HR Modernization FAQs

Updated February 1, 2023

What is HR Modernization? HR Modernization is an initiative by Governor Little to provide consistency and efficiency in human resource services delivered by executive state agencies. The HR Modernization Project includes consolidation of HR staff and HR functions through the centralized agency of DHR. This project will be administered by DHR in collaboration with state agencies.

What is the benefit of HR Modernization? Governor Little and DHR expect that, through modernization, the State of Idaho will:

Provide more efficient and effective HR services to state agencies;
Assist agency leadership in fulfilling and carrying out their missions by ensuring they hire, train, and retain a skilled workforce;
Reduce legal liability and costs through consistent application of HR statutes, rules, policies and procedures;
Eliminate duplication of effort, reduce paperwork, and increase efficiencies;
Increase consistency of HR related information communicated to state employees; and,
Lessen the “loss of knowledge” and/or skills due to turnover of HR positions.

In addition, a consolidated HR model will provide greater career and development opportunities for existing HR staff.

How is HR Modernization different from the Human Capital Management (HCM) Phase II of the Luma Project? The Luma Project is the implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System, which includes Human Capital Management (HCM). The Luma project addresses the automated process functions related to human resources. The Luma Project is managed by the State Controller’s Office (SCO) in consultation with state agencies, such as DHR.

Learn more about the Luma Project.

Will HR Modernization be handled similarly to IT Modernization? There are a couple of differences with HR Modernization. Firstly, DHR field staff are remaining out at their agencies. They are not leaving their agency and physically relocating to a new agency location. As human resources, it makes sense for us to remain in the agency so we can be connected with the people we work with. ITS has a different need for centralization of people due to the nature of the work that they do with systems and security. Secondly, we expect the work of our HR staff to remain largely the same under HR Modernization. There may be places where we calibrate and create consistency with our practices, but HR staff will still be doing FMLA, ADA, employee relations, recruitment, training, etc. The core functions of your role will not be going away. Due to this, we will not have HR staff reapply for their positions. With ITS Modernization, they do not have a one-for-one approach. What they are removing from an agency’s IT work isn’t exactly the same as what they are establishing centrally at ITS. As a result of that, they have a different process where IT employees from the agency are reapplying for jobs at ITS. This is because the work has changed and it has become a different job. Thirdly, HR Modernization is being done all at once while ITS is taking a phased approach of consolidating IT services into ITS. Their multi-phase approach is spanning over the course of multiple years, and each year they identify which agencies will be consolidated that upcoming year. Comparatively, HR Modernization will take effect for all agencies that are modernizing on June 11, 2023.

What is the timeline for the implementation of HR Modernization? Will HR Modernization occur in phases? The official transition date in the system is July 1st, 2023, but DHR will informally transition everyone prior to July 1^st. We want to have a soft transition and provide opportunities for HR staff to build relationships. This will also allow us to start figuring out if there are issues that need to be addressed prior to the system transition. Additionally, we want to ease our way into modernization to help make the implementation of the Luma system in June/July easier.

On July 1^st, the official change will happen in the system and the formal reporting structure will change. Between now and then, it will be an informal soft transition into HR Modernization where you start working with the agencies in your group and start connecting with HROs and HR Managers.

Does HR Modernization include agencies with Delegated Authority? Yes, this includes all agencies within the Executive Branch reporting through Governor Little.

Will HR Modernization change HR services to a service desk/ticketing system? How will this work for sensitive topics? No, that is not the vision of HR modernization. DHR recognizes the critical need to have HR employees close to their agencies and the work being performed, so our HR professionals will remain out in the field supporting employees and managers in their HR needs.

What falls under the proposed HR field operations duties? Agency HR employees will remain within agencies to provide HR support. They will still be responsible for the various aspects of HR, such as employee/manager relations, FMLA, ADA, recruitment, compensation, classification, etc. Our model and guiding principles under HR Modernization are that these decisions happen in the agency where the work is happening. We don’t want to funnel all processes through the DHR Central Office. The portion of the work that will be “centralized” will be the policies, processes, systems, and training that provide the overall structure for how HR is administered within the State of Idaho. The Central Office should be providing the guidance, the resources, the tools, the training, and the systems needed so that you all can do your jobs and have decision making authority without having to route through the Central Office.

Who will train all employees how to use Luma? This will be a joint effort with DHR and SCO. The SCO component of the training is the system training. We understand that system training is not enough, and that we will have to tell you how to use the system, when to use the system, and how it correlates with how we used to do things. DHR will have a role in helping to bridge the gap and explain the transition from our prior practices to our future practices.

Will those without a typical HR job title that are currently involved with HR be included in modernization? If a person is doing HR duties, they will be included as part of modernization. This potentially points to some inconsistencies with our job duties if someone is doing HR work but does not have an HR job title. In those cases, we will need to review to determine what is going on with that position.

Are the HR staff at universities and colleges affected by HR Modernization? They are affected by HR Modernization because they have classified staff, but they report through the State Board of Education due to how the constitution is written. Due to this, the State Board of Education represents their HR. The individual HR staff will not be reporting under DHR due to the constitutional piece, but they will still be expected to follow the rules, processes, and policies that we put in place for them. Luma will also affect universities and colleges even though they have their own systems. Universities will be using the Luma system to support their administrative staff, use recruiting tools, and go through the same processes we will.

How will this be more efficient than the “decentralization” which took place over a decade ago? Decentralization took place in 2007. Previously, DHR held decision making authority that was given to about 15 of the 68 existing agencies. The State partially decentralized but left the remaining agencies in a more centralized decision-making model where decisions had to continue to come through DHR. The difference now is that all decision-making of HR will become decentralized, meaning that all of these decisions will be happening at the agency level and DHR Central will just provide the overall guidance, structure, and resources centrally.

Will HR staff be laid off from their existing agency and then apply for positions with DHR? We will not lay off HR staff from their existing agencies and have them reapply for their positions as a result of HR Modernization. We expect the work of our HR staff to remain largely the same under HR Modernization, so there is no need to have individuals reapply for positions.

What will the new organization look like? DHR has a copy of the organizational chart under HR Modernization available on our website. You can view a copy here.

Are there any specific skillsets the state needs to be successful in modernizing our HR function? All areas of human resources are needed to successfully modernize HR within the State of Idaho. During our analysis, we determined that the DHR “central office” needed specialized roles in Recruitment, Civil Rights/ADA, Occupational Health and Investigations. As a result, we hired those roles to better support our agency HR staff. We will continue to need HR generalists to provide agency support.

For HR professionals looking to expand their skillset, DHR recommends considering HR certification, through programs such as SHRM or HRCI. HR Certification is not required to be considered for positions within DHR. Additionally, there are other HR training courses available through the colleges and universities.

DHR also provides training courses which may be beneficial to HR professionals, such as Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue, Crucial Conversations for Accountability, Getting Things Done, Supervisor Academy, etc. DHR is in the process of creating HR-specific courses as well, such as FMLA, ADA, Progressive Discipline, Classification, Compensation, etc.

In addition to the technical skills needed, HR employees need to have other soft skill, such as problem-solving, communication, writing, conflict management, etc.

Will DHR’s location move to accommodate more employees? For DHR field staff, they will remain out at their agencies so they can be connected to the people they work with. For DHR Central, a move is not anticipated at this time, but we will continue to assess the need and make the best decision to support HR Modernization.

Will HR positions be reclassified as a result of HR Modernization? In August 2022, we sent out a job duties survey to compile information about what everyone does in their respective roles. There were two purposes of that survey. Firstly, we wanted to understand what folks employees are doing in order to help us understand if there are inconsistencies in how we are using our job classifications. Secondly, as part of that our statewide classification and compensation study being performed by Korn Ferry, we received recommendations from Korn Ferry on all job classifications, including HR job classifications.

During our conversations with Korn Ferry, we found gaps with the progression of HR classifications. In some places, we are skipping pay grades. For example, our HR Specialist within pay grade K promotes to an HR Specialist Senior which is pay grade M. Korn Ferry recommended that we look at the HR career ladder to address the existing pay grade gaps. As a result of this work, we may determine a need to reclassify a few positions.

If we identify areas where we need to reclassify positions, we will address that and communicate with you directly.

What if I currently perform duties that do not fit within my HR job classification? If you are doing work in your role today that doesn’t completely fit within the realm of HR, talk to your HR Officer or HR Manager so we can create a plan for you specifically. This will not be a one-size-fits-all approach. While we want consistency in our organization, we do not want to surprise agencies by removing duties. If you have work you are doing that you are not sure will continue under modernization, please let us know so we can chat and explore solutions for you individually.

Will employees who are currently non-classified become classified? Yes, some employees who are currently non-classified due to their agency’s statutes will become classified once they become DHR employees. For example, the HR employees of the education entities (State Board of Education, Career and Technical Education, Vocational Rehabilitation, and Idaho Public Television) and the Idaho Industrial Commission.

What if I really like the agency I support currently and the work I perform? Will I be given the option to continue my work as it is today? All DHR field staff are remaining out at their agencies, and we expect that the work our HR staff does will remain largely the same under HR Modernization. There may be places where we hope to calibrate and become more consistent with our practices, but HR Staff will still be doing FMLA, ADA, employee relations, recruitment, training. The core functions of your role will not be going away.

Will agency HR be responsible for their current agency in addition to other agencies? Please review a copy of the organizational chart here. If you have any questions about the organizational chart, please follow up with your HR Officer or HR Manager for clarification.

Who will I report to under the new model? All HR staff will be DHR employees. You can view a copy of the organizational chart here. If you look at the organizational chart, you will notice that the primary change will be for the HR Officers and HR staff that are in non-delegated agencies today. Under the new model, each agency is represented by an HR Officer who will report up through an HR Manager.

Please note that DHR is not defining the full structure for all HR staff. DHR will be defining which HR staff will be under which HR Manager or HR Officer. From there, the HR Officer will have the responsibility within their respective areas to organize their group underneath them. Due to this, we recommend following up with your new HR Officer under modernization if you have questions about where you will fit.

Will I be able to telecommute? Each HR Officer along with their HR Manager will consider telecommuting requests based on job duties and the needs of each agency they support. DHR is open to flexible schedules and telework as long as it supports the work, the agency and the performance of the employee.

Will I have to relocate? Since HR staff will physically remain within state agencies it is not anticipated that employees will have to relocate. However, it is possible that HR staff will support an additional agency or a different agency than they do today, which may result in some travel.

I am really nervous about this change and what it means for me and my family. Are there any resources to assist me with this transition? As always, employees are encouraged to seek out support from a counselor through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to help address any stress they may be experiencing due to this announcement. Additional information is available on the Office of Group Insurance website.

In addition, HR employees are encouraged to reach out to DHR to discuss their questions regarding HR Modernization.

I work in HR at a state agency now; how much will my job change through HR Modernization? The purpose of HR Modernization is to provide better consistency and efficiency in the administration of our personnel system. We expect the work that HR staff completes will remain the same under HR Modernization. Agency HR employees will remain largely within agencies to provide HR support. They will still be responsible for the various aspects of HR, such as employee/manager relations, FMLA, ADA, recruitment, compensation, classification, etc. The portion of the work that will be “centralized” will be the policies, processes, systems, and training that provide the overall structure for how HR is administered within the State of Idaho.

How will HR professionals outside of Boise/CDA be included? HR staff outside of the Boise/CDA areas will be included in the same way as anyone else. DHR understands that for employees who work outside of the Treasure Valley area, it can be harder to attend training or other in-person events. We certainly want to be mindful as we schedule statewide in-person events to schedule it in a way that is conducive to everybody being able to attend. We also envision that there will be more opportunity for smaller team meetings with your HR Manger or HR Officer groups where they will include those outside of the Treasure Valley as well. Additionally, we are always considering additional remote viewing options for in-person events.

How will we identify non-classified employees’ comp-ratios for the purpose of CEC? We would match them to their relevant classified position as part of the CEC process. This is the same as what you would do today.

What does the reclassification process look like under HR Modernization? Similarly to other HR functions such as FMLA, ADA, etc., reclassifications will happen within the agency. The HR Officer (or their designee) will have the authority to make that approval or denial. From there, the HR Officer will work with DFM. They may need to include their respective HR Manager as they work with DFM to help make points of contact easier for DFM.

What is the process when HR vacancies are created? When a position becomes vacant, DHR reviews the vacancy to determine if the position should be re-filled as is or should be reclassified to support other needs of the agency. In terms of the recruitment process, there have been a couple vacancies that have been recruited out of the DHR Central Office. Those have generally been the HR Officer positions. In most instances, DHR will not handle HR recruitment processes through the Central Office. Those recruitment processes would happen within their respective area through their respective HR Officer.

What happens to our benefits when we transition? Will we need to do new paperwork? I-time? Premiums? Historically when employees transfer, they must re-do all their new hire paperwork. Our hope is that we will be in a place with Luma that we can make the switch without having to re-do the paperwork. The HR piece of Luma should go live on June 11^th, 2023, so assuming that HR Modernization doesn’t go live until July 1^st, 2023, we should be in the Luma system already when that switch happens.

What is the iDHR email list? We have an HR bounce group email (hrgroup@admws.idaho.gov) that goes out to anybody that wants to be on that list. It includes directors and many individuals who will not be transferring into DHR through HR Modernization. There are many things that we would like to communicate directly to employees going through modernization, so we created another inbox (iDHR@admws.idaho.gov) which will allow us to send information to incoming DHR staff only. If one of your HR staff transferring to DHR through modernization does not receive emails from the iDHR inbox, please let us know so we can get them added. You may contact your HR Manager for these requests. Additionally, you may send communications to be sent out through either inbox. We have moderators that will review the message before it goes out to either group.

Will accrued comp-time come over to DHR as well? Yes, your comp-time will come over. Rather than transferring from your existing agency to DHR, we will just update your agency code in the system so you can keep your comp-time.

What can HR staff be doing right now to ease the transition or prepare? For those who are involved with the pilot project, please continue to be engaged and ask questions. We would like HR staff to become part of the process and the change. Instead of waiting to receive direction or clarification from DHR, please feel free to lead the change process by bringing feedback or questions to DHR when they occur. This will help DHR to calibrate and create consistencies early on.

For all HR staff, we recommend building relationships with people who are in your organization group structure. For example, employees based at the Chinden campus have a tremendous opportunity to engage with each other. HR Modernization will help us to utilize the diverse backgrounds and experiences that exist within HR staff statewide, so we recommend starting to build those connections and relationships now. Additionally, we recommend participating in DHR training opportunities if you have not been taking advantage of them already. We also recommend talking to your current agency to see what they would be willing to help you with as an employee until the deployment of modernization.

Are the agency directors aware of DHR’s informal transition for HR Modernization? We have been working through those communications as they occur. For the pilot project, we first met with the HR Officer and talked her through what we were thinking. From there, we met with each impacted agency director and their HR staff. We will continue that communication as we move forward through these transitions. It will be important for HR staff involved to be part of those discussions as they will be an integral part of those conversations and communications.

Will there be a communication going out to current directors regarding HR Officers supporting other people? We expect the HR Officers to have that conversation. If they need more help or support, they can reach out to their HR Manager for further assistance.

Will modernization increase workload? Will HR teams of one receive assistance from DHR with workload? Everything we are doing in modernization is to help manage workload. The building of the infrastructure within DHR has been created with the purpose of helping to provide the expertise needed so individual agencies do not have to recreate the wheel. For example, you will not need to be a worker’s compensation expert because DHR Central has a worker’s compensation expert in-house. Instead of spending time researching these topics at the agency, the HR Manager or HR Officer can call the worker’s compensation expert at DHR Central to ask questions instead. The policies, processes, trainings, and new Luma system are all resources to help manage workload. We do not want to increase workload or make work unreasonable for people to complete, so we will continue to monitor workload at all agencies as we move through modernization.

Additionally, HR teams of one will no longer exist under HR Modernization. You can view a copy of the organizational chart here.

What will happen if it is determined that there are too many HR professionals across the state? We only have approximately 175 HR professionals for 25,000 state employees, so we don’t expect that to be too many HR professionals. If work is not equitable, then we may need to address and determine appropriate ratios to help us balance that work.

Are you worried that modernization will create an “us vs. them” mentality between HR and employees? We expect that we are attentive and connected to our customers (employees), and they need to know that you are supporting them. We do not support an “us vs. them” mentality. We see ourselves as all being part of the same employer – the State of Idaho. We believe that all employees deserve to be treated equitably and fairly, and as an HR professional, you will need to be aligned with the goals and priorities of your agency to be an effective HR representative.

What are future DEI initiatives? These initiatives will fall under the Civil Rights/ADA Manager position. Our goal in Idaho is to make sure that any initiatives put in place do not provide preference to any group or class, but also to make sure that we create equal opportunity for all Idahoans.

For agencies that currently do not have HR representatives, what tasks or functions will DHR take over? If your agency currently does not have its own HR representative, you probably will not see a tremendous amount of change except for Luma. DHR already provides the HR support for your agency and will continue to do so under modernization.

Will performance evaluations become 360°-style when we all become DHR employees? 360-evaluation is a tool available to us. We will consult with the HR Managers and HR Officers to determine how best to evaluate our HR staff.

How are you planning on addressing the inconsistencies with salaries? Once our HR career ladder has been developed and our HR job classifications updated, we will begin to address any additional salary inconsistencies with HR staff.

Will we be switched to the DHR email system or remain with the agency email system? DHR is working with the Information Technology Services (ITS) Division to develop a plan for HR employees to keep their agency email addresses and access and a SharePoint (or another similar system) to allow us to share documents with HR staff. As we have updates on this, we will notify HR staff.

How do I support my HR staff during this time? An initiative of this scale is going to create angst for employees, specifically those within human resources. It is imperative that leadership provide positive support, otherwise it will be detrimental to both the HR and agency employees, negatively affecting morale. Additionally, we encourage you to ask questions and provide feedback. At the DHR level, we don’t always think of every impact, so we rely on your questions to help us identify improvements. This will help us calibrate and create consistencies early on. Furthermore, agency leadership needs to be in frequent communication with their HR staff to make sure they are receiving the most recent information regarding HR Modernization.

How will you ensure HR Modernization meets the needs of the agency? DHR will meet with agency leadership and human resources on an ongoing basis to ensure business needs are being met.

What should the agency do if they have HR positions they wish to recruit for or reclassify? The agency must discuss any HR recruitments or reclassifications with DHR prior to announcing, making job offers, or submitting documentation to reclassify a position. Our intent is to continue business operations; however, we want to be mindful of any of these actions in order to ensure they support the future HR Modernization model.

Under HR Modernization, HR positions will be recruited for at the agency level. Please review Affected Human Resources Staff Question #16 for additional details.

Agencies will be working on preparing and submitting their budgets to DFM in the next couple of months. Do we need to plan for a change to the fee charged by DHR? The DHR Administrator, Lori Wolff, will be presenting the FY24 budget to the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC) during the 2023 Legislative Session. She will be covering the fee structure during this presentation. DHR will be providing additional details regarding date/time for this presentation once schedule details have been finalized.

Will agency Delegated Authority be changed or modified during the implementation of HR Modernization? The end goal is that delegated authority does not exist after the Modernization of HR in the state because all HR staff will report to DHR.

Agencies need to begin considering the impacts of HR decisions at a statewide level and be communicative with DHR regarding such decisions so that planning and implementation of HR Modernization can occur with their input.

The focus should be about how we operate as one team rather than as siloed and individual agencies.

Will the travel for the district/remote HR employees to attend in-person events be paid for by the agency or DHR? As part of the budget for HR Modernization, the agency is responsible for operating costs of the position (such as office space, desk, computer, chairs, supplies, etc.), and DHR is responsible for the personnel costs of the position. When it comes to travel costs, this will depend. If the travel is required by DHR, then that may be something where DHR pays for those travel costs. If the travel is required by the agency, then that may be where it is appropriate to have the agency cover the travel costs. If you have specific travel-related questions, please follow up with your respective HR Officer or HR Manager.

Will the agency be responsible for tuition and cell-phone reimbursement for HR employees transferring to DHR through HR Modernization? What about professional memberships and certifications like SHRM? The DHR fee is structured so that DHR pays for the personnel costs of the position (i.e., salary and benefits) and the agency pays for the operating costs (i.e., office space, furniture, equipment, supplies, travel, etc.).

DHR will provide an overview of which costs are covered by DHR versus the agency prior to implementation.

Where will payroll live? HR or Fiscal? For now, payroll will live wherever it currently does in each respective agency. For some, it is within HR and for others it is within their fiscal department.

How will Change in Employee Compensation (CEC) be handled for HR employees coming to DHR as part of HR Modernization? DHR will provide additional guidance on this when we release our CEC guidance.

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