County turns HR over to County Attorney
The Weston County Attorney’s Office will temporarily oversee human resource issues in the county as the Weston County commissioners proceed with plans to create an HR position after one of the newest members of the board raised red flags over the county’s current HR practices.
On March 21 during the regular meeting of the Weston County Commissioners, Commissioner Vera Huber told fellow commissioners that she had concerns about the administration of human resources and personnel functions in the County, noting that the board had passed the duties on to the Weston County clerk.
“This is not unusual; several counties choose not to have an actual human resources department and continue to do the same,” Huber said. “Nevertheless, our world has changed a great deal since the first decision was made. And, as time passed, important steps toward having consistent employee procedures and a liability-free workplace have been completely ignored.”
As county commissioners, she said, the board is ultimately responsible for all county employees, even those hired by the individual elected officials.
“The problem and issues we see rearing their heads now are a product of the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ attitude that comes from delegating tasks to others and assuming things are done properly with no oversight,” Huber continued. “This is not a criticism of our current county clerk's office in any way. This was going on long before Becky (Hadlock) became the county clerk. In fairness to Becky and her office, she has been put in the position of taking care of personnel and human resources with no solid base to build on, no accountability of tracking and no training or consistent procedures to follow.”
The lack of knowledge, training and understanding of human resource issues is something she said that the county needs to address. She noted that unless someone has done the research and/or has training in human resources that they likely have little understanding of the many issues faced and the need for more oversight and management.
“Unfortunately, county employees have suffered from these past decisions of commissioners to simply turn a blind eye and do nothing,” Huber said.
With election cycle changes happening throughout county departments, as well as normal employee changes, Huber said, employees are left with no consistent guidance concerning procedures, personnel issues, benefits and other various topics.
The result, she said, is unnecessary misunderstandings and likely the loss of employees.
“Currently, there is no mandatory or set training offered by the county for current employees, new hires or board members that we as commissioners appoint. Ongoing training would not only benefit our employees and board members, but it is also essential in protecting the county from liability issues that would certainly be a financial burden to all,” she said. “Training to help our employees grow, such as better customer service, managing your benefits, interpersonal communications, etc. should also be an option. We should want to give our employees opportunities to understand and grow in their positions, which could be an incentive to stay in those positions longer, giving us a stable workforce.”
To address these issues, as well as to avoid future misunderstandings, potential lawsuits and potential liability, Huber suggested that the board create a human resources position for Weston County. She noted that this individual could potentially do work as a commissioners’ assistant as well.
“Our employees need to know we value the jobs they do, and that we care about the workplace they have been hired to work in. Expecting them to find their own way in understanding policy, procedure, benefits, etc., and seemingly not caring if they grow in their position, is unprofessional to say the least,” she said. “Making it difficult or uncomfortable to ask for help when it is needed should be an embarrassment for us as commissioners — not our employees.”
“We all know if we don’t face these issues now and take care of them, we will face them in the future with what could be dire consequences. We must do the work required to make our human resources and personnel procedures consistent, professional, and lawful, which in turn would be something employees could trust and count on and be proud of,” she continued.
Huber added that the person chosen to fill this role will need a great deal of time and dedication, as well as a strong understanding of employment law, procedures, training and communication skills.
Huber said she recommends that the human resources position be a salaried position with a requirement of a human resources degree, legal degree or related experience that would satisfy the requirement of education.
Commissioner Don Taylor supported Huber’s suggestion to create the position, stating that he was “kind of blown away myself” when he learned of some of the human resource issues facing Weston County.
But Chairman Ed Wagoner questioned the vagueness in the motion to create the position. He specifically mentioned the lack of salary and benefits.
In the spirit of moving forward to solve the issue, Commissioner Nathan Todd suggested a friendly amendment to the motion. Ultimately, the board voted to move the human relations oversight into the county attorney’s office while the board will hold workshop(s) to establish and define the position.
To see the full discussion please visit the News Letter Journal’s YouTube page and view the commission meeting from March 21.
