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County HR director outlines plan to modernize services: HRIS, skills-based hiring and retention tools
Summary
HR Director Sarah Hough presented a multi-part strategic plan that would add a centralized HRIS, push skills‑based hiring and new recruitment platforms, launch stay‑interviews to boost retention, and expand supervisor training and career pathways.
Muskegon County’s human-resources director told commissioners the county intends to modernize HR operations by implementing a human-resources information system (HRIS), expanding recruitment and retention efforts, and launching new supervisor training.
Sarah Hough said the county currently processes thousands of HR transactions without a centralized HR system and described four initiatives: an HRIS to reduce manual work and create a single employee portal; workforce recruitment and talent attraction using skills‑based hiring and platforms such as GovSkills; employee retention and engagement tactics including stay interviews and improved internal communication; and expanded training and development for supervisors with different tracks for new and seasoned managers.
Hough supplied workforce metrics she said justify the changes: the county pays benefits for more than 1,700 active employees and retirees combined, processed 3,366 job postings and 8,074 applications in 2025, and saw a voluntary turnover rate of about 16 percent over the prior 12 months. She said the county has used skills assessments in several departments and cited a 22 percent turnover reduction in the juvenile‑detention center where assessments were adopted.
About HRIS timing and selection, Hough said staff are working with finance and IT and expect to present a vendor recommendation to the board once due diligence is complete. On surveys, she described planning pulse surveys (short, frequent questions) and publishing a dashboard so employees see follow-up actions.
Commissioners praised the work and asked for department-level turnover data and plans for pilot implementations; Hough said exit‑interview data exist now and pulse/stay interview data will follow once new processes are in place.
The presentation was informational; no board action was required at the meeting.
