The Office of Human Resources Strives to Attract and Engage a Skilled and Diverse Workforce
HR Supports The NYMC Mission To Promote An Atmosphere Of Excellence, Scholarship And Professionalism
November 07, 2022
Regina Williams, SHRM-SCP
Recruiting, onboarding, training, benefits administration, employee relations and compliance are all in a day’s work in the Office of Human Resources (HR). Regina Williams, SHRM-SCP, director of human resources, shares insight on how her team helps employees get the job done. Follow the Office of Human Resources on Twitter.
- What are the responsibilities of the Office of Human Resources? First and foremost, an HR department must be responsive to the needs of its client base. A successful and effective HR department is comprised of professionals with both technical and behavioral competencies. We are tasked with applying principles and best practices to promote the success of an organization. Effective and sound human resources practices are built upon a strong platform of both technical and strategic approaches in order to further the overall goals of an organization. We partner with organizational leaders, faculty and staff to address departmental goals and provide a positive client experience.
- How would you describe the day-to-day functions of the Office? Typically, no two days are the same. We often jump from one priority to the next without skipping a beat and we never know when something unexpected may arise. We often try and plan our days, but many times best laid plans get derailed. As I write my responses to these questions, some of our priorities include partnering with leadership on filling vacancies; onboarding staff; data cleansing in our HR information system; learning new laws and regulations; responding to various client questions; entering employee changes into our database; and working with various departments on restructuring initiatives.
- What is the Office’s most frequently asked questions or concerns by faculty or staff? We very often get questions about an employee’s pay and time off balances. We also get the opportunity to respond to supervisors’ questions about completing ePAFs (electronic personnel action forms). Sometimes the questions ebb and flow depending on the time of year. For example, during open enrollment season, we respond to many questions regarding benefits and payroll deductions. We are always happy to assist our clients with answering their questions and I encourage anyone to contact me directly if they ever feel HR has not fully satisfied their question or if they simply want to explore options for a particular issue or challenge, they are facing.
- What do you find most interesting or most rewarding about working in HR? The most rewarding thing for me is partnering with such a talented group of HR professionals, both within NYMC and at Touro. The collaboration among everyone is truly in the best interests of our stakeholders. It is clear to me that the team’s major focus is on having a meaningful and positive impact on our clients. Meeting that goal is what I find most rewarding.
- What is one useful tip you can give for faculty and staff? Most importantly, I want all employees to feel like they can reach out to HR, at any time. I would like to stress the fact that HR embraces the importance of client services. If an employee is not sure who to contact regarding their specific issue, please feel free to use the general HR mailbox and an HR team member will be sure to respond. Of course, I absolutely encourage anyone to reach out to me directly, for any reason.