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WSU completes HR administrative review; leaders plan follow‑up on recruitment, Workday and service staffing
Summary
An administrative review of Washington State University’s human resources found inconsistent hiring processes across units, Workday stabilization needs and a prior operating deficit; university leaders said they will prioritize reforms and form implementation workgroups.
Jennifer Klein, WSU’s vice president and chief human resources officer, presented findings from an administrative review of human resources operations conducted in partnership with CampusWorks.
What the review covered: The review examined recruitment and hiring processes, benefits administration, leave processes (including FMLA), learning and organizational development and connections between HR and payroll. CampusWorks conducted more than 225 individual and group interviews and a series of process‑review workshops with campus stakeholders.
Key findings and themes cited in the committee included: inconsistent recruiting and hiring approaches across colleges and campuses (the university has multiple ways to hire similar positions), the need to stabilize and optimize Workday workflows, the value of a clearer service model and expectations, and benefits‑administration manual workarounds that could be streamlined.
Budget context and constraints: Ranelli told the committee that HR had accumulated an operating deficit that reached about $3.8 million in prior years; central leadership re‑scoped HR’s budget during the prior year and is rebuilding capacity. Klein said some recommendations from the review will require staffing additions but that the university is not currently positioned to add staff broadly; instead, WSU will prioritize changes that deliver the most operational improvement.
Process and next steps: WSU officials said they will finalize the CampusWorks deliverables, prioritize recommendations, form smaller implementation workgroups and set measurable targets. The committee heard that HR must be prepared to support potential workforce transitions if grant‑funded positions are lost because HR will be central to any separations, benefits transitions and outplacement steps.
Ending: Regents praised the engagement effort and urged continued emphasis on student‑ and faculty‑facing processes — especially notice and speed for recruitment and onboarding. Klein and Ranelli said they will provide timelines and metrics as implementation proceeds.
