In January and early February, the NACo Financial Services Center surveyed 600 small and medium-sized counties regarding their human resources systems and needs. The results of this survey will be used to determine if NACo should offer counties a menu of bundled and unbundled human resources consulting services.
Of the 600 counties surveyed, 135 (22.5 percent) responded. Seventy percent of the responding counties are under 10,000 people in population. Ten percent had populations of 10,000 –25,000; 15 percent had populations from 25,000 – 50,000; and 5 percent had populations more than 50,000 people.
Some of the findings from the survey reveal the needs counties have for human resource services. For example, less than 50 percent of the counties train supervisors in workplace liability issues. Fifty-five percent of counties have faced court actions regarding workplace issues in the past five years. Nearly 78 percent of counties have no formal training program to update managers and supervisors who encounter behavior or performance problems on the job. More than 80 percent of counties do not have a 24/7-advice program in place for managers and supervisors.
Since most liability suits arise out of human resource action (or inaction), the survey also tested the counties’ uses of insurance. Seventy-one percent of the surveyed counties participate in a risk management program provided by an insurance carrier. Twenty-six percent participate in a state association pooled insurance program and 14 percent have no risk management program.
Although most counties surveyed felt that their county provides adequate human resources to county employees, most also saw value in providing NACo-sponsored services. The respondents identified the following services as priorities:
- Staff training - 56%
- Management coaching - 49%
- Policy development - 43%
- Review and assessment of current HR systems - 40%
- 24/7 advice for employees and supervisors - 36%
- Classification review - 30%
- Security assessment and training - 24%
- Crisis intervention - 18%
- Recruitment support - 16%
The FSC determined the survey clearly indicates that small counties have a need for human resource services. Most of the demand is for training, policy review and development, and advice. Most small counties have no formal internal risk management program. Those counties participating in statewide insurance pools probably have more formal risk management programs.
The FSC board of directors authorized staff to continue to pursue an HR consulting program for small counties. The next steps in this process include convening focus groups to discuss needs, priorities and pricing issues. The first focus group will be at the WIR meeting in Billings, Mont. in May. If the focus groups support the need for a program, the FSC will issue a national request for proposals and select partners to help implement the program.
