Human resources reports 401(k) match and expanding internship program

Samantha Hendricks of Cherokee Nation Human Resources briefed the Rules Committee on May 29 about the Nation's retirement plan employer match and the growth of its internship and career outreach programs.

Hendricks said the Nation's 401(k) employer match is currently structured so the Nation "match a 100% on the first 5% of employees, and then we have a 50% on the next 4%, which would be a maximum of a 7% match." She told the committee HR is benchmarking the match against peer employers and other tribes and expects to provide an update on any potential changes within a few months.

Hendricks also described a career day at Sequoyah High School (recorded as Sequoia in the transcript) that involved about 20 departments showcasing careers at Cherokee Nation to juniors and seniors, and she said the internship program is in its second year. Twenty interns had started as of the Tuesday before the meeting, eight more were scheduled to start soon, and "we've had a total of 62 that's gone through our internship since we started it," she said. Hendricks listed participating host departments including IT, human services, natural resources, public health, the health department, language and community tourism, and said students came from schools including Northeastern State University, Oklahoma State University, University of Oklahoma, University of Arkansas, University of Tulsa, Boston University, Columbia University, Colorado State and South Georgia State.

Hendricks credited the recruitment and organizational development teams with staffing improvements and planning the career day. She said open positions have declined since 2022 and that HR intends to continue recruitment and retention efforts.

Ending: Hendricks invited committee members to contact HR with questions about the retirement match and internship program.