Human "Resources"

So I saw this article that I thought was proposing raising the minimum wage again to a higher living wage range earlier today. There comes a point when yes, due to inflation, adjustments need to be made. However, when you have children who have been encouraged to earn college degrees and start gaining experience in their field of study, where is the balance when you have people who were hired in their jobs with no experience and no education now earning more than the college graduate? Instead of raising the minimum wage higher to a higher living wage, why not campaign to furthering their education and earning potential by offering grants in order to earn the higher than living wage incomes. Those who don’t work nor strive to do better, unfortunately need to understand that you work even harder to get ahead. When did values change into entitlements for doing the least you can to get ahead of others striving to do better? I understand there are socio-economic exceptions and different opportunities.

I've written in previous blogs that the last part of my career was as a Human Resources Manager for a medium sized school district in Southwest Riverside County. Even as an Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent of Schools (who also wore the hat of Human Resources Director), I was responsible for some of the duties in the Human Resources Department. So I'd like to think I have 22 years of experience in the area of Human Resources. I did continued education in order to become well versed in every aspect of Human Resources for an educational institution. In fact, up until I retired, I attended numerous workshops and conferences that were geared toward Human Resources. So I thought in today's blog, I might be able to share some expertise in that area.

In my career, I had many employees come into my office and ask me what direction they could take in order to advance in positions within the District. I asked them what kind of resources and work were they willing to put forth in order to advance, what level of job were they wanting to attain. I had one young lady who wanted to get out of a bus driving position and move into an office position, preferably at the District Office. So I told her what an asset she was as a bus driver to our District -- she was phenomenal and had amazing rapport with the students. She told me she loved coming to the District Office and was always impressed by how most of the employees dressed and their professional demeanor. So I told her, if this is the direction you are wanting to take, then take some computer classes through community college or through a company that offers different trainings on Microsoft Office and Mac platforms, along with some general education coursework to hone your English (spelling, vocabulary and punctuation), math, etc. skills. I told her she would have to pass the clerical tests provided in order to interview for the positions she is interested in applying. So she did just that. She tested and passed, then interviewed and was successful in obtaining clerical positions and then applied for the Receptionist position at the District Office and got it.

Another time, a young man who was in our custodian substitute pool, came in to see me and asked me what route he should take in order to move up the rungs in Custodian, Maintenance, Groundskeeping, Maintenance & Operations and eventually become a Director in those classifications. I told him, if you are wanting to advance to a Director level, you will need to have a degree under your belt. He eventually ended up with a permanent position as a Custodian and at the same time went full time at night or during the day, depending on the position he held and earned his Bachelor's degree. He moved rapidly up the rungs in all different areas where he was interested within and outside of our District and I am happy to say that young man is a Director of Maintenance and Operations in a large sized school district.

In our District, we had secretaries who became principals, custodians who became teachers, clerical staff who became teachers, food service workers who moved into clerical or secretarial positions or higher. We had an Administrative Assistant become a Human Resources Manager. Why? Because these individuals wanted more and knew there were ways to earn more than they were earning. They were willing to do the work. I will admit that being in the educational support staff setting, the salary schedules are very generous. The salaries are adjusted according to COLA and because Classified positions are Union run, salary schedules are negotiated. Also, the salary schedules move up according to experience and education achieved. Even our substitute classified positions were above the minimum wage.

In my career, I also encouraged along with a formal collegiate education for employees to also pursue vocational certificates and degrees. Performance Evaluations are a wonderful tool for helping all employees to reach their highest potentials. Many times during the process of evaluation, the question of where do you see yourself in 2, 3 or 5 years from now would come up. This question is also asked during some interviews. The answer to this question can be helpful in determining goal strategies for both the employee and employer.

The days of climbing up the ladder through hard work "only" for the most part are behind us now. Because of the competitiveness of candidates and students entering the workforce and job availability, employers are requiring more credentials in order to be considered for an interview.

I had a boss who always would quote, "There is no such thing as a free lunch." There is also a biblical scripture that says, "If you don't work, you don't eat!"

Our Human Resources Department was built to recognize an employee first as a human being. When you hire said human being, you hire them to be successful employees and work with them to achieve that goal. You also need to think of what is the District investing in order for this employee to remain satisfied in their position. The cost of salary and benefits is a huge part of a District's budget. So training up an employee and for them to not be successful while under your watchful eye can be a potentially expensive loss should they be terminated or resign due to not being appreciated or by not using due process for them to be successful.

When District leadership decided to implement different means for employee recognition, it made a huge difference in the workforce. There was even a time when the State recognized teachers and provided them incentives for improving students work performance. I was so blessed to work during a time when Interest Based Bargaining was implemented in negotiations between our Certificated/Classified Bargaining Units and the District. The primary focus was to set goals together and prioritize where budgetary allocations should be made, but still keeping the workforce satisfied and providing them which salary incentives that were affordable for the District, while still educating students at the highest level possible. Instead of being positional, both sides compromised and came up with solutions. At the time, it was a well honed machine. I always said that it is important to keep the human a priority in Human Resources. This is just as important to remember on a personal level as well as while on the job -- both areas must have balance.

2 Thessalonians 3:10 -- "For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat."

Colossians 3:23-24 -- "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."

Proverbs 14:23 -- "All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.