Thursday, February 25, 2016

Intern Ryan Conquers Two Large Agencies


Greetings!

During the last two weeks, I had the opportunity to work with two very large agencies, Indiana Department of Corrections (IDOC) and Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS). Each had a unique Human Resource (HR) design. 
When I first arrived at Pendleton Juvenile facility, I was extremely eager to experience what IDOC had to offer. I initially met with Casey, the Human Resource Director of the Pendleton Correctional Complex and a previous SPD intern! After arriving, I sat in on an employee training session, and experienced the online tutorial for new state employees in the field. After evaluating their orientation, Casey got me acquainted with the juvenile HR department before giving me an Internal I-9 audit to sort through! 

During my three day stay with IDOC, I had the ability to tour all three of Pendleton’s Correctional Facilities, which included Juvenile, Industrial, and Maximum Security.  The tours were so interesting to me, and I am so glad I had an opportunity to step inside all three facilities. I had never been inside a prison prior to my human resource internship with Indiana State Personnel Department. Not only was it very eye opening for my personal perspective, but it was also very satisfying to see the various ways HR deals with a 24/7 staffed agency. No matter the conditions, there must be correction officers present and working during all hours of the day to maintain order and control. The IDOC typically sees higher turnover than an average agency, but that is expected with its unique line of work. I had many conversations with current employees on incentives that would increase retention.

After my week with IDOC, I came back to the central office to work alongside some very intelligent individuals at DCS. While at DCS, I was given a major project that was quite meticulous. The agency currently consists of more than 3,700 employees, and I was handed over an I-9 internal audit that our other intern Mary had been working on. There were two filing cabinets full of I-9s that needed to be merged together alphabetically. After that was done, I began my audit by separating and confirming the employees that currently work for DCS, from the employees that have separated from the state. A majority of these state employees are scattered throughout Indiana and are constantly working in the field. I wish my stay at DCS could have been longer, and now know more about I-9’s than your average bear!

Until next time…

Ryan Lattimore

HR Intern

Indiana State Personnel Department


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