63 o Clear Georgetown, SC 5 Day Forecast Subscribe Contact Us Submit News Print Ads Market Place Advertise Classifieds Place Ad Real Estate Wednesday, October 1, 2014 Georgetown Times Waccamaw Times Inlet Outlook Search Home News Sports Opinion Obituaries Crime Photos Community Follow Us: Twitter Facebook Service in the City: Human Resources By Taylor Griffith tgriffith@southstrandnews Tuesday, September 30, 2014 Taylor Griffith/ South Strand News Suzanne Abed-El-Latif is the manager of the Human Resources department and the risk manager for the City of Georgetown. Behind the City of Georgetown are about 150 employees picking up trash, fixing electric lines and patrolling the streets in police cars. Behind those employees is the Human Resources department, led by Suzanne Abed-El-Latif. The one-woman department handles everything that has to do with employees, including recruiting, hiring, payroll, employee benefits and firing. Abed-El-Latif is also the city’s risk manager, so she handles all worker’s compensation claims and insurance claims filed from citizens against the city. As the risk manager, she also heads the city safety committee that meets monthly to discuss the city risk and what it can do to prevent it. She said she’s learned a lot on the job, which she’s only been doing since April. It only took Abed-El-Latif a month to recognize every employee’s name and “about 90 percent of the faces.” “I do a lot of face-to-face work and a lot of phone calls. The department is so broad and it covers so much. Another company might just have one person for benefits, one for worker’s compensation, but it’s easier for the employees this way.” She spends much of her day doing paperwork and answering emails, and joked that sometimes she feels like her department is the “Department of Paperwork.” Abed-El-Latif said patience is key for her position. “A lot of times I’m understanding something that an employee is not, so I have to learn to explain it. “I also work a lot with the public and job applicants who are eager to hear back about a job they applied for, so it takes patience. “And poise. Being personable is important. People need something from you, and you need to help them. The employees are my customers and they need me.” She said it’s her mission to change the “customer’s” perspective of her department. “A lot of people feel like HR is not helpful and I hate that stigma.” Administrative Assistant Lois Bell, who works with all of the administrative departments, said Abed-El-Latif has already changed the stigma of the department in the seven months she’s been there. “She keeps our employees happy,” said Bell of Abed-El-Latif. “She keeps the morale up. I notice a change when the employees walk through the door. They don’t dread seeing her.” Bell has worked for the city since 2010. She answers the phones, processes payments for accounting, works on FOIA requests and helps Abed-El-Latif with paperwork. Bell said she loves her job because “every day is different. Every day is a different challenge. I like seeing our employees and helping plan events.” Abed-El-Latif’s favorite thing about her job is “being able to help someone.” “I love learning about people,” she said. “I love when someone comes in and asks for help. Getting them what they need makes me feel good. “Also helping managers and department heads — when I can hire three quality police officers that I know the police department really needs, for example, that makes me happy. Departments need tools and resources to do their jobs, and for them that is people.” Abed-El-Latif said she strives for the department to be a place for every employee to turn to, “like Lucy’s psychiatric stand [in Peanuts],” she said with a laugh. Her largest goal in the position is to update the city’s employee handbook. “I want to pull apart each policy in the handbook and revise them. The last time that was done was in 2004. It’s beneficial for both the employees and the city.” Updating the employee evaluations is also on her “to do” list so they are more consistent. Her least favorite part of the job is firing people, she said. “You just have to stay objective, leave emotions out of things. I’m here to keep the business running.” Without the Human Relations department, Abed-El-Latif said the employees would suffer, and the city as a whole wouldn’t be able to grow. “The department handles everything related to employees, like paychecks and benefits. If there was no one here to get the information from, where are [the employees] going to get it? “HR holds everything together. A piece of every department has to do with HR. I don’t think the city could function without this department.” Comments Notice about comments: South Strand News is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. 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Posted on: Wed, 01 Oct 2014 12:44:33 +0000