Annual Service Plan Meeting

Legislative Tracking:

Keeping Up with the Latest HR-Related Bills

Just Take Those Old Records Off The Shelf

Dear POOL/PACT HR: Hiring Minors

Upcoming HR Events

After a very long and cold winter the weather is finally warming up, which means we are nearing the end of the fiscal year. This also means that it is time for POOL/PACT HR’s annual service plan meetings with members. Each spring, POOL/PACT HR’s Business Partners (BP) attempt to meet either in person or virtually with representatives from member organizations to identify the services that will be most beneficial and needed for the upcoming fiscal year. During this meeting, we will review the services received during the current fiscal year, discuss current/recent HR-related issues, and establish the services to include in the new fiscal year service plan. If your assigned HR Business Partner has not contacted you yet about this meeting, rest assured they will be reaching out soon.

In order to prepare for this meeting, you may find it helpful to view our Member Service Plan Review Video as a refresher of the services and trainings POOL/PACT HR offers to members. In addition, it may be a good idea to think about the answers to the following questions in order to direct the discussion with your assigned HR BP.

1. How many full-time, part-time, and seasonal/temporary employees does your organization have? How many of these employees serve in a supervisory or management capacity?
2. What HR-related issues and/or tasks need to be addressed this upcoming fiscal year?
3. What key competencies and skills will be needed to address those issues/tasks?
4. Who are the individuals that will be working on those issues/tasks? What are the knowledge and skills gaps?
5. What training(s)/resources will address the HR issues and knowledge/skills gaps?

Speaking of trainings, POOL/PACT HR has tentatively scheduled several trainings for

the upcoming fiscal year that you may want to mark on your calendar. These include:

• Essential Management Skills in the Public Sector

o  Fernley – July 11, 12, 25, & 26, 2023

o  Carson City – September 6, 7, 20, & 21, 2023

o  Virtual – November 1 & 2, 2023; December 6 & 7, 2023; January 10 & 11, 2024; and January 31 & February 1, 2024;

o  Carson City – March 13, 14, 27, & 28, 2024

• Taking Control of Conflict

o  Virtual – October 4, 2023

• Annual HR Leadership Conference

o Atlantis Resort & Spa in Reno – October 18, 19 & 20, 2023

• Advanced Essential Management Skills in the Public Sector

o  Carson City – November 15 & 16, 2023

o  Carson City – April 3 & 4, 2024

• Human Resources Representative

o  Carson City – February 6, 7, 8, 21, & 22, 2024

• Advanced Human Resources Representative

o  Carson City – March 6 & 7, 2024

• Influential Leadership

o  Carson City – April 18, 2024

• So, You Want to be a Supervisor?

o  Virtual – May 22 & 23, 2024

Keep an eye out for emails throughout the fiscal year notifying you when these trainings are open for registration and for additional details.

If you have any questions about the service plan meetings or the scheduled trainings, please reach out to your POOL/PACT HR BP at (775) 887-2240.

The end of the 2023 Legislative Session is only a couple of weeks away, which means POOL/PACT HR staff are gearing up to produce the much-anticipated HR-related legislation summaries. This document will be published on the POOL/PACT website no later than June 30, and it aims to help you understand all the HR-related laws that may affect your employment practices in the public sector. Furthermore, you will also be invited to attend a webinar reviewing all the new legislation, date to be determined. In the meantime, you can learn about all the bills we are currently watching by viewing the latest Legislative Tracking Sheet available on the POOL/PACT website in the HR Resources Library.

Currently we are tracking 66 bills that may impact public-sector human resources. Below is a sampling of some of the more notable bills:

• AB140: Makes Juneteenth a legal state holiday to be observed on June 19^th.
• AB163: Provides reasonable accommodations and protections against discrimination for an employee who is a victim of sexual assault.
• SB264: Revises provisions relating to law enforcement collective bargaining units to include civilians who provide support services to a law enforcement agency.
• SB317: Authorizes a provider of homeless services to authorize a person experiencing homelessness to use the provider’s address as a temporary mailing address for certain purposes, including seeking and retaining employment.

For schools only:

• AB65: Revises the definition of bullying as well as increases the number of days site-administrators must complete investigations of bullying.
• AB222: Revises the PERS service credit computation for Educational Support Personnel (e.g., para-pros, bus drivers, food service).
• SB38: Redefines the definition of a “person in a position of authority” to mean a person who is 18 years of age or older who is employed by or volunteers at a public school.
• SB308: Establishes new PERS retirement criteria for employees entering the system on or after July 1, 2023.

You can view more information on these and other bills on our latest Legislative Tracking Sheet on the POOL/PACT website. This sheet will continue to be updated every Monday until the end of session.

While conducting HR Compliance Assessments for member organizations, one of the questions I ask is, “How long are employees’ master personnel files retained after they’ve separated from service?” Some responses are correct (i.e., 10 calendar years from the end of the calendar year in which the employee separated), while other responses range from “For 30 years” (i.e., the prior retention length) to “We house them ‘in perpetuity’.” (OK, they didn’t actually say it, but it was implied). One member organization shared that all former employees’ master personnel files are housed in dated boxes in a secured area in their warehouse. They also shared that the separation dates posted on the boxes date back to the early 1960’s.

Though some local government records such as County Recorders’ “Recorded Documents” have a “permanent” retention period, other local government records, such as “Union Contracts” (6 fiscal years after the contract is renewed, amended, or expired) and “Volunteer Worker Records” (3 calendar years after separation) have established minimum retention periods. By diligently monitoring the retention schedules, the chances of unnecessary “stockpiling” of records will be reduced and also ensure records are not disposed of before the minimum retention period.

Both keeping records too long or disposing of them too soon pose a potential liability for the entity. To reduce these risks, POOL/PACT HR recommends members follow the retention schedules outlined in “Local Government Records Retention Schedules” (LGRRS) (amended December 21, 2020). The document can be accessed at ld.php (nv.gov).

The schedule is arranged in alphabetical order by the “Function” of the record (e.g., Administrative, City Clerk, Personnel, Public Works, School Districts), and then by “Record Series Title” (e.g., Accreditation Records, Financial Disclosure List, Background Checks/Investigations, Special Education Records). Each Record Series Title includes a “Description” of those documents comprising of each record and outlines the “Minimum Retention Period” for each record, as well as a “Disposition” which lists the manner the record is be destroyed.

POOL/PACT HR also recommends members consult with their legal representative counsel prior to destroying any records in addition to following the guidance of the LGRRS.

For more information about personnel records, see POOL/PACT HR Briefing, “Personnel Record Maintenance” available on our website, www.poolpact.com to registered users.

As the fiscal year comes to a close, many professionals are contemplating their goals for the upcoming fiscal year. By utilizing HR analytics or quantifiable data, the human resources department can establish its department's goals and objectives. Since each organization is different, employers should assess their top priorities and then use the following steps when setting goals and measuring their progress:

1. Collect your human resources metrics and analytical information (i.e., employee turnover, absenteeism rates, employee engagement scores, performance ratings, training effectiveness).
2. Analyze the collected data and determine which matters most to your entity.
3. Identify trends, patterns, and insights related to the specific metric you wish to focus on.
4. Develop specific and measurable goals based on your analysis of trends, HR metrics, and the organization's priorities.
5. Create a plan of action which explains the HR metrics and steps to achieve your newly defined goals.  
6. Monitor the progress toward the goal(s) and adjust the strategies as necessary, enabling every opportunity for follow-through.

Consider, for instance, an organization focuses on its turnover rate over the past two years. A turnover analysis will allow employers to determine whether turnover has increased or decreased, as well as trends in turnover, such as turnover in a specific department. For example, a particular departmental turnover rate is three times that of the rest of the organization, and the exit interviews indicate that all the employees who left the organization were seeking opportunities for career development. Thus, a goal for the Human Resources department may be to work on retaining employees, encouraging employee engagement, identifying growth opportunities, and/or developing succession plans. Once HR has identified what steps to take and what changes anticipate positive results, the plan can be implemented, monitored, and adjusted as necessary. Taking steps like the ones outlined above can increase the value and benefits of the HR initiatives and programs.

POOL/PACT HR members may also find valuable information when joining the quarterly HR roundtables, as like-entities discuss relevant critical issues, network with peers, and discuss how others have navigated those situations and the results. For more information on using information and data to set meaningful goals, or about quarterly HR roundtables, please view the HR Briefing, "Strategic Planning, " or speak to your assigned business partner.

Dear POOL/PACT HR,

Summer is finally coming and so we’re hiring seasonal employees, including minors, to work at the park. The job would involve routine maintenance and repair to park facilities including operating hand and

power tools. The employee would also be expected to drive a city vehicle to pick up and drop off supplies. Is there anything we need to be concerned about?

Sincerely,

Ready for Summer

___________________________________________

Dear Ready,

We too are very ready for summer and hope this isn’t the year that we actually see snow in August…

Hiring minors is good not only for the organization to fill some gaps during busy seasons, but also good for the teens to learn new skills and prepare them for future employment. However, employers must be aware of the child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) which places restrictions on the type of work minors may perform. These restrictions were designed to protect the educational opportunities of minors and prohibit their employment in jobs which could be detrimental to their health or well-being.

There are many non-agricultural jobs minors may perform such as retail, computer programming, teaching, or tutoring. However, minors may not work in any occupation deemed particularly hazardous under the FLSA, including operating heavy machinery, working with hazardous materials, or working in construction. They also may not perform work which involves power-driven machines including those for wood working; hoisting equipment; metal forming, punching, and shearing machines; and circular saws, band saws, and guillotine shears. Thus, in order to place a minor in this position, you would need to ensure that the job does not require any of the duties deemed hazardous by the FLSA.

Whether a teen is allowed to drive a city vehicle is dependent on age. The FLSA restricts employees under the age of 17 from driving a motor vehicle on public roads as part of their job. Seventeen-year- olds may drive on public roadways, but only if 1) the driving is limited to daylight hours; 2) the teen is licensed by the state for the type of driving involved; 3) the teen successfully completed a state- approved driver education course and has no record of any moving violations at the time of hire; 4) the vehicle has a seatbelt and is required by the employer to wear it; and 5) the driving is only occasional and incidental to the teen’s employment (defined as no more than 20% of the employee’s work time during a workweek). Therefore, if you hire licensed teens who are under the age of 17, they will not be able to drive on public roads.

The good news is there are no restrictions on the number of hours older teens (16- and 17-year-olds) may work; they may perform any non-hazardous job for unlimited hours. If you intend to consider 14- and 15-year-olds, note they may only work between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. during the summer.

So, in the case of your open parks position, we recommend the job description is reviewed to ensure the minor will not perform any duties deemed hazardous under the FLSA, and if the employee will be required to drive, ensure that the minor is the age of 17 and meets all the other requirements stated above.

For more information on teen workers, please see POOL/PACT HR Briefing: Employing Minors at www.poolpact.com or contact your HR Business Partner.

Do you have an HR question for this newsletter?

Submit it to hrtraining@poolpact.com.

Welcome Sean Moyle to POOL/PACT HR

Hello!

My name is Sean Moyle and I am the newest Business Partner for POOL/PACT HR. I am excited to join the team and to assist our business partners in providing relevant, timely, accurate, and consistent guidance in all matters related to human resources. I am recently retired after 33 years from the Lyon County School District where I served as an English teacher, coach, assistant principal, principal and associate superintendent for both curriculum and human resources. In my time as an administrator, I was involved in many aspects of HR, including recruitment, selection and retention, due process, participation in collective bargaining negotiations, professional development, plans for improvement and a variety of other HR elements. I will be working with many member school districts as well as other public entities mainly around the Highway 95 corridor. Over the next few weeks, I look forward to meeting with some of our members.

I am a native Nevadan and earned my Bachelor of Arts from the University of Nevada, Reno in Secondary Education. I earned a Master of Science in Education Administration from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1993. I have lived in Yerington, Fernley, Reno, and Sparks. I love the Silver State and its wonderful people! In my spare time I enjoy the great outdoors, including camping, fishing, hunting, hiking, and snowboarding. I love to travel, read, and exercise. I support the Nevada Wolf Pack, Southern Miss Golden Eagles, and my beleaguered (but beloved) Washington Commanders. I love noodling on my bass guitars which I am still very much a beginner after years of trying and listening to rock, especially my favorite band Rush. My greatest joy is my family. I am married to Heather Moyle, Executive Director of Educational Services for Lyon County School District, and between us we have seven children, six daughters and a son! Our youngest, one of the six girls, is a freshman and a student-athlete at Carson High School. Go Senators! Heather and I also have five wonderful grandchildren, three boys and two girls.

My goal as an HR Business Partner is to help and assist you in any way I can. HR can be very complex and fraught with difficult issues, but it can also be very rewarding. One thing I have learned is that it’s okay to ask for help, hardly any decisions need to be made in isolation, and most certainly do not need to be made quickly. Someone very close to me once said, “As individuals, we are smart, but together we are brilliant.” None of us know all the answers all of the time and by working together we can help to solve problems and work on issues in a cooperative and positive manner. I am honored and humbled to be in this position, and I am eager to assist to the best of my ability. I look forward to developing collaborative, productive, and trusting relationships with everyone.

Essential Management Skills in the Public-Sector Certificate Program   

July 2023 - Fernley



This four-session program has been developed specifically for managers and supervisors to assist them in learning to build credibility through effective communication, time management, and performance management skills. Whether in the trenches, or just starting to manage others, this program provides a wealth of ideas, techniques, and knowledge to help manage people and projects effectively. This is an invaluable opportunity for participants to learn proven techniques to make them effective leaders in their organizations.

Participants will need to be available to attend all four sessions.  Completion of all sessions is required to earn a certificate.  Participants will receive a comprehensive training manual that can be used during and after the course.

Click the graphic to learn more and register.

We look forward to seeing you in October!