Turning the Great Resignation into the Great Opportunity
by Ian Coyle, County Administrator, Livingston County, New York | from NYSAC Fall 2022: Workforce Development
First, we need to talk about these names. We have the Great Resignation. The Great Reset. The Great Re-evaluation. The Great Attraction. The Great Recognition. I laugh because no matter the moniker, it is always seemingly "great" somehow. I like the term re-evaluation. People of all walks of life, in all facets of the economy, and in positions both with and without lots of authority, appraised their individual situations and decided to leave their place of employment or start a business or retire early. The pandemic and post-pandemic realities accelerated this situation.
According to a recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report, there are more government job openings now than at any time in the past 20 years. Nationwide, local governments are down 600,000 filled jobs versus pre-Covid, about 3-4% of all jobs. The unemployment rate is also ~3.5%. It is, as they say, a good time to be a free agent.
So given these facts, what is the impact on New York's county governments? Why is this an issue? Counties are in the service business and are "people-heavy" in that much of the work cannot be automated. Additionally, many of the functions counties perform—corrections, sheriff, EMS response, highway and bridge work, and social work—is work that, for the most part, cannot be done on a remote basis. Therefore, the dynamics of the current labor market upheaval are impacting county governments in ways that are different from other employers. Additionally, we are seeing fewer people interested in certain public sector positions, especially public safety positions. County departments that employ positions with counterpart positions in the private sector, such as nurses, accountants, and engineers, are especially impacted by the changing labor market. Local governments are also experiencing the impacts of prior year budget cuts that have diminished their "bench strength" of next-generation talent to fill openings. Work flexibility, culture, stress, burnout, compensation, and benefits are surely concerns as well.
With these challenges come opportunities. A big opportunity, and in some ways an untapped area for marketing and messaging, is public service motivation. Studies show that people value making a difference. They value work that is meaningful and where one can see the real impact of their service and their labor. This is a major asset for county government recruiting as providing tangible benefits to everyday people is at the core of what counties do!
Another opportunity is culture. Workplace culture and organizational strength are often more important to prospective applicants than the usual salary and benefit considerations. This dovetails with another important trait that many prospective workers seek, a continued focus on mental health. Counties are traditionally strong in this area—often because we run these services as part of county government—and a resolute focus on the mental well-being of employees, coupled with displaying and promoting this as a source of pride for the organization, can be a significant asset in recruiting talent.
Develop and promote employee appreciation programs. These are no-cost, to low-cost programs that are quite meaningful to your employees.
Budget for, and sustain, internship and fellowship programs. These are great feeder programs for the backfilling of important positions.
Our example in Livingston County is the Dominic F. Mazza Local Government Fellowship (paid internship) program for a 2nd year MPA student.
Review compensation and benefits. Seems like a nobrainer, but can subtle and sustainable enhancements be considered to improve the pay of your employees? What about voluntary benefits?
Assess the pre-employment experience. You want to make it as painless as possible for an employee to express interest in a position. Is it easy to find, complete and transmit the application?
Review the on-boarding process. This should be the proverbial welcome mat to employment with the county. Is it indeed welcoming? Is it seamless?
Develop career pathways. Employees respond, in survey after survey, that they like to see progression and advancement opportunities. What promotional routes are available to your employees? Are they fully aware of future possibilities?
Focus on training and professional development. This is another often overlooked facet of employee retention efforts. Develop a soup-to-nuts continuing education program. Take advantage of NYSAC programs plus NACo offerings like the High-Performance Leadership Academy.
Focus on pro-active recruitment efforts. People are not necessarily looking for a job and sometimes must be “found” and introduced to a position. Are you getting the position advertisement to the right prospects? The days of "post and pray" are over.
Review and update job descriptions. “The distinguishing features of the xn--class.-hq3d.etc.is...” not the red-carpet rollout one wants when detailing the specifications of a job. Make these descriptions current, fun and intriguing.
Last but not least – highlight improvements in the quality of life of the community. Candidates and employees, both in and out of your catchment area, want to see vibrancy.
Parks, community development, robust services and so forth.
County governments are the main player in this facet of recruitment and retention. Let’s maximize this opportunity!
Source: NYSAC Fall 2022: Workforce Development, November 7, 2022
