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People & Culture presents reorganization, training and workers’ comp plan amid budget shifts
Summary
Chief People Officer Paul Winsper told the Standing Committee the department’s FY27 budget centers on a restructured workplace policy, targeted professional development and an OSHA manager to manage rising claims costs; staff said many line-item increases reflect lateral transfers of positions rather than net new FTEs.
The city’s People & Culture department framed its proposed FY27 budget as a “responsible and disciplined” plan aimed at modernizing human-resources operations while containing costs, Chief People Officer Paul Winsper said during the Standing Committee on Ways and Means.
Winsper said the department recently completed a comprehensive reform of its workplace policy manual and has shifted several staff and budget lines into new divisions, including a larger DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) division. “This budget is a responsible and disciplined plan,” Winsper said, adding that the department has moved positions between divisions to align functions and funding.
The presentation noted apparent large percentage increases in some line items — for example, the DEI division shows a 776% rise — but staff explained those increases reflect reallocated FTEs and service lines that previously sat under HR administrative budgets, not net new citywide positions. Finance staff and Winsper repeatedly characterized many of the changes as lateral transfers intended to tie resources to the functions that now manage them.
Committee members pressed on employee training and certification. Winsper said the department maintains memberships with professional bodies (SHRM, HRCI) and uses a $25,000 professional-development line to support both certification and broader learning opportunities across the city workforce. On the split between a $25,000 DEI training line and a $15,000 HR-executive professional-development allocation, staff explained the higher figure funds external DEI programming while the $15,000 supports citywide training administered out of HR administration.
The committee also focused on workers’ compensation and case duration. Staff said average comp cases are roughly six months but can last much longer; Rhode Island workers’ comp rules allow coverages up to about 312 weeks (roughly six and a half years) in some circumstances. The administration has created an OSHA manager role to shift from a reactive to a proactive claims strategy and said it funded that position in-year using savings from vacant salaries.
The department said it will share the revised workplace policy manual with council members and the clerk’s office for follow-up. Committee members asked for routine delivery of follow-up documents during the budget review process so requests and responses stay tracked while the process moves quickly.
The committee did not take a final vote on the People & Culture budget line at this meeting; members asked for follow‑up materials and data on vacancies and leave types.
