As the largest employer among Hawai‘i state government departments, we have a tremendous responsibility to develop and protect our greatest asset — our employees, who each play a role in our mission to support and advance student success.

This requires a strategic and thoughtful approach. That’s why we are shifting away from a traditional human resources framework that typically focuses on an employee’s transition into the organization and transition out of the organization.

Instead we are pivoting to a talent management approach focused on Talent Acquisition, Talent Development and Talent Retention — the lifetime experience of an employee while in the organization.

Our former Office of Human Resources (OHR) has been renamed the Office of Talent Management (OTM) to reflect this new mindset. This is not about semantics; we have to ensure every position is filled by a talented, high-performing employee who values the Department of Education as an employer of first choice.

An OTM approach requires all of us to be talent recruiters.

As we move in this direction, efforts are underway to redesign our OTM work around seven key areas under Assistant Superintendent and Chief Talent Manager Cynthia Covell:

• Recruitment and Selection: Establish a pipeline that allows for competitive talent selection.
  
• Assignment and Staffing: Establish staffing models based on our goals.
  
• Compensation and Benefits: Continuously monitor the competitiveness of our pay and benefits package in the marketplace.
  
• Induction and Leadership Development: Provide a guaranteed induction program for new teachers and all new employees.
  
• Professional Development and Capacity Building: Afford all employees opportunities for quality professional growth and development.
  
• Performance Management: Have clear performance expectations and provide meaningful feedback through evaluations.
  
• Career Pathway Development: Provide opportunities for all employees to develop new skills and advance in our organization.
  

Our school leaders and educational officers will be touching on some of these areas this week at the 2018 Educational Leadership Institute (ELI), where we’ll be providing opportunities for leadership development in preparation for the upcoming school year. (Follow along at #ELIHI18.)

I look forward to your engagement in this new approach as we continue our conversations throughout this school year.

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