Onboarding
The North Carolina State Personnel System
North Carolina’s state personnel system, or human resources system, is administered by the Office of State Personnel (OSP). The head of OSP’s title is “State Personnel Director.” The State Personnel Director, who reports to the Governor, administers the human resources system for all state supported universities and state agencies.
As the chief executive officer for the state’s human resources system, the State Personnel Director recommends human resources policies and practices to the State Personnel Commission for consideration and approval. The State Personnel Commission forwards approved policies and practices to the Governor for final consideration and approval. Once approved by the Governor, OSP has authority for administering these policies and practices.
As delegated to the DHHS Secretary by OSP, DHHS-HR works in partnership with OSP to ensure the department implements and abides by state and federal laws and State Personnel Commission approved policies and practices.
Other important roles that OSP and DHHS-HR provide include recruitment, employee relations, employee development and training, safety/health compliance and awareness, motivation and retention, and compensation using professional human resources standards and best practices.
The main body of rules that OSP and DHHS-HR apply on a daily basis are found in the State Personnel Act, which is often referred to as “SPA” or “Chapter 126.” These rules serve as the foundation for many state personnel policies and procedures that apply to the vast number of employees in DHHS. State personnel policies can be referenced in the State Personnel Manual.
If you work in a facility HR office, another body of rules that you will regularly use to manage employee policies and procedures is referred to as 115C, or the Teachers Act. These rules govern licensed educators such as teachers, principals, school administrators and other licensed education professionals. Some SPA rules apply to licensed educators, such as merit-based employment and vacation leave accrual. There are approximately 800 licensed educators in DHHS .