OPA Considering Human Resources Director Post

OCEAN PINES – Members of the board of directors agreed last week the Ocean Pines Association was in immediate need of human resources support.

Following the departure of several key staff members in recent months, the Ocean Pines Association (OPA) board of directors confirmed during a meeting Friday that the lack of a human resources (HR) director was a cause for concern.

“It became evident that the association is clearly in need of having some kind of dedicated HR support that will be a benefit not only to the association’s management but also to the staff itself,”  director Slobodan Trendic said.

Trendic initiated the discussion at Friday’s regular meeting of the board. He said that during a closed session June 19, directors had agreed the association needed some kind of human resources support. He said he wanted to acknowledge the issue in open session so the public was aware the board was in the process of addressing it.

“I felt it would be good for the board to take the time to discuss this to find out if we’re ok with where things are or find out if the acting general manager has a need for board to take a specific action,” Trendic said.

Brett Hill, OPA’s acting general manager, said he’d already been in contact with Lerch Early Brewer, the association’s law firm, and that representatives would be meeting with employees in the coming weeks.

“They’ve arranged to be on site within the next two weeks to begin training on the employee handbook,” he said.

Director Doug Parks said he was concerned about timing, as employees needed someone to consult regarding human resources now.

“I don’t want this process to take three months,” he said. “I want it to take a week or less if possible. It’s important we cannot sit on this.”

He asked whether the law firm had consulted with the individual who had been suggested to handle the association’s human resources needs part-time. Hill said the firm hadn’t been in contact with the individual yet but said the employee handbook training would take place either way.

Tom Herrick, president of the board, said that before the association hired anyone, the board needed to establish what that individual’s role would be.

“I think as a board we have to determine exactly what we want,” he said.

Director Dave Stevens agreed but stressed that it was important for the association to hire someone. He said the OPA needed a local presence devoted to human resources as well as the law firm.

“It’s a matter of accessibility,” he said. “There are different aspects to this.”

About The Author: Charlene Sharpe

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Charlene Sharpe has been with The Dispatch since 2014. A graduate of Stephen Decatur High School and the University of Richmond, she spent seven years with the Delmarva Media Group before joining the team at The Dispatch.