HR director helps parishes and schools

By Anne Marie Amacher
The Catholic Messenger

DAVNEPORT — Piles of job descriptions, handbooks and other paperwork are stacked on Maxine McEnany’s office desk and table. As the Diocese of Davenport’s first full-time human resources and risk management coordinator since 1999, she has been busy since her arrival in April. Her position is funded in part by the Annual Diocesan Appeal.

McEnany helps the diocese, parishes and Catholic schools with questions about salaries/pay, handbooks, health insurance, I-9 forms, employment agreements, contract vs payroll questions and more.

One job she just finished is putting together 58 job descriptions for the diocese and The Catholic Messenger. They have been passed along for review and then to the various departments for additional review. That’s just one of many projects she has been working on. Another recently finished project is creating volunteer and employee packets for newcomers at the diocese. This includes a checklist of things that need to be done prior to and immediately after the arrival of a new volunteer or employee. McEnany said the HR position has been part-time for so many years that parishes and schools have plenty of work to keep her busy.

Next up is preparation of handbooks for the various diocesan entities. McEnany is reviewing the template the diocese sends to its entities and looking over handbooks from other businesses. One of the challenges is keeping handbooks updated with laws impacting the workplace. Policies pertaining to vacations, bereavement and attire may not change often, but keeping up with new laws is ongoing.

Shared employment is occurring more often between entities, so McEnany has prepared several agreements related to that reality. Each agreement is specific to the two entities because positions can be so different between the two.

Another part of her job is risk management. McEnany has been reviewing insurance policies and claims. She encourages parishes and schools to look at their physical sites for tripping hazards or anything else that might produce a claim. Recently, the edges of outdoor steps on the backside of diocesan headquarters received a yellow paint stripe to enhance visibility for employees. Shadows sometimes hindered visibility.

“We don’t want people to get injured — anywhere,” she said.

Off site, 11 diocesan entities in Scott County sustained wind and hail damage from a storm last October, so McEnany and CFO Nikki Gartner have been working with the insurance company to get the damage fixed.

Prior to her new position, McEnany served as a chief financial officer in public school districts. At one school, human resources was a part of her job and at another school she handled human resources part-time. “I know a lot of the rules and laws. I did payroll and time clocks. And

I’ve dealt with health insurance, so this is all familiar to me.”

In the future, McEnany hopes to offer webinars based on what parishes and schools want to learn more about. “But right now I’ve got plenty to keep me busy.”