Riley County human resources reports stable head count, elevated turnover; training and retiree resources planned

Elizabeth Ward, Riley County human resources director, presented the department’s monthly staffing and program update on June 5.

Ward reported a current regular staff head count of 285. She said 6 hires occurred in May and the year-to-date hires total 20; separations in May were 4 and year-to-date separations total 18. HR’s calculated turnover rate was 16.8 percent and average employee tenure was 9.56 years. Ward told commissioners that, as of the day before the meeting, the official count of current open positions with offers outstanding was zero.

Ward outlined ongoing and upcoming training and employee programs: a year-long supervisor training cohort of 12, the NACO high-performing-leaders program, KCHRA supervisor training in Salina on June 12, a Medicare basics session in partnership with extension on June 11 (two sessions), and the county’s employee-day presentation scheduled for the coming Monday. She also described open-enrollment benefits scheduling for Sept. 23 (three sessions), and said the event will be recorded for staff who cannot attend.

Ward reported operational HR activity for May: 72 job-site visits yielding 72 applications, 57-day average time-to-fill, 12 interviews, 13 onboarding events (estimated 17 hours each), and 27.5 employee-relations/mentoring sessions. She noted three current employees in public works have newly obtained commercial driver licenses (CDL) via county-supported training programs.

The presentation included details about supervisor development and succession planning; Ward asked commissioners to continue supporting training investments. Commissioners asked clarifying questions; Ward said HR is reviewing travel-pay policy options and continuing work on digitizing personnel files for the fire department.