Home to nearly 17,000 year-round residents, Pitkin County sits just over the western edge of the Continental Divide. Its county seat of Aspen started life as a camp for silver prospectors in 1879 and has since become the home base for several of America’s premier ski resorts. This interview was conducted via email, and edits such as spelling out acronyms have been made for clarity.
Among IPMA-HR members profiled in HR News, you’re a bit of a rarity. Pretty much all your post-college jobs have been in human resources. Is this the career you pictured? And, I’ll admit to being intrigued by seeing “Crocs” on your resume. Sounds like an interesting gig.
I did not plan this career at all. I kind of stumbled into HR.
I graduated from the University of Vermont with a bachelor’s in psychology and a minor in Spanish and wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do. So, I signed up for an 8-week program to earn a bilingual teacher’s certification in the state of Connecticut. They were desperate for bilingual teachers, and I thought, “Why not?”
After two years of teaching elementary school children, I decided that teaching was not for me. I met someone who worked in human resources, and she shared with me how she helped people at work to be their best selves. I was sold! I started a master’s program in organizational performance and change at Colorado State University, found a job in HR and the rest is history.
One of my most significant HR experiences was when I worked as an HR manager for Crocs—yes, the shoe company. I was a part of Crocs when they hit their billion-dollar mark. People doubted the “rubber shoes,” but they are comfy.
In your first position with Pitkin County, you worked as a talent management partner. I’d imagine the skills and knowledge you acquired over those years have served you well during the past year of what has been dubbed the Great Resignation. What is the county doing to attract and retain employees?
Working in industries that have historically had high turnover did prepare me for what we’re facing today. Pitkin County is one of the most expensive counties in the country to live in, and we’ve had to be very creative with our funding.
Here’s what we do to attract employees. We offer up to $4,000 to relocate to the Roaring Fork Valley, and we provide employees who relocate a $6,000 housing stipend for their first year. We also have two housing programs for county employees. In one, an employee receives $50,000 in down payment assistance. The other is an equity share program where we purchase up to 40 percent of an employee’s home.
In terms of pay and benefits, a new full-time employee’s total compensation package includes free medical, dental and vision insurance; short-term disability, long-term disability, and life and accidental death & dismemberment insurance; four weeks of paid time off; 11 paid holidays each year; and a retirement plan contribution from the county that totals 17 percent of the employee’s gross salary.
Once we attract talent, we try to provide opportunities for employees to develop and grow. We offer tuition reimbursement, an annual $1,200 fitness and wellness bonus (since we love the outdoors here) and 12 weeks of paid parental leave for new parents.
Your office is in Aspen. To me, that means “snow removal.” Any tips and tricks to share regarding seasonal hiring?
Yes! When I came onboard 6 years ago, one of the challenges was getting seasonal employees to come back season after season. Our Airport and our Open Space & Trails teams were constantly recruiting and training folks.
We collaborated and built a Seasonal Incentive Program for the seasonal workforces. The program includes a returning seasonal bonus and an end of season bonus that increases each year an employee returns, paid time off accrual, a complimentary bus pass, and a $350 monthly stipend to go toward housing or health care.
Adapted from DemocraticLuntz.
As of this season, we’ll be expanding this program to allow seasonals to choose the $350 stipend or to elect medical, dental and vision insurance. This program has significantly reduced costs, and it pays for itself because we now have many employees who return year after year, reducing recruiting and training expenses.
You hold a master’s in education. How does that shape your approach to training and development for county employees?
I am a lifelong learner, and being in the public sector, I learn something new each day.
For the county as a whole, training and development is a large investment that leadership and commissioners have to believe in to fund. This is why I’m always accessing and listening to our workforce. It’s through those conversations that I pick up on what employees truly need, and I then communicate this to the decision makers.
Recently, we’ve been focusing on mental health support regarding burnout and compassion fatigue. We’ve also emphasized soft skills such as building self-awareness and courage.
Aspen is a major tourist destination. People visiting from all over surely added to the challenges of keeping county employees healthy during the pandemic. What programs and policies did your team put in place to minimize infections?
Pitkin County is extremely generous. When the pandemic hit in March 2020, we immediately gave all employees access to 80 hours of paid sick leave so they didn’t have to dip into their paid time off banks. This was in addition to the federal changes that rolled down.
We also sent many employees home to work remotely so our on-site employees, such as those in the Sheriff’s Office and at the airport, didn’t have as much exposure. Most of all, we focused on communication, education and the importance of taking personal responsibility for your own actions. We drilled into employees they should not come to work if they had symptoms, and we created numerous playbooks and an internal website with all the information and processes that employees needed to know.
Last, tell us about your experience volunteering with the Spark Leadership Camp. That sounds like a great program.
It was an honor to work with fifth and sixth graders, teaching them about leadership, communication, self-awareness, compassion and confidence in order to begin building their leadership skills. The girls flourished, and I still see some of them around in the community. —N
01 April 2022
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HR News Article