Riverbat Faculty and Staff,
As the inaugural Communications Coordinator for ACC’s Office of Human Resources, my job is to leverage my journalism background to keep College employees and HR customers informed about HR’s evolution aimed at student success. Toward that end, I’m taking over Kelly’s column today to lay out the changes going on in HR and the impact they’ll have on the College.
HR VC Kelly Torrico and HR Managing Director Elma Benevides — who oversees HR operational functions including compensation, benefits, and employment — recently announced to the team a restructuring designed to optimize hiring times. The initiative’s co-leads presented a list of actions HR will take by the end of 2024:
- Merge the Compensation and Employment teams under one Manager to streamline the recruit-to-hire (R2H) process and reduce delays.
- Complete a procedural redesign and cross-training to ensure a smooth transition and improved efficiency.
- Shift our Workday optimization and analytics team to report to the HR Managing Director, allowing for better support of HR needs.
- Establish an HR Strike Team to support hiring managers and reduce R2H time to 30 days by January 2026.
In our interview, I explored the motivations, strategies, and anticipated outcomes of these changes. The following discussion sheds light on how the College is addressing inefficiencies and positioning itself for future success in a competitive academic landscape.
Q: What prompted the restructuring of the HR Office?
Kelly: HR is experiencing a transitional period, with longtime Employment & Sourcing Manager Erica Breedlove becoming an HR Business Partner and vacancies in Compensation and Business Processes and Initiatives (BPI handles Workday HR processes). This has given us an opportunity to reassess our organizational structure to better meet employee needs.
Managing Director Elma Benevides and I, along with Finance/Administration EVC Neil Vickers and the entire HR team, are developing a plan to make HR more customer-centric.
Q: What is the focus of the reorganization?
Kelly: Our primary goal in uniting Compensation with Employment & Sourcing is to improve our Recruit to Hire (R2H) process, which spans from the time a position is requested in writing through Workday to the moment a candidate accepts an offer. We recognized that the current structure had some inefficiencies, particularly due to dependencies between uniquely skilled teams and individuals. By merging the Compensation and Employment teams under a single Talent Acquisition and Compensation Manager, we aim to streamline this process and reduce delays.
Q: How will the merging of the Compensation and Employment teams benefit the college?
Elma: This allows us to create a more cohesive team that can support the entire R2H process from start to finish. By designing and training roles collaboratively, we can ensure that team members are versatile and capable of handling various aspects of the process. This reduces the bottlenecks that occur when work is dependent on specific individuals, thereby improving our efficiency and responsiveness.
Q: Will there be any changes in leadership roles within the HR department?
Kelly: Yes, there will be some notable changes. We will not be hiring a new Compensation Manager, as the responsibilities will be integrated into the newly formed team. Additionally, the team formerly known as Business Processes & Initiatives will now report directly to Elma who heads HR operations and be retitled as HR Information Systems (HRIS) & Analytics. This team will leverage their expertise in data and Workday to enhance our processes and user experience.
Q: What steps are being taken to ensure a smooth transition during this restructuring?
Elma: We are committed to a strategic evaluation and cross-training internally to ensure that all team members are well-prepared for their new roles. The new Talent Acquisition & Compensation Manager and their team will be given time to recalibrate and norm and will sustain “business as usual” for a few months. We believe that a thoughtful and measured approach will allow us to implement these changes effectively and anticipate the newly formed team will recommend and start taking steps toward a more optimal future state around 90 days after the Manager is hired. Additionally, decisions related to reallocating funds from managerial positions will be deferred until we have had sufficient time to assess the impact of these changes.
Q: How will these changes contribute to ACC’s strategic objectives outlined within the Theory of Change (ToC) and North Star?
Kelly: By streamlining our HR processes and improving the efficiency of our R2H timeline, we are better positioned to attract and hire top talent, which is crucial for the college’s growth and success. Furthermore, enhancing our data-driven approach with the HR Information Systems & Analytics team will ensure that our procedures are both user-friendly and effective. Ultimately, these changes are designed to create a more harmonious work environment, instill trust, and support the college in achieving its strategic objectives.
Q: Other than this restructuring effort, what steps will be taken to support the College R2H process?
Our internal restructuring is essential and requires thoughtful collaboration to implement effectively. However, we recognize that this alone won’t suffice. Without the proper tools, resources, and training, both hiring managers and employees may face frustration. To address this, Elma and I have introduced and will co-lead the HR R2H Strike Team using our Theory of Change model for collaborative design.
The R2H Strike Team represents an all-hands effort from HR to support the College’s hiring needs. It will consist of three specialized workgroups: R2H Operational Excellence, R2H Tools & Resources, and R2H Training. Each workgroup will be led by an HR staff member and sponsored by an HR Business Partner. These groups will also collaborate with key stakeholders and subject matter experts across the District.
Our ambitious goal is to achieve a 30-day average R2H time by January 2026. With committed collaboration between HR and our College hiring managers, I am confident we can reach this target.
We are excited about these changes and confident they will lead to a more efficient, supportive, and successful HR function at ACC. If you have questions or feedback, you can contact me directly at cyndy.cerbin@austincc.edu or through HRSupport@austincc.edu.
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