Aligning Talent Attraction, Retention & Promotion

Ramsey County will ensure that it is recognized as the premier public sector employer of choice within the Twin Cities region.

Why is this a priority

Building off previous versions of the Talent Attraction, Retention and Promotion (TARP) strategic priority, this talent priority is an enterprise-wide, strategic initiative to build an inclusive, valued and thriving workforce. Weaving our core values into the workplace is the first step in positioning Ramsey County as an employer of choice within the communities we serve. Through this initiative, employees and talented job seekers will recognize the county as a place to learn, grow and succeed in their careers.

Racial equity and shared power

The Strategic Leadership Team and the Solutions Team will include the Strategic Team’s Racial and Health Equity Administrator to ensure a racial equity lens in advancing this work, that we are deconstructing and reconstructing internal systems to achieve intergenerational financial prosperity and ensure that community is at the center of decision-making through the Equity Action Circle (EAC) Workforce Committee, Solutions Team and partnership in the Anti-Racism Economic Justice work.

Coworkers working together as team and discussing ideas

Actionable strategies

The program’s newly formed Strategic Leadership Team will ensure goals are met and significant progress is made to meet the county’s talent priority goals. The four major program goals highlighted below will be supported by the Solutions Team, a cross-county leadership team who will ensure that work products are equitable and support our shared mission for increasing diversity, personal growth and organizational leadership throughout the county.

County Culture

Inspire a countywide culture of growth, inclusion and innovation by:

Ensuring staff have the right resources and skillsets to do their jobs well.
Knowing how and when to engage community on job interview panels.
Hiring applicants that align with the county’s culture by using values-based interviewing to understand candidates’ professional values and how they demonstrate them in the workplace.

Strategic HR Partnerships

Foster enterprise-wide input and engagement in the Talent Attraction, Retention and Promotion initiative by:

Striving to transform structures, policies and procedures to reduce disparities and improve outcomes for all.
Partnering with executive leaders and staff through our shared values to champion this initiative and take actions that result in a diverse, equitable and growing workforce.
Building internal capacity and accountability to meet department business needs by offering supervisor and manager core training toolkits.
Phasing in a new competency-based performance management model while exploring supporting tool options.
Streamlining staffing changes and offering benefits that align with employee needs, organizational values and business objectives.

Modernize Personnel Policies and Rules

Align personnel rules with the county's values to meet business and employee needs by:

Building on innovative practices and external benchmarking.
Developing equitable personnel policies and rules that are easy to understand.

Modernize Job Classifications and Compensation Plans

Streamline the classification and compensation systems in ways that reflect county values and makes Ramsey County an employer of choice by:

Creating an inclusive framework to increase mobility, pathways, promotions and retention.
Developing operational policies and practices to keep job classifications and compensation plans current.
Aligning total compensation with the market and organizational values.
Clarifying minimum qualifications, experience and education employment requirements.
Refining the salary structure to reward performance goals that are established and communicated through the performance management process.

Outcomes and measures

The success of this talent priority will be measured by a clear and aligned roadmap led by a professional program manager who will ensure milestones are met. The annual workforce statistics report will measure performance on diversity, turnover and retention. In addition, partnering with executive leaders and staff and building stronger internal capacity to create training supports will help ensure Ramsey County is building an inclusive and equitable workplace.

View workforce statistics report

People, Integrity, Community, Equity, Leadership - Our Values