As part of a Tuesday presentation, JPS HR Director Renee Garrett, said that during new office hours, the HR team is conducting a series of on-site office hours across the district to connect directly with staff.

“So we’ve been spending quite a bit of time listening to our employees,” Garret said to JPS board members. “We started this new initiative, knowing that we wanted to spend more time in the buildings. So, we actually took the HR office out of the office and into the buildings.”

Autumn Wright, a district HR employee, said the program shifts the district’s support model from reactive to relational. Wright noted that by next semester, the HR team will have visited all of the district’s buildings. and, the next series will have afternoon office hours.

“Our endeavor thus far has been an enjoyable experience, allowing us to put faces to names for both the staff and the HR team,” Wright said.

At Jamestown Public Schools recruitment events, candidates receive gift bags including a water bottle, pencils, pens, and a container of candy.

Wright added that HR team members arrive prior to the office hours start times in order to meet and greet administrators, staff, and teachers. The goal is to accentuate the “human” in human resources. After each HR session, Wright said, building staff are surveyed, and reflective of that data, some requests and inquiries can be handled immediately, but employees preferred private rooms for discussions.

So far, Wright noted, six district schools have been visited. Four more visits are scheduled at Jamestown High School during the current semester.

Kathy Meehan, an HR employee explained that during the sessions, navigating insurance was the topic that was addressed most.

Meehan also noted there have been discussions about building a webpage with frequently asked questions that could be added to the district website and employee handbook.

“We’ll explore these and other options so that our employees are comfortable navigating their insurance benefits, insurance options and retirement and loan forgiveness,” Meehan said. “We understand that we need to address concerns with insurance and better educate the staff.”

District HR employee Melinda Centi said the next step with the office hours initiative will be to launch a proactive communication campaign, develop topic-specific seminars and workshops.

“We’ve noticed some common themes in HR office hours are the need for digital resources and making sure people can access them,” Centi said.

Board member John Panebianco said that the new initiative is important for district morale.

“I think it’s a bull’s eye,” Panebianco said. “Letting them (district employees) know that you’re willing to take time from the desk that you’re sitting at to go out and meet them is probably the biggest thing because then they know you care. And I think it’s wonderful.”