The City of Isle of Palms is under new human resources management and that title now belongs to Janice Ladd. Sheexudes a personality and aura that is refreshing and silences the negative stereotypes often associated with HR managers.
Confident and competent, while also friendly and bubbly, Ladd beamed as she explained her newly hired role. “I love the staff! I’m the one who gets to meet them all! I get to know all about each and every one of them and provide services to them.”
After working for a New England municipality for 16 years, 10 of which were in HR, Ladd transferred to South Carolina in 2020. She worked remotely for a year before accepting the HR position on Isle of Palms.
“The job transfers are the same and the departments are all the same. The municipal m
indset is the same no matter the town and fitting in with the staff here was an easy transition,” Ladd explained.
Ladd’s role as an HR manager for the city includes all the customary functions, from recruiting and payroll, to benefits, employee training, risk management, and workers’ compensation. At her previous place of employment, Ladd implemented a safety committee to educate on better wellness for a safer working environment, a program she is trying to duplicate for the city. Currently, she is a chairperson on IOP’s Safety Committee, serving with a representative from every department.
The biggest challenges Ladd currently faces include recruiting and retention of city employees. “We have public safety openings and I am working to streamline the process of obtaining employment.”
”
“As a former island visitor who came to the island for every vacation possible, Ladd was thrilled with the opportunity to move down south full-time. “The language and the pace are much different on the island than they are in New England.
‘Honey,’ ‘Miss Janice,’ ‘ma’am,’ ‘dear,’ and other pleasantries that seem commonplace here caught me a little off guard at first. The slower pace is a big difference too, but a welcomed difference.”
Ladd and her husband Brent, a former principal and current fifth-grade teacher, have acclimated to and embraced the southern flow. The couple spends a lot of their time walking the beach and enjoying local restaurants. She loves hosting family and friends for Thanksgiving and the mother of two is eagerly anticipating a new dog as part of her family in the near future. When asked what her favorite aspect is about island life, Ladd smiled and answered without hesitation, “the summer vibe, all the time!”
To learn more about jobs available with the city or to apply for openings, visit iop.net.
By Laura Fogarty
Leave a Reply