Relations Board • US Department of Labor • FMLA • Wage and Hour Division • EEOC • US DOJ/Office of Civil Rights • ADA • State Licensure/Certificate websites

15. Professional Resources • American Association of School Personnel Administrators (AASPA) • Boot Camp • Annual Conference – Fall • State-Level Organizations • Illinois Association of School Personnel Administrators (IASPA) • Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM)

16. Remember… • Ask lots of questions • Be consistent • Make defensible decisions • Act in a purposeful manner • Remember to be gracious and kind – even when (especially when) others are not • Forgive yourself your mistakes

17. Questions?