TON Human Resources Department

The Normal Human Resources Department serves 366 regular fulltime employees by providing training and development (there is a long list of training and development programs completed in 2008), handling compensation, benefits, employee and labor relations, managing records, and providing supervisory counseling. They also recruit and hire employees, which involved processing 857 employment interest forms and conducting 701 criminal background checks in 2008. Human Resources completed two health fairs in 2008, both of which had good attendance.

The Human Resources staff also serves the Human Relations Commission: coordinating meetings, receiving complaints of unlawful discrimination, conducting conciliation meetings, and helping to coordinate the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Awards Luncheon.

A few HR statistics from 2008: there was a 6% turnover rate among regular employees; 3 employees utilized the Family Medical Leave Act; 190 employees received flu vaccinations (as part of the Wellness Program); and there were zero positive results from the CDL Drug and Alcohol Testing Program. There were 77 injuries (an increase from past six years) for a total of 272.2 lost days of work (an increase from the past two years).

To me, the work of HR departments reflects our humanity: people come and go from jobs, they get injured and get sick, they learn their jobs and strive to improve, they struggle to get along with others, and they want to enjoy life.