Running head: HUMAN RESOURCE PROCESSES 1

Human Resource Processes

Shelly Treleaven

EEA 538: Human Resource Management in Education

M. Ed. in Leadership

City University of Seattle in Canada

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As Steve Wynn once said, “human resources isn’t a thing we do. It’s the thing that runs

our business,” and there is no place where this is more true than in the field of education. In all

aspects of education, we are people working with and for people. The Human Resources (HR)

Department of a school division provides many vital functions. As was shared in our Masters

class, Norton (2015) stated there are a number of elements within the three areas of HR which

are under the headings of Environment, Utilization, and Development. Within these categories

there are many processes that when combined outline the role of the HR department. Of the

many processes outlined by Norton (2015) the five that are the focus of this paper are the school

climate, selection, orientation, stability, and growth and development.

In all educational settings the climate reflects the norms, goals and values and is evident

in how people experience the life within a school (“What is School Climate”, 2019). One of the

hardest things a leader may face is changing a climate within a school. Upon entering a new

school, a leader may be faced with a climate that is strong, but they may also face a climate that

feels damaged as well. What is a leader to do? There are many facets to maintaining,

supporting, or developing a school climate and a plan of action is required. Communicating with

the HR department is the first step.

In our school, when the leadership team changed the climate was generally strong. A

great deal of focus continued to be placed on the student experience, while largely ignoring that

of the staff. As a result, the climate for the staff was impacted. Over the first year with a new

leadership team, staff morale gradually began to deteriorate and the effects of this started to show

in areas such as staff participation in extracurricular events, staff socials, and even the way

people greeted each other. A number of staff approached the HR department to express their
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concern for the changes that were being felt in the school. At the start of the 2018/2019 school

year the HR department participated in a number of our Professional Development days. Their

purpose was to help identify and then to provide support in developing strategies in the areas that

were identified. School climate was identified and throughout this school year has been actively

coached and supported by the professionals at Central Office.

The HR team from Central Office has assisted the staff with developing common goals,

creating a new shared vision, and we have begun working towards finding common values and

setting priorities. As a result, the climate in our school is stronger than it has ever been.

Understanding that climate is not something that ‘just happens’ is important for all leaders to

recognize as in the absence of conscious attention, the climate will change.

The next function of HR that is essential, is an established selection process. If having

the right person in a position makes a difference, then knowing how to find these people is

imperative. The HR department in Wolf Creek Public Schools provides the structures for both

recruitment and selection. They are not typically the people in the interviews, but they are a

tremendous support to those that are. They will provide a format for interviews as well as a

supply of questions that typically yield quality responses that help differentiate between

prospective employees. They are also willing to be available if the school would like to have

another perspective when considering candidates. The final decision for all new hires, is

determined by the HR department therefore it is logical to have them be included in the process.

At Terrace Ridge when interviewed, a candidate can expect to have between three and

five people be a part of the observation and interview panel. This primarily serves to provide

multiple perspectives and prevents a singular bias from impacting a hiring decision. Having
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been on both sides of this practice, while it may feel daunting as the interviewee, as a member of

the panel, the value of the team approach became illuminating. After an interview the team

would sit around a table and discuss the various answers to questions that were provided and it

was evident that all people hold bias to different perspectives. Coming to a united and

unanimous decision has been difficult at times due to the qualities of the individuals that were

being considered. This selection process supports the team culture that is part of our school and

immediately provides the person hired a group of individuals that they will recognize and know

that they have their support.

Supporting a new hire through having a defined orientation or induction program would

allow a person to thoroughly understand the routines and expectations of their new position. In

the Wolf Creek School Division this process is not centralized through the HR department. Each

school or site develops their own process and while there are some that have a defined structure

they follow there are others that may assign a new hire a mentor, but provide little guidance as to

the specifics of the role.

I have been asked to be a mentor to a new teacher and was simply told to answer any of

their questions. With no guide or idea of the expectation other than to answer questions, this

seemed to be simple, but in fact, it was an extremely challenging role. I had no understanding

that as a mentor, one of the hidden expectations was to offer support and guidance with regards

to the schools policies and procedures. I did not know what I was to teach, or information I was

to provide, and there were often times when I felt that I had failed to support this person due to

my lack of awareness. I found myself reluctant to volunteer to support new staff as the role was

ambiguous and undefined. This would be an area that HR departments could provide consistent
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support to all schools in their jurisdiction so that new staff would know what to expect from their

mentor and the mentors would also understand the types of information to share and ways they

are expected to support.

The stability process is that of managing the personnel and maintaining the talent of the

division. An HR department does this in many ways. At Wolf Creek one of the ways is to

provide a learning cohort for all new teachers. This program lasts for three years and the primary

purpose is to offer support and connection to the newest staff. Having meetings creates a

community for these people to learn and share where they are offered guidance from district

leaders. The hope of a program like this is that by offering this support and developing

connections, the new hires will feel a strong sense of community. At one time this program

included the person that was assigned as a mentor to this new person, but due to budget

restrictions this was an area that was reduced. It is the opinion of the author that this was a

detrimental decision if supporting and developing stable connections was the goal. The building

of team and connection is a powerful contributor to employment stability and this ought to

remain a priority of an HR department.

The last process to be discussed is that of growth and development of the personnel. The

HR department has been a significant contributor to our school’s professional development this

school year and while this may not always be the case, it is important that they remain available

to the leaders who require their support. Central Office plays a key role in determining the

overarching goals for the entire division, and it is essential that school staff consider

incorporating these into their own professional growth plan. If an entire school division is
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focused on common goals then offering to support or facilitating the developmental needs of the

staff can be the role of the HR department.

Until a change in leadership, the HR department was largely uninvolved at the school

level at Terrace Ridge, but as change happened and the need for support became evident, the

functions of an HR department were essential. Having been a part of this active support from

this department there is a new appreciation for the supports that have been offered. As the

people in the building are our greatest asset, having a group of people focused on building

stronger processes around our Environment, Utilization and Development inspires commitment

and faith that supporting people matters.

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References

Norton, M. S. (2015). The principal as human resources leader: A guide to exemplary practices

for personnel administration. Leadership & Policy in Schools; Jul-Sep2015, Vol. 14 Issue

3, p384-387, 4p

What is school climate? (2019). Retrieved from

https://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/archives/school_climate.shtml

Wynn, S. (n.d.) Retrieved from

https://www.m3ssolutions.com/article/top-20-motivational-quotes-hr-professionals/199