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City HR outlines hiring, turnover and rollout of digitized records and compensation tools
Summary
Human Resources reported processing 7,186 applications in 2024, hiring 817 people and implementing new onboarding, benefits and digitization initiatives; council members asked about exit interviews and performance appraisals.
Antrella Jackson, director of the City of Akron Human Resources department, summarized 2024 activity and 2025 goals for council members during the budget hearing.
Jackson said HR processed 7,186 job applications in 2024, hired 817 people and completed 121 promotions. The department recorded 61 retirements and 103 resignations in 2024; Jackson told council those resignation numbers are consistent with 2023 and are not anomalous for a workforce of roughly 2,000 employees.
HR initiatives for 2025 include a comprehensive wellness benefit and incentive package intended to reduce health‑care costs and improve morale; a streamlined civil‑service testing process; a recurring schedule to update job descriptions; and compensation‑analysis software to evaluate pay structures and internal equity. The department has also contracted to digitize employee records and plans to expand in‑person orientation for new hires.
Council members asked about exit interviews and performance appraisals. Jackson said exit interview procedures have begun — especially in the police department — and that the city’s Workday platform includes self‑assessment features employees may use as part of evaluations.
Why it matters: HR changes affect city hiring speed, retention and public‑facing services. Council members pressed for data from exit interviews to understand turnover patterns and for continued efforts to speed hiring through testing and digitization.
No formal decisions or budget votes occurred during the presentation.
