Rapides Parish Library
Human Resource Department
Annual Report to the Board of Control
The Human Resource Department for the Rapides Parish Library is responsible for the following HR functions:
· Planning and administration of almost two-thirds of the Library’s overall budget
· Preparation and cooperation of annual audit for items related to HR budget and operation
· Development and revision of personnel policies, job descriptions and compensation plan
· Assistance and advice to the Director on employment related issues and lawsuits
· Recruiting, placement and background checks throughout the Library
· Semi-monthly processing of payroll, payables associated with payroll, and the semi-monthly, monthly, quarterly and YTD federal & state tax reports, including annual W-2’s
· Benefit administration of Parochial Employees Retirement System, cafeteria plan, health, various health related policies, COBRA, FMLA, vacation leave, sick leave, earned compensatory time, 457 deferred compensation plan and coordination of the annual open enrollment period for benefits
· Employee relations including disciplinary counseling, actions, dismissals, and grievances. Investigation and report of all harassment complaints
· Review, administration, coordination and assistance to managers with performance evaluations, disciplinary actions, personnel issues, time and attendance records including holiday, vacation and sick leave, and wage and hour issues including travel, overtime and leaves of absence with and without pay
· Coordination of the Library Director’s evaluation
· Staff training and professional development
· New employee orientation for customer service, benefits, and HR related polices and procedures
· Staff recognition including service awards, customer service and bright idea awards
· Filing, reporting, and maintaining all workers’ compensation injuries or accidents
· Administration of drug policy
· Personnel file maintenance
· Coordination of the United Way campaign
The HR Department includes a fulltime human resource manager, a part-time payroll clerk, Stacy Dubrock, and a part-time HR Clerk, Saconda Baty. The payroll clerk is responsible for the majority of the payroll processing and maintaining complete and accurate files. Ms. Dubrock has become invaluable to the HR staff. She is doing an excellent job, increasing in knowledge and abilities daily. Ms. Baty took over the role of HR Clerk in August of 2003. Her primary duties are processing recruiting documents, personnel file management and assisting in various clerical duties. Ms. Baty has caught on quickly and has become a key member of the HR team.
The Library staff is a diverse group of individuals. At the end of 2003, the Library staff consisted of 89 individuals representing 64 fulltime equivalencies (FTEs) with sixty at fulltime status, eleven at part-time, three hourly and fifteen substitutes as illustrated on Chart 1 in the Appendix. Please refer to the Organizational Chart (Table 1), and the list of Managers and Department Heads (Table 2) for an overview of the Library’s organizational structure.
Even though the Library added one more professional to our staff this year, we are still below the standards set the Louisiana Library Association for professionals compared to our population. A breakdown of the Library staff by Job Classification is illustrated on Chart 2 in the Appendix. The majority of our staff, 71%, is dedicated to direct public service with only 26% dedicated to the “behind the scenes” activities including acquisitions, automation, business office, facilities, human resources, inter-library loans, public relations, technical services and administrative support (Chart 3). The Library staff is a diverse group of people in gender (Chart 4), race (Chart 5), age (Chart 6) and service years (Chart 7), giving us a stable workforce with a broad range of knowledge, life experiences and service years to the Library.
The Man Hour Transaction report for 2003 (Chart 8) reflects the ratio of labor-intensive transaction to the number of man-hours for the Circulation and the Reference departments at Main Library and each of the branches. This study is used to evaluate staffing needs. Additional hours added to Library staffing in 2003 included twenty hours per week for the Gunter Branch, four for Hineston, two for Boyce, and five for Glenmora. The Library staff should be commended for working more efficiently, reducing overtime, and remaining within or below budget allowing the Library to provide more staffing hours with the same amount of budget. In coordination with the customer service initiative and transaction analysis, the schedule for circulation staff at Main Library was reviewed and revised to provide appropriate staffing during peak hours of circulation avoiding a negative impact to customer service due to understaffing. In a collaborative effort with the Circulation Manager, Main Library Administrator and the Director, a new schedule was implemented for 2004.
The Library’s recruiting and placement process now includes correspondence to all applicants requesting missing information, and test requirements, and polite letters indicating they did not meet the minimum requirements or were not selected. We continue to use the Louisiana Job Service to test all applicants for minimum proficiency in selected job skills relevant to the position for which they are applying. Please see Table 3 for recruiting details, Table 4 for a detailed placement log and Table 5 for a new hire log. Education verification, reference checks and criminal background checks are conducted on all new hires. The Library’s drug policy calls for drug screening for new hires driving Library vehicles, post-accident, and random testing.
The 2003 turnover rate for the Library is a remarkably low 16%. The turnover rate for fulltime employees is only 4%. The majority of separations from employment occurred during the first year of employment. The 14 turnovers in 2003 included three retirements and one temporary employee. Details of the Library’s turnover statistics for 2003 and a terminated employee log are found on Table 6 and Table 7 respectively.
The software conversion for the payroll function from Peachtree to ABRA was completed at the beginning of the year. We are currently utilizing many of the payroll functions available to us with ABRA and look forward to adding many of the benefit, attendance, and personnel functions during the coming year. ABRA has significantly improved the speed, quality, and accuracy of the payroll reporting function. It has also provided the option of direct deposit for payroll checks. This has been a big convenience for staff improving delivery and reducing costs of delivery. Several internal control procedures were implemented over the past two years including authorization of all payroll changes by two signatures.
An audit of the personnel files was conducted during the year and the HR department is in the process of updating the files for accuracy, completion and compliance with federal regulations and guidelines.
The Library had one workers’ compensation claim resulting in temporary leave and medical claims, and two claims for medical only. All employees are back at work and doing well.
The Library offers our fulltime employees a number of benefits including participation in the Parochial Employees Retirement System, and the option of health insurance coverage for staff and family. The Library currently funds 75% of the cost of health benefits. Of the total 89 employees, 60 are enrolled in the retirement system. Of those eligible for health insurance, enrollment at December 31, 2003 included 33 employees, two in DROP, one retiree, one COBRA and one COBRA pending. An informational meeting was held to educate staff on a non-qualified 457 deferred compensation plan available to all employees regardless of job status, resulting in a significant increase in participation.
A major focus for the HR Department in 2003 was training for staff and managers. The entire staff is careful and creative in finding opportunities for training with as little cost as possible. Training is critical for maintaining an informed and well-educated staff developing new skills and expanding on existing skills. In addition to training conducted by Library personnel, the Library staff participated in workshops for storytelling, Summer Reading Program, SRP wrap up, young adults, Louisiana reference, reference basics, census data, consumer health database, genealogy, author/illustrator, Louisiana Early Childhood Development, library safety & security, and the LaSSAL conference. Managers attended workshops on How to Supervise, Dealing with Unacceptable Employee Behavior, Leadership, and Handling Criticism and Discipline. Our professional staff attended the Spring and the Fall Administrative Librarian Conferences, the LLA annual conference and an extensive cataloging workshop. The Automation Department attended the Innovative conference, I Love Technology, designing websites, Access Level 2, Microsoft Office, and Outlook Level 2. In conclusion, the business manager attended the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) conference in the spring, and Ms. Sue Lee, the director’s administrative assistant, attended a Skillpath workshop for administrative assistants. The Automation Department accounts for 23% of the total continuing education budget followed by Staff with 19%, Managers with 18%, HR with 14%, Director/Assistant Director/Main Library Administrator with 11%, Programming with 6% and the Business Office with 2%. A detailed list of training is found on Table 8.
Our Systems Trainer, Ms. Janie Primeaux, conducted computer training for staff on various software applications. The HR department conducted training on interview skills for managers, a customer service overview for the entire staff, customer service orientation for all new hires, and in-depth customer service training for branches. The Substitute Supervisor and the Main Library Circulation manager developed and implemented “real-time” training at the circulation desk and shelving training for all new clerks, which has proved to be very beneficial to the operational value of new staff.
My own professional development this year included attendance at HR Audits, the Louisiana SHRM conference, Train the Trainer customer service training provided by the Chamber of Commerce and LSUA in connection with the Heart of Spain exhibit. My membership in the local CLSHRM chapter provided me access to training on leadership, diversity, strategic planning, a balanced scorecard, and how to be an employer of choice. National membership in SHRM provides the Library various HR publications and an interactive resource database for HR related questions and current issues. I served on the Seminar Committee for CLSHRM in 2003, and I have been asked to serve as the VP of Membership for 2004. My professional certification as a PHR requires 60 educational credits every three years for recertification. I have made my application for recertification and should receive notice in the first quarter of 2004. To do my part to heighten the awareness of the Library in the public arena, I volunteered as a trainer for the Heart of Spain exhibit, served as a member of the United Way Allocations Committee, and I was asked to teach a short course for LSUA’s continuing education department.
Respectfully submitted,
Cynthia Grangér, PHR
Human Resource Manager
Rapides Parish Library
Human Resource Department
Annual Report to the Board of Control
Appendix
Chart 1……………………………………………………….Job Status
Table 1……………………………………………………….Organizational Chart
Table 2……………………………………………………….Managers and Department Heads
Chart 2……………………………………………………….Job Classifications
Chart 3……………………………………………………….Job Function
Chart 4……………………………………………………….Gender Ratio
Chart 5……………………………………………………….Race Ratio
Chart 6……………………………………………………….Age Ratio
Chart 7……………………………………………………….Years of Service Ratio
Chart 8.………………………………………………………Transactions per Man-Hour Report
Table 3………………………………………………………..Employment Data – Recruiting
Table 4………………………………………………………..Placement Log
Table 5………………………………………………………..New Hire Log
Table 6………………………………………………………..Turnover Statistics
Table 7………………………………………………………..Terminated Employee Log
Table 8………………………………………………………..Continuing Education