Integrity & Impactful . . . or . . . Inequity & Insufficient
The City of Sallisaw government’s Human Resources function is understaffed and insufficiently organized. This observation is not a criticism of the valiant HR-related work that has been performed. Despite the absence of an HR function, a lot of good work has been achieved. (See Sallisaw Job Descriptions).
Silos and Shadow Functions
The downside is that much of this crucial work is conducted outside the guidance and oversight of a central HR function.
For example, I spoke for two hours with Police Chief Terry Franklin (October 23, 2024). I appreciated his candor about the PD recruiting, hiring, evaluating, promoting, recommending compensation, training/developing, and releasing staff from service or retirement from their employement—largely independently from other city processes.
Human Resources work appears to be embedded within other departments also. This tendency is frequently called a shadow or ghost HR organization. While shadow HR can sometimes work well, shadow organizations are inadvisable as a general rule.
Shadow HR
Shadow/ghost HR is invisibly embedded in operating departments. Departments bear the hidden costs of less efficient HR processes. Understandably, departments prefer “shadow HR” for higher levels of control. However, shadow HR risks include legal naivety, relationships over equity, and cost inefficiency.
Reallocating HR processes from departments to an HR function: Reduces risk, lowers cost, and pre-empts favoritism.
Size of Function
A general “rule-of-thumb” for the number of HR professionals per 100 employees is one to three HR professionals per 100 employees.
For Sallisaw’s 150 employees, the HR function needs at least two dedicated HR employees, possibly up to four.
Moving all or most of their “shadow HR” work into a shared services HR function may improve department efficiency. This means reducing headcount slightly within the operations departments and moving those functions (i.e., headcount) into a shared services HR team may be possible.
The value of HR as a shared service is in legal compliance, standards, economies of scale and scope, fairer payroll bands, pay equity, consistent employee reviews, better professional development, and other benefits.
Creation of a Professional HR Department
This section describes the actions needed for—and my aspiration toward—a professional Human Resources function (department).
NOTE: Creating an HR department with a leader and two to three support professionals does not require increasing city headcount. However, it does require eliminating shadow HR functions performed elsewhere in the organization. This may mean re-assigning staff from an operational department into the HR function (for example), or releasing staff historically performing these duties part-time or otherwise.
I appreciate that several smart and resilient personnel have conducted valuable HR work without the benefit of a centralized function or standardized processes. Small organizations often operate from institutional knowledge held by experienced staff. This has sufficed in the past, but this approach is sorely insufficient.
Sallisaw is poised for growth. Sallisaw must have support processes (HR in particular) to exercise greater rigor through clear accountability and enforcement of disciplined practices.
Such practices move away from informal networks of “whos-who” toward sharpened processes promoting efficiency and fairness.
Drawing from current informal processes and insufficiently defined practices, we must urgently redefine the role of an HR function and eliminate shadow HR efforts from the various departments. My 100-day plan relies on establishing this earlier rather than later. Sections B and D will focus heavily on rapidly improving this area.
(Aspiration): Recruitment and talent acquisition
We implement performance appraisal systems, provide employee feedback and coaching, and create professional growth and development opportunities through training, mentorship, and career planning.
(Aspiration): Change communication
Managing communication strategies during organizational change, such as restructurings or policy changes, involves ensuring that employees are well-informed, engaged, and supported throughout the change process.
(Aspiration): Succession planning
It is developing and implementing strategies to identify and develop internal talent to fill key organizational positions in the future. This includes assessing current talent, creating development plans, and ensuring smooth leadership role transitions.
(Aspiration): Severance management
We handle employee separation for various reasons, such as layoffs, terminations, or retirement. This includes managing severance packages, conducting exit interviews, and ensuring a respectful transition for departing employees.
(Aspiration): Communication with “customer” departments
Establishing effective communication channels with other departments to understand their HR-related needs, provide support, and align HR initiatives with the overall organizational goals.
(Aspiration): Leadership development
We are designing and implementing programs to develop managerial and leadership skills among employees, nurturing potential leaders, and ensuring the availability of strong leadership at all levels of the organization.
(Aspiration): Organizational culture
We are cultivating and promoting a positive organizational culture that aligns with the city’s values and goals: superior customer service, operational efficiency, readiness for emergencies, and change.
Enhancing Integrity in the Public Sector
The trust people have in their government depends a lot on how well civil servants are hired and trained.
As government officials and policymakers, you play a crucial role in ensuring the integrity of government institutions for effective governance and public trust. Civil servants’ hiring and training processes are among the most critical aspects. You can create a more transparent and accountable public sector by strategically implementing measures that address corruption.
Governments can improve trust and accountability in public services by focusing on how they hire and train their workers.
Governments can create a more transparent and accountable public sector. The trust people have in their government depends a lot on how well civil servants are hired and trained. The integrity of government institutions is vital for effective governance and public trust. Civil servants’ hiring and training processes are one of the most critical aspects. Governments can create a more transparent and accountable public sector by strategically implementing measures that address corruption.
Hiring people based on their skills and qualifications rather than personal connections can help reduce impropriety in government.
A good way to reduce corruption is to use merit-based recruitment. This means hiring people based on their skills and qualifications instead of personal connections or favoritism. According to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC; 56 pp.), the process for hiring civil servants should be open, honest, and effective. This includes creating clear and fair guidelines for hiring, promoting, and firing public officials.
Improving Flexibility, trust & Integrity
Trust in government relies on the hiring and training of civil servants. To combat unfaithful behaviors, governments should adopt merit-based hiring practices focusing on skills rather than connections. Establishing clear guidelines for these processes is key to fostering a transparent and accountable public sector.
Clear and equitable job titles, job expectations, pay bands, and opportunities for rotation, progression, and lateral career changes are part of a professional HR department’s function. We have too many job titles in the City – making it difficult to make apples-to-apples comparisons. Here, I have drawn from previous work as a straw-man for simplifying our needs. I used city and employment data, statistical analysis, and judgment to construct this simpler model.
If not this, then something similar that is easy to understand, and efficient to apply is needed.
Resources
Several basic resources should be readily available. These include:
Group 1: Foundational Resources
-
Employee Handbook- New Hire Onboarding Training Material
- Organizational Chart with Department Head Names
- Employee List with Contact Information
Group 2: Operational Resources
-
HR Process Documentation- Succession and Mobility Plans
- Roles and Competencies per Job Class
- Pay Bands
Group 3: Compliance and Safety Resources
-
Company Policies and Procedures Manual- Safety and Emergency Procedures Documentation
- Legal Compliance and Regulatory Guidelines
Group 4: Efficiency & Effectiveness
-
Just-in-time Resources- Organization Culture & Involvement
- Innovations with Impact
- Reward & Recognition Systems
Group 5: Other
-
Benefits and retirement plan explanations- Civil service rules
- Compensation policies
John Honeycutt – Sallisaw City Manager Applicant