Head of Personnel

One of many Jobs
Head of Personnel
Second in Command
Alt-Titles
Deputy Director, Crew Resources Officer
Department
Service
Access
Write your own access
Duties
Administration, IDs, managing personnel
Supervisors
Colony Director
Difficulty
Hard

The Head of Personnel is in charge of assigning and reassigning crew members correctly and making sure station departments are well-staffed and running optimally (and stay that way). They are on the same level as all of the other heads of staff and do not outrank any of them; however, you are the only one besides the Colony Director who has access to the Identification Card Modifier.

Your Own Department

As a Head of Staff you have your own department to watch out for. You're charge of coordinating the civilian personnel and supply staff on the station. This also includes the Quartermaster and Cargo Technicians. Usually, you can let the station's various Bartenders and Librarians run around and take care of themselves. They are technically under your direct command, but their jobs are usually simple and not particularly vital to the running of the station.

Radio keys

• :c - Command channel
• :u or :h - Supply channel (Cargo)
• :v - Service channel
• :s - Security channel - disabled by default

Human Resources

You are the Head of Personnel. You get access to just about everything, including basic access to every department on the station. While you can also give yourself full access, this is a major breach of your powers and job. Your main responsibility is to manage the crew and make sure each department is fully staffed and working efficiently. Depending on how many crew members there are, that may mean some people pulling double shifts or having to do jobs they're not so good at doing.

A Full Department Is a Happy Department

When a department is lacking in crew members, you are expected to take the initiative to hire more crew members for that department. Offering pay raises, reimbursements, or recommending people into certain departments are all good ways of convincing people to transfer to a department that needs more staff members. Denying (or "strongly discouraging") crew members a transfer into a fully-staffed department is a good way of getting staff in the places you need them as well.

A Happy Department Is a Productive Department

Now that a certain department is staffed, it also falls under your and Internal Affairs' jurisdiction to make sure that each of the departments are running smoothly. Check up with all of the other department heads frequently to make sure that there aren't any inter-department problems or any major problems between crew members.

The Reassignment: A Way of Life

Your other job is reassigning people when they come to your desk with one or more access requests. Make sure that he or she has a good, justified reason to want a job change. A Chef who suddenly wants to become a Security is a good example of someone who should be heavily scrutinized.

Feel free to deny someone's transfer request if you get a poor explanation as to how someone suddenly came into possession of his or her sudden inter-department knowledge (My uncle was in a war/I read it in a book/I just know, are all pretty bad reasons). Alternatively, set them up with a subservient, or assistant position, until they've proven that they can do the job correctly (custom assignment titles are useful for this!).

You're Hired, Welcome Aboard

If someone's job transfer request isn't completely ridiculous, then it's time for you to do some background checks. Make sure the crew member knows what they're (going to be) doing inside of his or her new department. Once you've determined someone is a potential candidate for a job transfer, it's a good idea to grab one of several versions of job transfer form. Pick out one that you like and give the form to the guy waiting for his job change; ask him to fill it out. Keeping a record of all of the access changes you give out is key to keeping everyone else informed about what you're doing and keeping you out of the brig.

Here comes the hard part. Now that you have a filled out form, you should get it signed and stamped by an appropriate head of staff. Usually, this involves getting the department head's attention in one way or another, be it talking to them over the radio or sending your man to the department itself. Again, keeping a record of a department head's consent on file is usually one of the best ways to prove that your access change wasn't completely illegal. The shorthand version of this process would be to inform the head of staff in question about the transfer over the Command radio channel and get quick consent from there.

Finally, when everything is signed, stamped, and filled out, you can sign the form yourself. Ask the man for his Identification Card so that you can officially give them the requested job title and access. Unless someone would like a specific job title, make sure to use the generic job titles near the top of the screen so that Security can identify that person much more easily with their fancy SecHUDs.

You're Fired

As well as handing out job transfers, it's also well within your authority to demote people and take those jobs away.

If someone falls asleep on the job or messes something up, you are well within your rights to demote them to a lower position after consulting the appropriate head of staff. Demoting a head of staff, however, is something that should not be done without the Colony Director's written consent.

Occasionally, a head of staff will request that a crew member be demoted for varying reasons. All heads of staff are within the right to demote members of their own department so long as they fill out the necessary Access Change Order for that crew member. A head of staff cannot remove a crew member from the station entirely and only has power to demote the crew members in his or her own department.

Rarely will a crew member be removed from his or her position as a NanoTrasen employee entirely. Only the Colony Director has the power to authorize such a procedure and it is seldom practiced. However, it has happened on numerous occasions. When a crew member is removed from the station, he or she is essentially "fired": that person is given no job, pay, or privileges and is removed from the station on the next Crew Transfer Shuttle pending further review by NanoTrasen at Central Command.

In Case of Emergency, Break Glass

Sometimes people need access to certain departments in an emergency, and the AI isn't up to the task of opening doors for people. Feel free to hand out emergency access to people such as Security Officers if the situation calls for it. Once the crisis has been averted, however, make sure to call them all back so you can revert them to their standard access. A number of people really do not like it when crew members go walking into their department for no real reason just because they have access to it. Handing out unapproved and unjustifiable access is one of the fastest ways to get you demoted.

The Five Points of Human Resources Management

The Head of Personnel can be a rather varied job. He can savor the prestige or feel shackled to the ID computer. If you find yourself wearing teal, make the most of it by doing your job correctly.

1. Support the Colony Director. Be sure to work as a team to lead the crew. Earn this trust by making frequent use of command chat (:c) and deferring to him on matters of great importance, like assigning new heads or calling the shuttle. You do not outrank the other heads, but you have the unique position of being able to assign people. You are the one who will take over should the Colony Director need to step down, so it'd be a good idea to look like a good leader in front of him.
2. Uphold the Rights of Crewmen. Security often commits excesses and the Colony Director is either dead or personally involved in a case. Rarely, you will be forced to do the impromptu job of a pseudo-Administrator and make difficult decisions about the fate of a crewman should the Colony Director be missing, dead, or personally involved. In these situations, remember to consider every side of the story before making a decision and try to follow Corporate Regulations while still giving out a fair sentence. Almost always, a weak Colony Director and Head of Personnel will result in bad Security.
3. Follow the Principle of Least Privilege. When assigning new access levels or creating new jobs, ask yourself just how much access is really needed to perform the task. If a hardworking engineer wants EVA access, consider if he really needs access, or just for you to open the door for him while he gets a suit. If the Counselor is being proactive about finding bodies but often needs people to open doors, maybe the risk of giving him more access is less than gain from increasing his effectiveness. Decisions like these keep the station more secure and cuts down on the number of accidental arrests made by Security for assumed trespassing. Remember to write their increased access or privileged items on a sheet of paper and give it a good stamping so the Janitor will be able to show why he's mopping the Medbay floors.
4. Talk to the Crew. The Colony Director is often too busy dealing with who knows what. The Head of Security is usually trying to keep his department in check. The Research Director is on fire, the Chief Medical Officer is up to his elbows injured people, and the Chief Engineer is trying to keep everyone warm and breathing in a vacuum. You're really the only Head able to take time and listen to the crew. Invite crewmen to talk to you when there are conflicts. Defuse the interpersonal and interdepartmental problems you discover during these conversations, and prevent grievances from becoming grief. Advocate on behalf of the beaten to security, and generally reduce the frequency and intensity of mutinies.
5. Manage your Department First. While technically you can demote everyone who's ID you seize to Assistant, managing civilian workers not under another head is your immediate responsibility. Keeping janitors on task, directing the Chef to throw a pizza party, and getting the records up to date are the first thing to do after assigning job and access changes. Demoting bad Security Officers or stepping in for an absent department head also falls on your desk, but going into other departments to micromanage in front of their head is both bad form and likely to make you reviled. Always clear a demotion with their department head, or ideally, have all the heads aware they can send troublesome employees your way to be sent to the mining base. This lets you focus on your immediate underlings and avoid stepping on toes.

Acting Colony Director and You

The round begins and you check your crew manifest, but there's no Colony Director!? Great, that means you're the Acting Colony Director! You're not required to do this unless there's an emergency, but if you do, whip yourself up an ID and head to the Colony Director's Office. It's advised to secure his weapons and ID, and you should probably take his radio as well. Until a Colony Director arrives, you're vested with almost all of a Colony Director's powers.

If you arrive on station and there is already an Acting Colony Director in place, do not try and usurp them. You'll be first in line if this Acting Colony Director pops off, but until then you remain as the Head of Personnel. Doing otherwise will get you thrown in the brig.

For more information see the Chain of Command.

Ian

Ian, who starts in your office, is a dog that keeps you company. You can pet him or just pull him around for fun. Please try to be sensible about him.

It is traditional to rescue Ian if the V.O.R.E. has to be evacuated.

Hurting Ian will get you lynched.

Links to Other Departments

Your job as head of personnel is to make sure all the necessary roles are filled. Check the crew manifest--is there a researcher who will want materials, but no miner to supply them? A cook, but no gardener? Three surgeons, but no chemist? If there's a gap in the chain of production, everything will slow down, and it's your job to fill those gaps. Whether you transfer someone from one job to another, or just give someone enough access to fill in for an empty role when it's needed, make sure the person you've put in the job is qualified to do it.

Predding

As the head of personnel, you have the ability to get access to your victim friend's workplace. Your office also has privacy shutters. Do remember to keep your meal from screaming too much, you're still liable to get into trouble, or even demoted by the Fun Police.

Roleplaying Tips

• You should have good knowledge of the Chain of Command. Remember that you do not usurp the HoS's place if he is missing as of now
• As an example, you could play as a subservient right hand man to the Colony Director, or a devious power hungry maniac, only serving to further your own career lunch goals. Remember, whatever you choose, try to enjoy it, and try not to ruin the round for other people.
• You may have access to it, but you are not (read NOT) Security. Chasing and arresting criminals should be left to the likes of Security Officers and possibly the Head of Security. Your armor and weapon is for your protection only and does not give you the right to chase after criminals. If you should happen across a crime, pulling your weapon may hinder more than help.
• You can use the Guide to Paperwork if you want to make your own forms, or use the Example Paperwork page.
• If you are feeling bored, you have one of the jobs with most possibilities for a relaxing chat with any crew member, you are the man of the people, try to find out more about the crew.
• Be wary, even though you can substitute missing Heads of the Staff you should not be doing their department's work, instead of giving yourself the access to the place and forcing everyone to do your bidding, act like you know about the job but you are not able to perform the activity, don't steal other people's jobs.
• The Internal Affairs does not fall under your command, but you should work with them in finding corrupt or unfit crew members. Destroy Bad Security Don't try to optimize too much.
• You are an important crew member, try to not distract yourself too much.

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