An interview with the Cleveland Indians’ David Mraz
David has been with the Cleveland Indians for about three-and-a-half years (or 4 seasons)! After receiving a master’s degree in Human Resources & Labor Relations from Cleveland State University, he applied for an internship with the Indians – and thought, “What the heck? I’ll try!” About 8 months into the intern program, what was supposed to be a 10 month program turned into an offer for a full-time position, in the role of HR Generalist.
Starting out as a true Generalist, assisting in all areas of HR, David’s position has morphed into focusing on compensation management & legal compliance. Two years ago, the Indians decided to do compensation in-house & redesign their salary structure. So for 8 months, David spent 1 day each week at the ERC Library, doing research to price out all the Indians’ jobs, to help construct pay grades. He completed the project about a year ago, and from there, David has focused on compensation management and legal compliance. As instances arise, David does research and offers advice about legal questions the Indians may have.
What’s it like to work for the Indians?
“Working for the Cleveland Indians is very exciting – it’s a unique experience. Only 30 organizations in the country do what we do!”
Specifically in HR, David says they are much like other organizations in general operations – including the same challenges & successes. Operations of the HR department vary day-to-day. David explains that he and his colleagues don’t have strict schedules or duties to perform day-in and day-out; rather, the season typically dictates the projects.
In his role, David focuses on compensation management and legal compliance. If an issue arises with a specific employee, or if there’s questions about some change in legislation, David will help resolve those issues and questions. One day, he might be researching a new law; another day, he might be researching a new position.
Logistics behind the Field
“Our Human Resources department is very dynamic. We don’t have set schedules, per say; we have duties that we all perform, but really we work as a team to be proactive as often as possible, and are ready to react quickly when an employee need arises in the environment we work in.”
David elaborates that when working for a baseball team, the calendar year is quite different. Where many companies may slow down and take summer hours, the Indians are gearing up to deal with in-season work during the summer months. This includes seasonal staff, so there are plenty of logistics to plan during the on-season. In the off-season, David comments that the HR department focuses primarily on business planning, preparing for the next year & making sure goals are set.
Creating ‘Home Runs’ for the Indians’ Staff
Currently, one of the major initiatives the Indians’ HR team is working on is their employee development program. David emphasizes how important this area is for HR in all industries, and as a hot topic, their department is in the process of fine-tuning the overall employee development strategies. The Indians know how critical employee development is for retaining & engaging their employees, and attracting new talent.
Right now, the Indians have professional development plans, where each employee has goals specific to their particular career path. David explains that the HR department is working to enhance that ‘PDP’ process. Their goal in refining and enhancing this process is to engage as much of the staff in the PDP as possible. David and his co-workers want the PDP process to be as easy to use as it can be, so that the Indians can reach, engage, and challenge their staff to achieve their career goals.
Setbacks & Challenges of the Game
David does not believe that the Indians’ challenges are all that different from any other organization. He, like many HR professionals, knows that one of their major challenges is getting employees engaged in the HR activities.
“We have a wonderful wellness program that includes wellness events at least once a month. Along with that, diversity is a big priority here at the Indians. I was recently named chair of the Diversity Council, and we are very strong in diversity education. We hold at least two diversity events per month… so getting employees to participate and engage in these events, and to see the value in these programs we offer, is definitely a challenge – but also an important priority for us.”
Retaining & Engaging the Indians
“Engagement is one of the trickiest aspects of Human Recourses. Engagement is very subjective, it’s very individual, and what’s engaging to one person is not necessarily engaging to another.”
This being said, David comments that it’s difficult to develop broad engagement programs, because you are rarely reaching 100% of the staff. With this in mind, the Indians’ HR department decided to focus their engagement efforts on an individual basis. Particularly, David & colleagues utilize their employee development tools, and work one-on-one with each staff member to make sure they have the skills needed to perform and succeed in their role.
“However, I will say that engagement is a bit different at the Indians, because of our team. Many of our staff members have a very fervent passion for our baseball team, and how the baseball team performs. They literally bleed the Indians! These folks already have a great level of engagement with the team and with our organization. That’s a big plus and helps us a great deal in our engagement efforts.”
Trends in the HR Field
David believes that Human Resources has really evolved very quickly and is an ever-changing field. With the current change in the workforce – the baby boomers retiring, and more millennials entering the workforce – David thinks we’re really going to see a big change in how people do their job, when & where they do their job.
“I think there’s going to be a huge need for companies to increase flexibility, and to find ways to conduct business in a less traditional way… moving away from the ‘nine-to-five’ schedule.”
The technology that is available, and the technology that millennials have grown up with, gives us the ability to do work anywhere at any time. And so in a Human Resources department, David underlines the importance of forward-thinking and coming up with alternatives to today’s work-life balance challenges.
Another trend David and his co-workers are seeing in the Human Resources field is moving away from the idea of administration.
“I think particularly in our organization, we struggle with the perception that we are in an administrative department – that we’re paper-pushers. But really our department drives a good deal of the strategy in our organization – and we’re true advocates for the Indians’ staff.”
Making the Right Plays
David encourages fellow HR professionals to be flexible. HR has changed immensely in the past 10 years, and he believes it will continue to evolve in the next 10-20 years. As HR professionals, David states that we really need to be proactive in meeting the needs of a new & changing workforce. This includes being flexible in our views of how work is done. He warns that if we stay rooted in the past, our ability to retain & attract talent is really going to suffer.
“Flexibility and being able to adapt quickly to changing circumstances will aid today’s and tomorrow’s HR professionals immensely.”
The second piece of advice David offers his fellow peers in the HR community – and those who are thinking of moving into HR – is to look at your skill set and your ‘people skills’.
“I think it’s absolutely critical that HR professionals have an invested interest in their staff and truly care about the wellbeing of their people. I think there is a fine balance between being an advocate for your employees as well as looking out for the best legal and financial health of your company. Walking that fine line and being mindful of both interests is an important part of becoming a well-rounded HR professional.”
