HR proposes supervisor manual and annual leadership series to tighten county management practices

Kootenai County’s Human Resources director proposed a compact supervisory training program and an annual leadership series on Thursday aimed at improving county managers’ knowledge of employment law and core supervisory duties.

HR Director Proud presented a proposed set of training topics that included workers’ compensation, FMLA, ADA, performance-management essentials, employment law, interviewing and recruiting, effective communication, generational communication differences, conflict management, change management and legal considerations. Proud also recommended creating a supervisor’s manual that managers would sign to acknowledge they had been briefed on county policies and supervisory expectations.

Proud said HR could host an annual leadership series with four sessions per year, and that some outside providers (NACO, ICRMP, SHRM) offer relevant webinars and onsite training; HR noted ICRMP may provide on-site training at no charge. Commissioners supported more in-house, frequent sessions and asked HR to keep costs minimal because a countywide training-and-development budget does not exist; departments may need to cover training costs from their own budgets.

Commissioners asked for compact, practical materials rather than multi-day conferences, and suggested HR record sessions so staff who cannot attend can view them later. Proud agreed HR would pursue low-cost or no-cost presenters, develop a condensed supervisor manual covering key topics, and coordinate with elected officials and department heads about department-specific training and mentoring needs.

No formal vote was taken; the board accepted the proposal as a direction to staff to develop the materials and return with details as needed.