Page 44 - Middleborough 2024 Town Report

H U M A N
RESOURCES
The Town entered into collective bargaining
negotiations with five bargaining units. The
Town’s team was comprised of Town Manager James
McGrail, Director of Finance Susan Nickerson,
department head representatives and I.
We successfully negotiated five memoranda of
agreements for all five units to be integrated into
collective bargaining agreements.
Collaborating with the Treasurer/Collector’s Ofice,
Finance Department and IT Department, our
department spearheaded the implementation of a
new, fully online, automated, and eficient
onboarding module which was deployed in January.
We also trained School Department personnel on
utilizing this module.
In 2024, our department recruited and onboarded 42
new hires and onboarded 28 seasonal park
employees. Of the 42 new hires; 36 were attritions, 3
were new positions, and 3 were upgrades.
The Massachusetts Municipal Association and
Sufolk University announced an expansion of their
professional development partnership with the
launch of a new Municipal Human Resources Seminar
that began in April of 2024. I applied for this exciting
opportunity and I was accepted into the program!
The admissions committee had four times the
number of applicants than spots so I was deeply
honored to participate in the inaugural program. The
seminar was held April 4th through May 16th. The
seminar included human resources management,
policies and practices specific to Massachusetts cities
and towns. Key topics covered were hiring and
onboarding, benefits administration, policy
development, collective bargaining, and employee
reviews and evaluations. We also reviewed relevant
labor laws and best practices in municipal human
resources management.
On January 22nd, Steven Solbo and I conducted our
first Human Resources presentation to the Select
Board on Unveiling HR Excellence: Exploring What
We Do. We were excited to present our mission
statement, outline our primary functions and
responsibilities, provide updates on recruiting and
onboarding since our inceptioninception, discuss
how we handle employee relations, note
our achievements and professional development
and update them on our technology, future goals
and initiatives.
Steven Solbo resigned from his position in
Middleborough efective April 30, 2024 as he was
hired as the Energy Manager in Norwood and Sharon.
We sincerely appreciated all the help and support he
provided to the Human Resources Department and
wish him all the best in his future endeavors.
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