The Office of Human Resources is launching an enhanced service model to provide a more streamlined employee experience and timely support to employees and leaders. The new structure takes effect for Danforth and Central Fiscal Unit (CFU) employees on Monday, March 2.
This approach aims to strengthen relationships and collaboration beginning with the Danforth Campus. The model also mirrors practices at peer institutions, and, over time, should reduce redundancies, streamline processes and provide more timely solutions to employees, explained Apryle Gladney, vice chancellor and chief human resources officer.
“HR is committed to being a collaborative partner in supporting the professional and personal lives of our employees,” Gladney said.
The enhanced service model will be arranged under three pillars: the HR Solutions Team, the HR Centers of Expertise and HR Business Partners. The HR Solutions Team will answer routine and personal HR-related questions, such as benefits and time off inquiries. Issues that require more expertise will be escalated to the HR Centers of Expertise, a specialized staff of HR professionals who work in key areas of compensation; benefits; leaves and well-being; recruitment and executive search; employee and labor relations; development and organization effectiveness; workforce analytics; HR systems and more.
Eventually, the Danforth Campus schools and CFU departments will have at least one dedicated HR business partner to support everyday operations and to respond to unique school and unit needs. The changes should free up schools to focus more on their core missions of education and research, rather than administrative tasks, leaders said.
The transition to this model will mean a new staffing approach, with people for whom HR-related duties constitute the vast majority of their work moving to new roles in central HR. No positions will be eliminated as a result of this restructuring.
Individual employees can contact Human Resources via email at HR4U@wustl.edu, by phone, at 314-935-HR4U, or through ServiceNow. School and department leaders also can connect with their school or unit’s HR business partner. Visit the new website, HR4U.washu.edu, for additional solution support and to contact HR.
