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Yakima County HR outlines hiring, training and policy work for 2025
Summary
Human Resources Director Judy Kendall reviewed 2024 hiring, training, demographic and policy work at the Feb. 3 commissioners meeting and outlined 2025 priorities including a Workday functional‑review rollout, recruitment expansions, a compensation survey and several policy updates.
Human Resources Director Judy Kendall briefed the Yakima County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 3 with a wide‑ranging review of 2024 activity and goals for 2025, describing recruitment efforts, training milestones, benefits work and an upcoming compensation study.
Kendall said HR posted 337 job openings in 2024, processed 2,397 candidates and hired 151 people. The county’s workforce demographics showed 63 percent of employees identified as white and 29 percent as Hispanic or Latino; 6 percent of employees are veterans.
On training, Kendall said the county delivered 2,407 course completions in 2024, launched a learning pathway for first‑time supervisors and is implementing a bidirectional integration between Workday and the BLR training platform to automate account creation and training records. She said the county certified 123 employees in first aid, CPR and AED.
Recruitment was a major focus: Kendall said HR increased social media efforts, attended job fairs, created evergreen job postings for hard‑to‑fill roles, and will pilot an internship program in 2025. A Workday functional review produced 39 recommendations for operational and user experience improvements; Kendall said the department will prioritize those changes and implement many in 2025.
Kendall also reviewed classification and benefits work, including reclassifications, the creation of a help‑desk technician classification, and a planned 2026 countywide compensation survey (to inform bargaining for 2027–28). She said HR will solicit bids for insurance in 2025 and continue benefits outreach, including a student‑loan assistance program that had 44 registrations.
The director outlined policy work for 2025, including a background‑check policy, mobile device management guidance and a review of leave policies; she said HR and unions will collaborate on compensation and classification tasks ahead of contract negotiations.
