Human Resources Department: If you ask MTS employees what they like most about working at MTS, the vast majority will say, “the people I work with.” That is not by accident.

Meet the Human Resources team! From L to R: Jessica DeVault, Kate Van Erck, Linda Honz (behind Kate), Ticey Siddell, Kelly Porciello, Bree Wilcox, Health and Wellness Team: From L to R: Meghan McLaughlin, Jessica DeVault, Bree Wilcox,Linda Honz and Julie Hawkins Meghan McLaughlin, Lynda Marquis, Art Langit, Brendan Shannon, Alison McIlmoil, Jeff Stumbo, Mayra Ramirez, Hillary Gomez and Julie Hawkins

Working with nearly 1,600 MTS employees day-in and day-out, the MTS Human Resources Department (HR) team has a lot on its plate. To fulfill this responsibility, HR has specialists in a number of areas, including labor (union) and employee relations, benefits, compensation, recruitment (talent acquisition), medical leave/disability, training and legal compliance.

Employee recruitment is one the department’s highest priorities.

The Hiring Process:

“We really try to focus on personality during the hiring process,” said MTS Human Resources Director Jeff Stumbo. “Our goal is to hire qualified people who will not only be good at their jobs, but who are also someone with whom you want to work.”

HR hired 232 employees in 2016. Each job opening can get dozens or even hundreds of applicants, so it’s a tall task to filter through candidates to find the best fit.

To handle the workload, HR has three talent acquisition specialists and an HR supervisor to help MTS departments find the right people for the job. MTS Human Resources Supervisor Kelly Porciello, who oversees many of the hires at MTS, said “we look at the total package of the candidate. Attitude and motivation are near the top of our list. Hiring managers know what the department’s culture is like. Most candidates being interviewed have the skills to do the job, so we encourage managers to find the candidate who has the best combination of the necessary skills and the drive to uphold the Agency’s core values. You can’t train someone to have a good attitude.”

Every employee at MTS went through one or more interviews to get hired. It can be a painstaking process in a stressful, artificial setting. Often times great candidates interview poorly, so HR emphasizes trying to make candidates feel comfortable enough for the hiring team to gain quality insight about how they would perform if selected for the position.

Benefits & Compensation:

Along with the agency’s culture, MTS’s excellent benefits package is HR’s main tool in attracting and retaining qualified employees. Once candidates are hired, HR helps employees understand the value of and fully use their benefits to support them being productive workers for the agency. Julie Hawkins and Linda Honz, MTS Benefits & Compensation Analysts, are the go-to resources for employees to get information about what they get in return for working, such as retirement plans, medical and dental, and more. “We work hard to provide great service to employees,” said Honz. “We take pride in the fact that we are just a phone call or a visit away. It’s important for us to meet the needs of employees.”

After benefits and compensation are addressed, training and health and wellness are critical components for longterm success of any employee. “We focus on fostering a workplace where employees feel empowered and supported in their career goals,” added Stumbo. “When employees feel appreciated and healthy, there tends to be higher productivity and improved morale."

Training:

Many of the positions at MTS are highly specialized, and need unique training and skills. Often times the training is not widely available outside the agency. So MTS has developed a robust training program for bus, rail and management employees, and it doesn’t just happen with new employees. For example, HR’s Manager of Organizational Development, Art Langit, offers multiple leadership, selfdevelopment and other management courses to prepare employees for the next level.

Health and Wellness:

Medical conditions such as heart disease, respiratory disease and diabetes, which can be prevented by leading a healthy lifestyle, are key contributors in the rising cost of healthcare. In response, HR has added a robust Health & Wellness program that incentivizes healthy behaviors, which is helping MTS maintain its high benefit levels and control overall costs. It’s a relatively new program and popularity is growing fast. Participation in the program increased 34% in 2016. “Many employees credit this program with helping them lose weight, stop smoking and generally living a healthier lifestyle,” said Brendan Shannon, Manager of Human Resources. While employees have gotten lighter, their wallets have gotten fatter. In 2015, HR reimbursed more than $29,580 for things like gym memberships, running events, annual physicals and Weight Watchers. What’s more? In 2016, employee rewards increased by 35% to $40,030!

“Employees who are not taking advantage of this program are missing out on up to $1,020 per year,” added Shannon. Employees can visit the MTS Intranet Wellness page for more details. “Employees who are not taking advantage of this program are missing out on up to $1,020 per year” - Brendan Shannon Manager of Human Resources

Looking to the Future:

Soon even more employees will be able to rake in the incentives. An upcoming initiative HR is working on is staffing-up for the Mid-Coast Trolley extension. Many of the positions will be specialized – such as the need for more electro-mechanics and operators – and require months or even years of training. “We will have to staff-up across the ranks,” added Stumbo. “We are already working on the timeline to get employees ready for these jobs.”

Preparing for the future is always top-of-mind for the HR Department. MTS is always on the lookout for good employees that want to excel and move up the ranks. It’s all a part of succession planning and preparing people for key positions that open up due to retirement or moving on. Often times the best way to do that is by growing internally. Thanks to HR’s ambitious hiring philosophy and emphasis on promoting from within, MTS is primed for a long and successful future.

By the Numbers in 2016

• MTS employees working in HR 3 232 – Employees MTS hired
• 10 yrs – Average length of service agency-wide
• 233 – MTS employees have worked for the agency for more than 20 years
• 1,161 – MTS employees represented by a union (73%)
• 2,329 – Job applications reviewed
• 500+ – Interviews conducted