A Discussion on Strategies to Attract and Retain Employees

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.

By Ian Coyle
August 12, 2024

A man walks into a job interview for a local government position. The interviewer asks, “So, why do you want to work for the government?”

The man replies, “Well, I’m looking for a job with great benefits, excellent job security and where I can kind of coast along without a whole lot of pressure.”

The interviewer smiles and says, “Welcome aboard! When can you start?”

The man looks confused, “Wait, you hired me already? I haven’t even told you my qualifications!”

The interviewer shrugs, “Those are the qualifications.”

Now, I share that in jest as someone who has worked exclusively for local governments for 20+ years. Us insiders know the work of government is meaningful, is important work and is a far cry from the tired stereotypes of yesteryear.

So, let’s talk a little bit about government employment.

The statistics as we hit the midpoint of 2024 are both encouraging and confusing. Per Q1 2024 reports, government jobs have recovered post-pandemic, to pre Covid levels. Essentially, government jobs across the entirety of the public sector (inclusive of federal, state and local) are now higher than January of 2020. Recent reporting on the Federal jobs reports indicates that, in fact, the government workforce is the sector that is propping up the overall national job market. But does it feel that way?

Across-the-board, we also have new wants, preferences and realities among a new generation of the workforce. Household sizes are less, remote work is more of interest and technology is paramount. The pandemic and the advent of AI has also greatly impacted learning, college decisions and automation. Length of service seems to be lessening (but could be anecdotal). Pain points remain for local governments. These include:

24/7 positions
Length of service
Recruitment
Generational differences
Compensation/Pay/Benefit Alignment
Public sector stereotypes
Remote work

Speaking to a specific challenge, let’s discuss remote work. We know the laundry list of points. We are not really set up for it. There are equity issues. We run the risk of splitting the culture of our organization into two, the haves and have nots. There are potential team-building impacts. The technology can be expensive, plus possible cyber-security risks. And what about workers compensation? Can my remote worker make a claim if they fall while going to their own bathroom? While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, there are strategies. You can pilot programs in your local government, sort of a walk-before-you-run approach. Hybrid arrangements are a good first step. Performance checks, monitoring and accountability measures should be continuously implemented. Perhaps, too, there are opportunities for cost savings and/or productivity improvements. Wake County, North Carolina recruits for county workers all over the country to work for Wake County and live in other states.

Let’s review some additional strategies. Here is an sample list of sixteen strategies to employ to address the recruitment and retention issue:

Upskilling
Getting into schools (high schools, etc) early
Lateral transfer programs
Internal training programs
Coaching
Training, team-building and culture work
Tracking and measurement
Internal customer service assessments
Stay interviews
Referral programs
Technology improvements
Utilizing AI effectively
Providing family supports
Privatization / Public-Private partnerships
Shared services
Communications improvements

Let’s drill down on a few of these strategies.

Upskilling

As defined by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, upskilling happens when employees learn new information and skills to help them do their current job better and reskilling is when employees learn new abilities to take on a different job role or function. Reskilling, upskilling and the provision of additional training for career advancement are all top of mind for employees. Sometimes—not always, but often—your best prospects for an open position are some of your existing employees who may just need some additional training, education, experience, credentials or other skill growth opportunities to both qualify and then fully excel in a different position in your local government.

Coaching

I’m not talking about the beloved “General” Bobby Knight, famed Coach of the Indiana Hoosiers throwing chairs on the floor at referees, but executive and leadership coaching, and formal mentorship programs. These can take the form of outside, engaged consultants that act as 1:1 coaches for department heads, executives or managers. There are also internal programs where a staff person is effectively buddied-up with a seasoned leader. All of the best performers (golfers, quarterbacks, actors, local government managers, etc) have coaches that they regularly consult with and gain knowledge and feedback from as they grow further in their careers. Mentorship programs can take a similar form, but are slightly different, and no less important to retention efforts.

Communications/Messaging

A lost opportunity in my opinion, for many a local government nationwide. If I Google your jurisdiction and go on your website, what am I going to find? Are you regularly issuing press releases? Are you utilizing social media effectively? Is your board/council making resolutions to express gratitude to employees? Are you participating in Public Service Recognition week or events that associations put together to highlight government services? Who is telling your story? I believe local governments must be proactive in this regard. This is a personnel attraction tool as well—prospective applicants see the work you’re doing, the positive highlights, the exposition of meaningful work, the benefits to the community, etc.

Recruitment

For most position recruitment in local governments, the days of “posting and praying” are over. It’s an extremely competitive marketplace for talent. Job descriptions need to be updated for current language. Postings need to go to the right spots where people are looking, and also direct contacts needs to be made to those that are not looking. High schools, community colleges and cooperative educational services programs need to be “mined” for talent for laborer, trade, law enforcement and countless other positions. In certain cases, an executive search firm makes sense due to the niche, targeted efforts necessary to develop a good pool of potential candidates and the full-service, professional handling of a search process, start to finish.

So, then, how do municipalities compete effectively in this tight and competitive labor market? There are myriad options to pursue, but if I was limited to just a handful and I could only do these 6 things (say, on a hand with six fingers) I would:

Review compensation, benefits (soup to nuts): Do a salary survey study, assess benefit packages and compare to regional/peer comps, review annual increases, assess voluntary benefit options, etc.
Recruitments & plans for talent attraction: How are you messaging and marketing? Appraise efforts here and look for incremental improvements. If it’s not working now, it probably won’t tomorrow— make the necessary fixes.
Address the pre-applicant experience: How easy is it to even apply? What does that look like? Is the application easy to find and fill out? Are staff responding to applicants? if so, how? Is your HR website easy to navigate? Is it mobile-friendly? Are you doing open-houses for exposure to the work of the city/village?
Focus on Training/Professional Development: This is a big deal, especially for the next generation of public sector workers. They want to know that investments are being made in their future with the organization. Your county/state/local government association is a tremendous resource.
Break down stereotypes: The culture issue is one that local governments battle with constantly. The red-tape, the bureaucracy, the “we don’t have that much fun.” Do your part as leaders in your locality to move the needle on this and change the narrative.
Remote work expansion: In select circumstances, this can be an effective recruitment tool. Countless studies note the simple inclusion of “hybrid available” to a job posting can lead to a significant increase in the number of applicants.

Now, let’s go back to the pain points. I will bring those pain points forward I have not addressed specifically otherwise above, one by one and—although I am not that kind of doctor—I will provide a prescription for addressing the pain:

24/7 positions
- Institute referral incentive programs
- Develop a formal mentor program
- Encourage lateral transfers
- Create and support speciality units
- Consider schedule/rotation changes
Length of service
- Embrace new realities—perhaps this is the norm now?
- Conduct formal stay interviews
- Promote upskilling
- Find a way to incentivize tenure
- Emphasize training/professional development
- Offer some off-site training
- Improve the onboarding experience
Recruitment
- Participate in Job Fairs—hold an organized-specific one
- Utilize a search firm when/where appropriate
- Use geo-fencing in marketing/awareness campaigns
Generational differences
- Consider child care (options, on-site, promotion, etc)
- Embrace remote work/technology
- Develop formal employee recognition programs
- Create alternative health insurance programs
Compensation/Pay/Benefit Alignment
- Complete formal compensation/classification studies
- Do not be afraid to right-size pay where/when appropriate
- Consider changing work-weeks
- Align benefits to the evolving needs of the workforce
Changing Public sector stereotypes
- Eliminate paper applications
- Promote positive press
- Establish a social media presence
- Address slow/archaic processes
- Embrace AI
- Fund and sustain training budgets
- Cut red tape
- Engage with residents

In closing, some reminders. The first is to remember to be incremental. The situation we are in with respect to recruitment and retention did not arrive overnight and it does not align with “quick-fix” repair work. Take the long-game approach. That being said, you need to be surgical, purposeful and intentional. What can work in your community to make a small, albeit appreciable, change in the right direction on this issue now? Get the decision-makers on board, analyze the issue, offer suggestions and take action. I have offered dozens of strategies, prescriptions and suggestions—some which take minutes and some which years—for your consideration to employ to address these challenges.

I end with a famous quote on public service from President Theodore Roosevelt that rings ever true today. Remember this when the days are hard. And remember this when you are contemplating how to frame the value proposition of working for your community, to prospective applicants:

“Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”

Author: Dr. Ian M. Coyle, ICMA-CM is the County Administrator in Livingston County, NY. He has worked in government for 20 years and has taught MPAcourses for a variety of universities. Through his consultancy, PracademicPartners, Ian also provides assistance to other organizations in four key areas: executive search; management consulting; executive/leadership coaching; and teaching, training & professional development experiences. Email: [email protected]

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