Hope Mills HR director outlines Dayforce rollout and paid parental leave policy

Leanne Carluchi, Hope Mills’ human resources director, told the Board of Commissioners on March 18 that the town’s HR function has shifted from transactional personnel work to a strategic role that supports recruitment, compliance and workforce stability.

Carluchi highlighted an award the department received from the Public Sector Human Resources Association for the town’s Dayforce HR implementation and described employee-focused programs the department oversees, including onboarding, benefits administration and performance management. She told commissioners the HR team is entering phase two of the Dayforce rollout and emphasized HR’s work to reduce legal risk and support continuity of services.

On benefits, Carluchi described a recently instituted paid parental leave policy: “which gives our birthing parents up to eight weeks of paid leave and non-birthing parents up to four weeks of paid leave,” she said. She also mentioned an Imagination Library partnership, through which donated books are distributed to new grandparents and parents to enroll children in a free monthly book program from birth to age five.

During the board’s Q&A, Commissioner Hamilton asked specifically about background investigations and reference checks. Carluchi replied that those checks are part of the recruitment and onboarding process and said, “No, we do it,” when asked whether HR conducts them.

Carluchi closed by stressing that HR’s role supports the board by reducing liability and ensuring consistent, defensible personnel decisions. Commissioners praised the staff and thanked Carluchi for the overview.

The presentation generated discussion about HR’s specific processes; commissioners asked for clarifications on investigations and onboarding steps and expressed broad support for the department’s work.