Human Resources reports strong in-person return-to-work, hires and rising wellness utilization

Calvin Blackburn, commissioner for the Department of Human Resources, briefed the Finance Executive Committee on personnel metrics, recruitment activity and employee wellness programs following the mayor’s return-to-work directive.

"Presently, 72% of our employees are working 5 days a week here at the city," Blackburn said, adding that 19% are on a three-days-in-office schedule, about 8% work four days in office and 1% are fully teleworking. He said the department’s total headcount was 10,063 as of May 2025 and that the vacancy count at that time stood at 2,273 prior to formal personnel-paper abolishments that will take effect later in July.

Blackburn described the city’s talent-acquisition results: the city participated in 44 job fairs, held internship job fairs with about 275 students, and reported an offer acceptance rate of 94% with a 42-day time-to-hire (benchmark: 49 days). "We have about a 94% offer acceptance rate," he said.

Between January and May the department recorded 794 new hires, rehires and promotions, with the largest hiring activity in public safety, aviation, watershed and Parks and Recreation. Blackburn said that many vacancies and hiring patterns are driven by public safety needs and seasonal hiring in parks.

The department reported separations and terminations of roughly 435 employees during the January–May period. Blackburn said many separations were voluntary and that for the Atlanta Police Department a portion of voluntary resignations resulted from employees unable to complete required training; an audit also removed a number of people who were listed in Oracle but were no longer employed. "A number of [APD separations] was because the employees couldn't complete the training process, and some of them voluntarily resigned as a result," he said.

On wellness, Blackburn said the public-safety wellness unit saw utilization of 20.6% for January through May—well above a 7% benchmark—attributing a January spike to targeted wellness visits to Zone 6 watch officers. Employee Assistance Program utilization rose to about 14% in May. He credited work by Dr. Carla Moore, the chief psychological services officer, for increasing access and participation.

Committee members pressed for more detail about exit interviews and investigative timelines. Councilmember Weeks asked whether executive-level exit interviews occur; Blackburn said exit interviews are offered on a voluntary basis and that he would follow up with specifics on executive-level practice by the end of the week. Blackburn also said the Office of Labor and Employee Relations cleared a backlog of investigations from 2022–23, with 61 pending appeals as of May and four to six Civil Service Board hearings per month.

Blackburn summarized upcoming HR priorities: launching total compensation statements, preparing for open enrollment in October 2026, continuing departmental outreach and training, and preparing for public-safety career fairs.

The committee asked for follow-up details on the timing of the cleanup of Oracle records, the length of investigations in the Office of Labor and Employee Relations and the departmental budget breakdowns requested by members. Blackburn said the personnel paper scheduled for July would reflect abolished positions and that the department would provide requested follow-up information.