Welcome to the HR2020 website. During the course of my first year as associate vice president for Human Resources, I had the opportunity to speak with staff, faculty, and leadership on every campus to better understand their needs. Throughout this “Listening Tour,” I learned that these needs vary greatly, and HR services are delivered through different service points ranging from the department and campus HR offices to the university HR team. I heard many positive examples about HR support during the tour, and I also learned of opportunities and areas for us to improve.
During his State of the University address in October 2014, President McRobbie challenged HR to prepare the university for its bicentennial in 2020. His comments called on HR to review current programs and services for effectiveness and to make recommendations on the need for additional programs and change within our organization. We are excited about this opportunity and ready for the challenge.
On Monday, October 12, 2015, I met with the entire HR community virtually across all IU campuses to announce our HR2020 strategic initiative. HR2020 includes the action plan that the HR community will take to meet the president’s challenge to prepare the university for its bicentennial. The initiative involves three strategic priorities:
- Building a Collaborative HR Community
- Improving Customer Service and Process Efficiency
- Increasing Employee Engagement
As we look at the HR operation for opportunities to grow and improve support to IU, it is critically important for us to understand how HR programs and services are delivered and how well they are meeting the needs of our customers.
The HR organization partnered with KPMG/Towers Watson, an external consulting firm, to administer two surveys: an HR Activities Survey for those delivering HR-related activities to customers and an HR Customer Survey for recipients of HR services. The entire HR community took both surveys and a representative sample of customers from across all seven campuses participated in the HR Customer Survey. In addition, HR and customers participated in focus groups to gain qualitative feedback.
This examination of the current delivery of all HR programs and services includes department, campus, and university HR offices, as well as HR-related support being provided by functional departments and academic affairs. The survey results helped to define a five-year HR strategy for IU HR.
This is an exciting time at IU as we explore the tremendous opportunities for growth and prepare for our bicentennial. I am committed to engage the members of the HR community and our customers on this HR2020 journey and openly communicating our progress along the way. Please bookmark hr2020.iu.edu and check back for periodic updates. I look forward to partnering with all of you to define and create an HR delivery model that exceeds customer expectations and reinforces the role of the HR team as valued and sought after partners.
Warm Regards,
John Whelan
Vice President
Indiana University Human Resources