Photo Credit: Oakland County, Michigan Parks and Recreation Department
For most parks and recreation agencies, the cost of human resources makes up a significant portion of the annual operating budget. How do you ensure effective performance management of existing staff and ongoing development of future human resources? Oakland County Parks and Recreation, in Michigan, has developed a comprehensive performance management process that is tied to ongoing employee development plans as well as organizational goals and initiatives.
Filling Positions
The process begins with filling vacant positions. By identifying staffing needs based on organizational priorities, we are able to determine appropriate job classifications to support a comprehensive staffing plan. Each classification is supported by a job description that aligns with the needs of the staffing plan based on skills, knowledge, and abilities required. The job description details are also compared with desired organizational goals when developing interview questions used to evaluate candidates for open positions.
While selecting the appropriate candidate is a key element in the overall plan, a comprehensive onboarding process provides position-specific training to new hires based on the job description details and the new hire’s skills. Examples of training offered include cash-handling for point-of-sale employees, or instructions on using job-specific tools and equipment for maintenance tasks.