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Local Government’s Great Resignation 14 Turning Your Workplace into a Talent Magnet 18 Retooling Your Compensation Strategy 30
Phillip Smith-Hanes, ICMA-CM County Administrator County of Saline, Salina, Kansas Co-founder, CivicPRIDE
ELEVATING YOUR STAFF
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JUNE 2022 VOL. 104 NO. 6
F E AT U R E S
CONTENTS
14
14
Clocking Out for Good: The Great Resignation’s Impact on Local Government
Employees are quitting in record numbers. How can local governments keep them around? Jessie O’Brien
18
Help Wanted, Part 1: Turning Your Workplace into a Talent Magnet In order to build a 21st century workforce, you need a 21st century approach! Patrick Ibarra
D E PA R T M E N T S
24
2 Ethics Matter!
Right, Wrong, or Just Blurry? Part 2
24
6 Letter from the CEO/Executive Director
Empowering Staff to Assist Residents with Improved Customer Service
The Post-pandemic Local Government Workplace Drives New Approaches to People and Places
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, shares the story of their success in implementing a new tool that benefits both staff and residents. April Wing
30
The “Why” Behind the Paycheck: A Look at Compensation Philosophy Examining the guiding principles of compensation strategy can help create a framework for consistency. Robert Greene, PhD and Peter Ronza
8 Case Study
Promote Your Community and Strengthen Its Security
10 Insights
Forging a Collaborating Partnership with Internal Services
12
12 Assistants and Deputies
Now’s the Time to Pour into Your People
37 2022 ICMA Annual Conference Lookbook 46 People First
Culture, Core Values, and Chalk?
48 Professional Services Directory
18
49 Member Spotlight
Phillip Smith-Hanes, ICMA-CM
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
International City/County Management Association
Share your thoughts on PM magazine by emailing us at pm@icma.org. Submit an article proposal to pm@icma.org or learn more at icma.org/writeforus. JUNE 2022 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 1
ETHICS MATTER!
Right, Wrong, or Just Blurry? Part 2 BY MARTHA PEREGO, ICMA-CM Moretalesfromtheeldwithadvice on achieving ethical outcomes
Building on last month’s column, which
explored ethics situations that local government professionals have encountered, here are some more for your consideration. Weighing Right and Competing Values
MARTHA PEREGO, ICMA-CM, is director of member services and ethics director, ICMA, Washington, D.C. (mperego@icma.org).
The county needed a new data management software. Following a very competitive process, the staff team recommended a firm that met or exceeded the criteria outlined in the RFP. The cost was a bit over budget, but from the staff’s estimation, worth the investment. Sensitive to the county’s financial condition, the vendor offered a discount if the lead staff on the project and perhaps the county manager would participate in a webinar series designed to showcase the county’s experience in implementing the software. Wouldn’t other counties benefit from the experience? The discount was not unsubstantial. To her credit, the manager immediately identified the ethics values associated with the proposed discount. The proposals presented equally important yet competing values: the public benefit of saving money versus the integrity of the procurement process. On the latter, even if the county staff had editorial rights over the webinars, what impact might those videos have on the ever-present objective, in fact and appearance, to conduct a fair and
International City/County Management Association icma.org June 2022
transparent procurement process? Adding to the complexity, the ICMA Code of Ethics advises members not to endorse commercial products or services. The manager was right to proceed with caution here. It’s one thing to talk about using the software as part of an educational session at a professional conference or doing a webinar sponsored by a professional association. Both have a level of editorial review to ensure that the content is balanced. Both approaches give county staff the opportunity to talk about their experience and respond to questions. The element of context matters here. Doing a video that is sponsored by the company is another issue altogether. It’s a one and done. Most likely it will be placed on the company’s website and used in other ways to market their software. It’s a blanket endorsement of the product without regard for context and the potential users’ needs. That creates an ethical issue for any county staff who are members of ICMA and adhere to the first principle of Tenet 12 that public office is a public trust. Endorsements. Members should not endorse
commercial products or services by agreeing to use their photograph, endorsement, or quotation in paid or other commercial advertisements, marketing materials, social media, or other documents, whether the member is compensated or not for
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ICMA Creating and Supporting Thriving Communities ICMA’s vision is to be the leading association of local government professionals dedicated to creating and supporting thriving communitiesthroughouttheworld.Itdoes thisbyworkingwithitsmorethan12,0 members to identify and speed the adoption of leading local government practices and improve the lives of residents. ICMA offers membership, professional development programs, research, publications, data and information, technical assistance, and trainingtothousandsofcity,town,andcounty chiefadministrativeofcers,theirstaffs,an otherorganizationsthroughouttheworld Public Management (PM) aims to inspire innovation, inform decision making, connect leading-edge thinking to everyday challenges, and serve ICMA members and local governments in creating and sustaining thrivingcommunitiesthroughouttheworld.
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the member’s support. Members may, however, provide verbal professional references as part of the due diligence phase of competitive process or in response to a direct inquiry. Members may agree to endorse the following, provided they do not receive any compensation: (1) books or other publications; (2) professional development or educational services provided by nonprofit membership organizations or recognized educational institutions; (3) products and/or services in which the local government has a direct economic interest. Members’ observations, opinions, and analyses of commercial products used or tested by their local governments are appropriate and useful to the profession when included as part of professional articles and reports. It was best to decline the discount offer rather than risk reputational harm for the county and the staff. 2021–2022 ICMA Executive Board PRESIDENT
TroyBrown,ICMA-CM City Manager Moorpark, California PRESIDENT-ELECT
JeffreyTowery,ICMA-CM City Manager McMinnville, Oregon
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Molly Mehner, ICMA-CM Assistant City Manager Cape Girardeau, Missouri Victor Cardenas, ICMA-CM Assistant City Manager Novi, Michigan Corri Spiegel, ICMA-CM City Administrator Davenport, Iowa
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VICE PRESIDENTS
Raymond Gonzales Jr. Executive Vice President, Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce; and President, Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation Denver, Colorado
James Malloy, ICMA-CM Town Manager Lexington, Massachusetts International Region
Robert Kristof Timisoara, Romania Chris MacPherson Former Chief Administrative Officer Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada Rebecca Ryan General Manager Blayney Shire Council, New South Wales, Australia
An assistant city manager was asked to serve on the economic development authority in the city where he lives. The assistant has had success in attracting business to the community where he works thus building a reputation in the region as a subject matter expert. His home and work cities are 35 miles apart. The principal doing the ask thought that the distance between the two locales negated any ethical conflict. The assistant didn’t agree and sought advice from ICMA. The first consideration here is to confirm that the appointment doesn’t violate the Tenet 7 prohibition on holding a publicly elected office while working for a local Before volunteering government. If membership on your professional a board or commission is strictly by appointment, then a member expertise for a board would not be violating Tenet 7 by or commission, best accepting the appointment. to think through the Next to assess is the potential for this appointment to create a potential for conflicts conflict of interest or appearance of interest in fact with your professional work obligations. On that point, or appearance. distance between where you work and live as it relates to personal
William Fraser, ICMA-CM City Manager Montpelier, Vermont Scott W. Colby Jr. Assistant Town Manager Windsor, Connecticut Southeast Region
Michael Kaigler, ICMA-CM Assistant County Manager Chatham County, Georgia Nate Pagan, ICMA-CM City Manager Owensboro, Kentucky ValmarieTurner,ICMA-CM Assistant County Administrator Loudoun County, Virginia West Coast Region
Diane Stoddard, ICMA-CM Assistant City Manager Lawrence, Kansas
PeterTroedsson,ICMA-CM City Manager Albany, Oregon
Kenneth Williams City Manager Buda, Texas
RoxanneMurphy Borough Manager Kodiak Island, Alaska
Northeast Region
Pamela Antil, ICMA-CM City Manager Encinitas, California
TeresaTieman,ICMA-CM Manager in Transition Dover, Delaware
ICMA CEO/Executive Director
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endeavors does help, as does the type of activity. If the impact of your volunteer effort is truly limited to the geographic boundaries of your hometown, that certainly negates a concern about conflicts. Depending on the activity, it may be enough to cure any potential conflict of interest. For example, if you served on the advisory board for affordable housing or the local library board, the impact of the effort is truly localized. Accepting an appointment to the zoning hearing board, where the parties are seeking a decision based on local regulations for local use of a property, may similarly seem like safe territory. The impact of the decision may be local, but will have broader implications if the applicant is a corporation or entity with interests beyond your hometown. What’s the ethical implication of voting on a matter as part of a zoning hearing board in your hometown if the affected party also has official interaction with the city where you work? See how complicated and far reaching this gets? Applying these principles to the invitation to serve on an economic development authority, the assistant city manager is correct to be concerned about the ethical implications of accepting the offer. What’s the potential, especially separated by only 35 miles, that both locations will be vetting the same businesses? Will they be competitors in the same pool of state grants or funds to support businesses? Even if there is staff in the hometown doing the heavy lifting, might there be the appearance that the assistant’s advice benefitted the home city over his place of employment? Imagine the awkward conversation at work if the hometown prevails over the other city in landing a new employer? This scenario puts the assistant in the untenable position of balancing competing interests and loyalties. Before volunteering your professional expertise for a board or commission, best to think through the potential for conflicts of interest in fact or appearance. Talking it over with your employer to ensure that they are aware and onboard is also advised. Talking it over with the manager and staff in the organization making the ask is wise as well. After all, when you take the time and make the commitment to volunteer your expertise, you want to serve the public’s interest in the best way possible. Conclusion
In closing, you are encouraged to reach out to ICMA ethics staff for advice. Once again, it is worth reminding everyone that the advice is confidential. To preserve that confidentiality, some telling details are changed in sharing real-world stories. If you read this and think, “Wow, they are talking about my situation,” please know that for every scenario described here, it’s not the first time someone asked the question. 4 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | JUNE 2022
UPCOMING ICMA EVENTS icma.org/events
2ND ANNUAL ICMA EQUITY SUMMIT • READY OR NOT! MOVING FROM DISCOURSE TO ACTION • July 28-29
Takeyourequityworktonewheights!Bylearningfromcommitted localgovernmentequityleaderswhopushforwardonthese profoundissues,thistwo-dayeventwilltakedeepdivesonever equity,fromallocationstozoningwhereattendeescanexpect inspiration and encouragement to move from discourse to action. Learn more and register at icma.org/Summit22. (Team rates available!)
June 2:Workshop:LeadingTeamProblemSolving June 7–23: Webinar: A Budgeting Guide for Local Government 2022 3-Part Series
June 15:Webinar:HelpWanted:TurningYourWorkplaceintoa TalentMagnet June 16:Workshop:LeadingwithDialogue:TurnChallenging Discussions into Productive Conversations
June 16:FreeCoachingWebinar:TheGenerationalWorkforce: WhyIt’sImportanttoKnowtheWork/LifestylesofYourTeammates June 16:Webinar:ApprovingandApplyingEquityInitiativesto Impact Your Community
June 21: Webinar: Managing a Divided Council June 22:Webinar:BeyondPrettytoPowerhouse:ADigitalCityHall Revolution via Information Architecture
June 30: Workshop: Leading Across Generations ICMA INTERNATIONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SYMPOSIUM Two-dayprofessionaldevelopmenteventinLondon,UK,forlocal government professionals at all career stages.
bit.ly/international-symposium
COURAGEOUS CONVERSATIONS
Realtalksprovidinginsightabouttheexperiencesofmarginal and underrepresented persons in local government leadership.
Access Recordings at icma.org/living-history.
VOICES IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT PODCAST
ICMA’s Voices in Local Government podcast tells stories, inspires ideas,celebratesprogress,andacknowledgeschallengesfaced local government managers and staff in serving the public.
icma.org/podcasts
WANT TO BE SPOTLIGHTED BY ICMA?
IfyouareanICMAmember,wewanttohearwhat’snewinyour careerororganization.Allmembersarewelcometosubmit—from CAOs to students. Please complete the form at icma.org/spotlightmembers.CheckouttheJuneMemberSpotlightwithPhillipSmith Hanes, county administrator of Saline County, Kansas, on the inside back cover of this issue.
VIRTUAL EQUITY SUMMIT
Registration is Open! icma.org/Summit22
Ready or Not! Moving from Discourse to Action JULY 28-29, 2022 2 DAYS 2 TRACKS 2 KEYNOTES Join us for a virtual learning event for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officers (and those doing the work without the title), and local government professionals interested in ideas and institutions to deepen strategies, shape actions, and create solutions.
For sponsorship opportunities contact sponsorshipteam@icma.org Team rates available! icma.org/Summit22 #ICMAMovestheNeedle
LETTER FROM THE CEO/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The Post-pandemic Local Government Workplace Drives New Approaches to People and Places BY MARC A. OTT
Asourcommunitiescomesurgingback,wearetheonesresponsibleforlead our organizations through these fast-moving changes. When the COVID-19 crisis first became real, it
seemed like the world stood still. But as local government leaders, you did not. You could not. You and your teams were continually in motion providing services when no real playbook existed on how best to protect residents and staff, while trying to keep your economies from collapsing. Over the last several months, we have been wrestling with a range of novel challenges in front of us. We are asking ourselves a whole new set of questions surrounding the future of work. For those that have said, “I’ll sure be glad when things get back to the way they were,” it’s clear that’s not going to happen. But how do we
6 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | JUNE 2022
navigate these waters when some jobs require proximity to customers and co-workers and while other jobs have been done effectively remotely. The Path Forward Requires Flexibility
As we contemplate the next steps for our workplaces, it’s important to recognize that so much is in flux. Where we think we may land, based on balancing the current business needs along with the preferences of our team members, may not be where we ultimately end up six months or a year down the road. We talk about a hybrid work environment, but how do we define that? Work has been turned on its head and moving forward is going to
take some experimentation. Layered on top of the logistical considerations is the current labor shortage we are all facing. And this new set of challenges will demand all the leadership muscles we were building during the height of the pandemic—creativity, agility, flexibility, and innovation. As an example, ICMA began looking at the future of work in a post-pandemic environment a year ago. With the help of a consultant, we analyzed our work practices, surveyed staff, studied our current office space, and looked at leading practices. Because we successfully transitioned to 100% virtual work with an increase (rather than a decrease) in productivity during the shutdown, we are able to consider going to a virtual-first hybrid workplace. The Operating Model Will Drive Multiple Decisions
Certainly, in the current labor market, it will give us access to a much larger candidate pool and the flexibility to work remotely will make us an attractive employment option. However, there are costs and time considerations associated with registering to work in 50 states. In addition, the familylike culture that we have worked so hard to build at ICMA will be challenging to maintain. These are hurdles that we will work to overcome with staff engagement, training, and a willingness to pivot when we find an approach is not working or we see a better option. The outcomes will dictate how we handle our physical office space, which had been set up to accommodate over 100 people working in separate spaces with several conference rooms. After we have completed a thorough examination of our workflows and member needs, we may find that a smaller footprint with space mostly designed for collaboration and engagement makes more sense. Such a space could be where, for example, the member advisory board might come to work with staff to map strategies for new products and services. A more uplifting and open environment completely tech-enabled would be more conducive to brainstorming and creativity.
Experiment with New Approaches to Attract Talent
As the articles in this issue point out, employees are in a strong position today, perhaps more so than ever before. They don’t expect that work is just going to be “laid upon them.” This is a prime time to rethink the way our organizations work. For those that have Many of our systems have been built around hierarchies and tradition. said, “I’ll sure be Compensation systems have been glad when things devised to incentivize people who will stay in an organization for their entire get back to the work lives. That’s not going to cut it way they were,” with today’s workforce. We are getting creative about how we compensate, it’s clear that’s not reward, and recruit staff. going to happen. A flexible work environment and benefits like childcare support will factor significantly into the equation, as does changing how we engage individuals. When we bring early career professionals on board, for example, we need to think in terms of unleashing them—not slowly easing them into areas of responsibility. The great innovations of our era have come from disruptors who are typically early in their careers. We are wasting their talents if we tell them they must wait to get a seat at the table. Though the last two years have been challenging on so many levels, they have been invigorating, too. And as our communities come surging back, we are the ones responsible for leading our organizations through these MARC OTT fast-moving changes. I believe we are more prepared and is CEO/executive capable than ever before, not in spite of what we’ve been director of ICMA, through, but because of it. Washington, D.C. JUNE 2022 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 7
CASE STUDY
Promote Your Community and Strengthen Its Security A branded lock program enhances a community’s image while providing security for its assets. These days high-tech cybersecurity gets most
LOCK AMERICA has developed and marketed high-security locksandhardware since 1981. For more information, contact 800-422-2866, www.laigroup.com, or sales@laigroup.com.
RICH MORAHAN writesfrequently on security and marketing for the ATM,fuelmarketing, self-storage, and vending industries. You can contact him at 617-2400372, rmwriteg@ gmail.comorwww. rmorahan.com.
of the security crime headlines: hacks into data bases or financial transactions, electronic locks bypassed for unauthorized physical break-ins. But in the midst of twentyfirst century security attacks, it is important to keep one eye on the basic physical security in your municipal operation. Lax security measures with poor key control can lead to undetected access to doors, gates, utility boxes, and fuel dispensers. Lock America of Corona, California, has developed a municipal security lock program that delivers an added level of access security while enhancing a community’s public image. Lock America’s branded security locks ensure that every item is properly secured with a lock that promotes its municipal branding. Lake Elsinore is a city in western Riverside County, California. It has grown from a small resort town in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to a suburb with over 70,000 residents. Like most towns, its security infrastructure has grown over the years in bits and pieces without any comprehensive planning. The Lock America Security Lock Program has enabled Lake Elsinore to get a handle on its physical security. The Benefits of a Security Lock and Key Control System
If you can’t control the keys to your locks, they aren’t locks at all. If you can’t identify the location of every key at all times, you leave your operation open to an undetected break-in. It could be as simple as the theft of a tool box discovered months later, or an electrical box or curcuit compromised by unauthorized access. With gas prices soaring, those municipal gas pumps are tempting to professional and amateur thiefs alike, so it certainly makes sense to lock municipal pumps securely and to know who has the keys. A High Security Key Control System ensures that management knows who has access to every
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secured item or location. The system is based on a nonduplicatable key blank, with each individual key code registered, and replacements available only to authorized management. A secure master key allows management access. With this system, staff have access only where they are authorized, significantly reducing the opportunity for theft or misuse. Mangement knows who has access at any time. In an emergency, or during an audit for example, management’s master key provides immediate access. Why is a hardware lock system superior to a keypad access system? People write down their codes and share them occasionally, and there are other undetectable ways to breach electronic locks as well. In addition, an electronic system is expensive to install and maintain. A physical barrier limits access to an authorized identifiable key holder and management. With the Lock America system, locks of various sizes can all be based on the same type of key and branded with the city image, broadcasting a professional image to the public and providing visible evidence that a lock hasn’t been compromised and switched.
The Lock America Key Control System is based on a keyway with 11 rotating disks to stand up to picking and harsh weather conditions. Because this lock mechanism permits millions of usable key combinations, Lock America can provide unique registered key codes for separate departments while still maintaining a unique master key that opens every lock for emergencies or audits. Lock America registers each customer’s key codes for replacement by only authorized personnel. Because each key and lock combination is accounted for, it is almost impossible to open a lock undetected.
Lock America high security keyways can be installed in a variety of padlocks, round locks, and cylinder camlocks for many applications. With the Lock America system, barrel locks can be coded to the same master key as labeled padlocks for most applications, among them: • Garages: Cylinder barrel locks can be keyed to the same master key as labeled padlocks. • Gates: There are two sizes for high security locks, both with heavy duty boron alloy shackles. • Electrical/Control Boxes and Fuel Dispensers: Key control allows access only to authorized personnel with a master key option. Broadcast Your Community’s Security Commitment to the Public and Your Team
Every aspect of a community speaks to the public. A branded lock program enhances a community’s image while providing accountable security for its assets.
JUNE 2022 | SPONSORED CONTENT | 9
INSIGHTS
Forging a Collaborating Partnership with Internal Services BY JAMES BAKER AND LAURA FITZPATRICK, ICMA-CM
A solutions-based approach to getting results and building relationships Internal services departments—such as finance,
nearly every line department chafes at delays caused by human resources, information technology, and legal—play bureaucratic, internal service processes. a critical role in all aspects of the world of work. This role feels especially significant in local government, given the Advice for the User Departments stewardship of public funds and transparency principles When navigating internal service rules, there is a tendency that guide everything we do. among department managers, who are eager to get results Tension exists in all municipal organizations as quickly, to develop and finalize their approach and then employees work to deliver services within the constraints of present it to the internal service department as their the regulatory departments. The internal service teams help intended course of action. However, this is akin to visiting protect the city by complying with laws, a doctor, telling him or her that you have ensuring equity, and reducing risk. Yet, already diagnosed yourself by reviewing Internal services, your symptoms on WebMD, and asking frustrations can arise as departments get though not impatient working within these constraints. them to write the prescription you believe is Hiring managers seeking the best person indicated. Good luck with that! visible to the to fill a key role bump up against the Alternatively, some department managers public, are constraints of human resources salary and may seek to go ahead and implement their critical to the recruitment rules. Subject matter experts in own desired approach only to advise the a department become frustrated when legal internal service department afterward. After success of all and procurement teams do not authorize all, asking for forgiveness is often easier city services. their request and stated justification for than seeking permission, right? In truth, a sole source procurement. In addition, this seldom works well from the onset and
JAMES BAKER is a retired city manager.
LAURA FITZPATRICK, ICMA-CM, is deputy city manager of Chesapeake, Virginia.
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is even more likely to cause strained relationships in the long term. A better and much more productive approach is to meet with the internal services department early on, share your desired outcome, and ask for guidance on how to get there. Invite the internal services department to collaborate and be part of your solution. After all, they are subject matter experts in their own right and have likely tackled similar concerns in the past. Few departments would finalize plans for remodeling their offices without at least consulting an architect or engineer. After all, load-bearing walls are difficult to move and code requirements for ingress and egress can really complicate what otherwise looks to be a simple and effective reorganization plan. We typically acknowledge and seldom question these professionals when their advice causes a change in our plans. Yet, managers frequently react quite differently when IT, HR, finance, or procurement staff suggest changes. The investment of time up front to collaborate with internal service leaders usually saves a lot of time down the road. It also leads to much better working relationships and decreases the likelihood of the city/ county manager’s office needing to referee a disagreement down the road! Advice for the Internal Service Providers
When approached by departments asking for assistance to
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get results, it is helpful if the internal service teams can resist the bureaucratic tendency to say no. (A tendency that all of us can be prone to after many years working in government.) Approaching discussions with user departments with a “consult and collaborate” approach rather than a “direct and tell” approach is more effective. Taking an open-minded, solutions-based perspective to what the department is trying to achieve is far more preferable and contributes to better working relationships between internal service departments and the rest of the organization. As the user department and internal service team collaborate on options, the following questions can be helpful: • What is in the best interest of the city/organization? • What result are we trying to achieve? • What is the impact on the resident? • What is the impact on the team? • What is the right thing to do? The public facing services often get all the glory. For example, public safety, parks and recreation, and public works services are visible in the community and receive recognition throughout the year. Internal services, though not visible to the public, are critical to the success of all city services. The principles discussed in this article contribute to a strong partnership between internal service departments and the rest of the organization. This partnership enhances public services and benefits the community.
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ASSISTANTS AND DEPUTIES
Now’s the Time to Pour into Your People BY ALLISON SCHECK
In the post-pandemic world, local governments should seek to enhance the employee experience by caring deeply about the employee as a person, not a worker. It’s a generally accepted view that these past two
years have created more stress for workers than ever before. In a 2021 study by research and advisory firm Gartner, 47 percent of employees surveyed reported higher stress than ever before. In municipal organizations, the workload associated with the continuation of services, funding gaps, supporting communities, and public health mandates became overwhelming for most employees. While the roles of assistants and deputies vary greatly, an internal focus is a common element of many a “number two” job description. The deputy or assistant of today should “pour into their people” like never before in order to drive engagement, retention, and employee satisfaction. Drive Meaningful Connection
When asked why they work for the city of Wheat Ridge on engagement surveys, employees cite the people they
ALLISON SCHECK is administrative services director for Wheat Ridge, Colorado (linkedin.com/in/ allisonhamilton scheck).
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work with and type of work they do as the top two reasons. In government, employees commonly find purpose through our mission of public service. However, relying on public service as the “why” won’t stop good employees from leaving. Leaders should invest in programs that foster connection and encourage employees to build personal relationships by creating space and give employees time to do so. Nocost and low-cost options include a company-sponsored cornhole tournament or parks scavenger hunt, and encouraging employee volunteer opportunities, like packing weekend supply kits at a local elementary school. Practice Gratitude
Positive thinking and feelings of gratitude can have a positive impact on relationships and on an individual’s state of mind and job satisfaction. At Wheat Ridge, we invest
in Terry Berry’s WOW! Program, where employees give “wows” to each other for their help, support, and a job well done in alignment with our values. Each wow is worth five points, and points can be redeemed for time off, cash, contribution to the 457 deferred compensation plan, gift cards, and tangible items like an iPad. But more importantly, employees regularly receive a note in their inbox saying thanks. On a bad day, a review of the “wow” online wall provides a great pick me up! Normalize and Prioritize Mental Health
While employee assistance programs (EAP) are now common offerings, utilization of EAP services averages between five and 10 percent, according to SHRM. In Wheat Ridge, approximately six percent of employees tap into EAP one-to-one counseling services annually. While usage is low, the majority who do take advantage of these services use all the free visits offered. The point is that employees who use EAP really need it. Consider enhancing your plan to include a greater number of visits for your employees who rely on the service. Additionally, normalizing mental health conversations and initiatives in your workplace will encourage usage of EAP programs and lead to a healthier workforce. In Wheat Ridge, I brought in a clinical psychologist who relies on improv and laughter to help employees connect with each other. For a small stipend, this expert in mental health, who incidentally happens to be psychologist to Denver’s NBA
team, talked with us about why feelings of isolation right now are normal, and demonstrated the value of connecting with each other. He then led us through a series of group improvisations that got us belly laughing and building skills in connection. Reach out to your local mental health provider for help in finding a similar resource in your community. Focus on Belonging
For the past two years, and through little Zoom boxes, we have looked into each other’s lives. We’ve seen each other’s homes, kids, and pets. And we’ve learned about our colleagues’ struggles with home schooling, financial woes, and elder care. Those lines between work and life, which Employees may have been hard and fast, are now blurred. commonly find And there’s no going back…or there shouldn’t be. purpose through Through flexible work arrangements, personal our mission of appearance policy revisions, and demonstrating the ability to get to know about employees’ public service. lives outside of work, we can foster a culture of However, relying belonging. Try holding “office hours” virtually on public service where you encourage employees to drop in as the “why” and chat with you. Encourage them to be their authentic selves so that their sense of won’t stop good belonging increases. employees Now is the time to pour into your people. from leaving. Connect with them. Let them see the real you. Create ways for them to build meaningful relationships at work and show them how much they are worthy of your care and attention. If you do, they’ll be there for you, too. SOURCES
Rethinking Your Approach to the Employee Experience (March-April 2022). Harvard Business Review. Ambrose, M.L., Locklear, L.R., Taylor, S.G. (2020). Building a Better Workplace Starts with Saying “Thanks.” Harvard Business Review. JUNE 2022 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 13
CLOCKING OUT FOR GOOD
The Great Resignation’s Impact on Local Government Fields feeling the most Employeesarequittinginpressure from the pandemic, like hospitality, retail, and recordnumbers.Howcan healthcare, are seeing a drastic decline in workers. But people local governments keep are leaving the workforce across them around? the board. In local government, BY JESSIE O’BRIEN
O
ver 38 million workers left their jobs in 2020, and the quit rate continued into 2021.1 More than 4.5 million Americans left their positions in November, an all-time high. The employeeemployer dynamic shift affects every industry. But The Great Resignation’s impact on local government creates unique issues. It has many rethinking how they operate. Allyson Brunette is one of the many who put in her two weeks’ notice after nine years in local government. Pandemic-related staff
shortages led to burnout that crept into her home life. She stopped doing all the things she liked—cooking, walking the dog, sleeping, and being, you know, hydrated. “Even though I know I should stop mainlining coffee and have a glass of water, am I doing it? No,” she said. Caffeine became essential to keeping up with an extraordinary workload at an extraordinary pace. The work itself didn’t change, but the volume did. “It was affecting more than my 9-to-5. It was my whole 24 hours,” she said. Eventually, Brunette left for good.
14 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | JUNE 2022
job applications dropped off an alarming 32 percent over the past two years, reports Route Fifty.2 And according to the Rockefeller Institute, quit rates nearly doubled from 2010 to 2020.3
Why Workers Are Leaving Local Government
Benchmark data from National Research Center at Polco gives insights as to why.4 The National Employee Survey (The NES) measures the local government workplace based on employee opinions.5 This nationwide database shows what matters most to job satisfaction. Survey results point to work-life balance, morale, and fair compensation for
why people are quitting in local government. According to The NES, a meager 39 percent of respondents believe they are fairly compensated for their level of performance. Only 55 percent feel appreciated for their work. And while 65 percent report positive staff morale, this means 35 percent reported fair or poor ratings. Addressing these areas could help prevent burnout. Unfortunately, local governments don’t have the same agility as private businesses to curb dissatisfaction. “Unlike the private sector where you can modify the work you take on to fit your team, the work isn’t optional in local government,” Brunette said. “It’s either there, or it’s not. There is a baseline level of services that you need to provide your residents, regardless of what your staffing levels look like.”
Former city manager and CEO of local government executive recruitment firm SGR, Ron Holifield, has been busy. He and his team are working to fill a record-level of 100 positions due to a convergence of issues. In local government, Holifield said the staffing gaps come from the spike of boomers who traded in their loafers for pickleball sneakers and finally retired.6 COVID-19 and partisan politics exacerbated the issue. “They are tired of the political abuse, and they are tired of hatefulness among citizens,” Holifield said. “We’ve basically been in fight-or-flight mode since the pandemic began, and so it’s just wearying.” Holifield describes many government workers as people
who “want off the treadmill, but they don’t want to quit.” Some employees, especially parents, are making backward moves for a lighter workload. Number two positions are unwilling or underprepared to take on more demanding roles, leaving more vacancies in upper management than a seedy roadside motel. In a recent Politico interview, White House Labor Secretary Marty Walsh said, “Everyone talks about the Great Resignation, and I think what we’ve seen there is not necessarily resigning from work but resigning from their jobs—a job that was not fulfilling enough for folks.”7 People are seeking more enrichment, more family time, or are taking the chance on entrepreneurship. That’s what Brunette did.8 She started her
In local government, job applications dropped off an alarming 32% over the past two years, reports Route Fifty. own government consulting company and can now walk her dog any time she wants. “If the pandemic has taught us nothing else, it’s that life expectancy is not a guarantee. I don’t want to live for 65. I want to squeak some joy out of it in my 30s,” she said. Today, local governments need to fill 928,000 jobs, reports the Rockefeller Institute. And there are over 10.9 million job openings total,
according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics.9 The Great Resignation gave private-sector employees leverage to ask for flexibility, better benefits, higher pay, and remote work. But some of these changes are at odds with how many governments typically operate. The optics of government employees staying home may look bad to the public eye. That’s why so few municipalities have embraced remote work. But Holifield and Brunette disagree with the resistance to new normals. “Local governments that are not willing to change how they think or get outside of the box are going to have an increasingly difficult time recruiting,” Holifield said. “Because the best and the brightest are just saying, ‘No I am not willing to work
JUNE 2022 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 15
the way my father did or my mother did. I am going to have a balanced life.’ ” Surviving Local Government Staff Shortages
Government positions possess a valuable quality: a meaningful job experience. Eighty-four percent of The NES respondents feel positive about working for local government, and 86 percent said their values align with their work. But meaning isn’t enough with all the stress that comes along with government careers. Brunette and Holifield say local governments need to embrace change if they want to retain high-performing staff members and survive the Great Resignation. “The whole system that has been based on longevity—accruing benefits over time—has been thrown out the window,” Brunette said. It’s one reason why Holifield predicts flex scheduling and benefits are on the horizon. Flexible scheduling is exactly what it sounds like, a life without a rigid time clock. “Flex benefits” refers to different job perks for people at different phases in their life. For instance, parental leave isn’t useful for empty nesters. But time off to take care of an aging parent is valuable. Holifield also predicts there will be more contract work, job sharing positions, and other creative solutions. Job sharing allows two or more people to tackle the same position so they can work fewer hours. Parents with kids can continue to work and take on a carpooling shift. Brunette points out that local governments may be able to fish from a bigger hiring pond if they embrace remote
work. Rush hour isn’t so bad for staff who are not required to commute every day. Beyond reshaping the job itself, Holifield strongly suggests local governments change the descriptions on their job postings to create more latitude. “If you say ‘must have’ [on a job posting], you’re putting artificial barriers in place, and you’re gonna shrink the pool even further,” he said. How Data Can Help Employers Retain Local Government Staff
“Having a data-driven approach to identifying problems, and understanding what’s important to folks, is valuable so you can increase that engagement before issues arise,” said cocreator of The NES and Polco’s vice president of innovation, Michelle Kobayashi. She’s helped local governments leverage public and employee opinion for more than 30 years. “Being preemptive instead of reactive is always better,” she said. To successfully improve retention, local government employers must first quantify the problems turnover causes. They must then find the source of the issue and develop a tailored retention strategy.
16 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | JUNE 2022
Employee surveys like The NES are effective in collecting the necessary data to create an informed plan. The survey unveils employees’ feelings toward their job—the good and the bad. “Some people will not do employee surveys because they are so afraid of results. But just because you don’t measure dissatisfaction, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist,” Kobayashi said. Kobayashi said governments often see surveys as an excuse for employees to complain or ask for more money. But they may be missing the point when money isn’t the main driver behind job satisfaction in local government.10 “I’ve found compensation is important, but often there are a lot of other levers that organizations can pull to increase employee engagement that doesn’t rely on compensation,” Kobayashi said. Those levers include adjusting job descriptions and allowing more overall flexibility with benefits, hours, and remote work. And considering how many government employees feel underappreciated, a little recognition could go a long way. The NES reveals what stressors impact employees the
most, so managers can find and prioritize the best solutions. The survey results can be key to helping retain and attract skilled employees. Originally published at https:// blog.polco.us/great-resignationlocal-government. ENDNOTES AND RESOURCES
https://www.governing.com/next/thebiggest-issues-to-watch-in-2022 2 https://www.route-fifty.com/healthhuman-services/2021/11/state-and-localgovernment-employment-applicationdrop-snowballing/186824/ 3 https://rockinst.org/blog/thegreat-resignations-impact-on-localgovernment/ 4 https://info.polco.us/about-nrc 5 https://info.polco.us/the-nationalemployee-survey 6 https://www.pewresearch.org/facttank/2020/11/09/the-pace-of-boomerretirements-has-accelerated-in-the-pastyear/ 7 https://www.woodtv.com/news/ national/labor-secretary-talks-omicronand-the-great-resignation/ 8 https://elgl.org/the-red-flags-i-missedon-workplace-burnout/ 9 https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts. nr0.htm 10 https://blog.polco.us/localgovernment-employees-reveal-whatmakes-for-job-satisfaction 1
JESSIE O’BRIEN is a copywriter for Polco/ National Research Center (https://info.polco.us).
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HELP WANTED, PART 1:
TURNING YOUR
WORKPLACE into a
TALENT MAGNET BY PATRICK IBARRA
18 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | JUNE 2022
In order to build a 21st century workforce, you need a 21st century approach!
et me go out on a twig and offer that the number-one issue keeping you awake at night is attracting and retaining great talent. It’s an issue that organizations of every size and in every sector have been grappling with even before the COVID-19 pandemic first disrupted our lives and then the labor market. Your community isn’t static; it’s highly dynamic, with lots of disruption and change. Yet many of today’s organizational practices and processes for local government agencies were created for comparatively predictable and stable circumstances, with the goal of optimizing long-term efficiency and effectiveness. Recent developments have revealed that many of these practices are ill suited to today’s unpredictable and volatile times. Change and disruption define the “next normal.” Consider the following questions: • What year is it in your agency? In other words, the dominant mindset of leaders should reflect modern times, but in many instances, it may not. Remember, you can’t fix today’s problems with yesterday’s solutions. • What are you seeking from your workforce—compliance or commitment? • Do your employees have a job (i.e., tasks) or a role (i.e., responsibilities)? • Which is more important—rules or results? • What’s your approach to hybrid work? • What gets promoted—seniority or potential? • Beyond equipping workforce members with technical skills, what’s your agency’s learning and development strategy for leadership-management-supervisory capabilities? The role of local government is to serve as the protagonist, or advocate, for a better quality of life for residents who volunteer to live in your community. Maintaining a well-prepared, modern workforce is fundamental to ensuring your agency’s continuity of operations. In essence, it’s akin to a risk management strategy
You can’t fix today’s problems with yesterday’s solutions.
because what delivers services is qualified, mission-oriented people motivated to build a stronger community. Improving (or simply maintaining) workforce productivity is not achieved simply by adding more employees, but instead requires leaders to accept that the work environment has changed, and your approach to talent management must change as well. Talent management has become one of the most pressing topics in organizations and its long overdue for the public sector to transition its mindset from employees to talent. Your organization’s talent is not just employees who are expected to do a job (or for that matter, a role); talent comprises individuals who differ in what they can do and can learn, and what they want to do. To be effective, you need to manage talent in ways that make it a major contributor to your organization’s success. At the same time, the public sector’s traditional ways of retaining and attracting top-flight talent are not always effective and can be viewed as antiquated. As a result, agencies are increasingly pursuing a more focused approach to strengthening their employer brand, working to entice and retain talent. In fact, the fundamental difference between ordinary and extraordinary organizational performance is the collective ability of its workforce.
Keeping Your Best Performers If you say that you are mine I’ll be here ‘til the end of time. So you got to let me know Should I stay or should I go? —The Clash
The place to begin is at home—that is, making sure your existing top performers stay with you. Conventional wisdom says that employees will leave if they are disgruntled, but that giving them
JUNE 2022 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 19
enough money will make them stay. That seriously overgeneralizes the matter. People stay in a job or leave it for a range of reasons. A-list employees want to be well compensated, of course, but they are also on the hunt for other kinds of satisfaction, primarily related to learning, growth, and opportunities for making a positive difference. That’s one reason why high employee turnover isn’t always bad and low turnover isn’t always good. Therefore, it makes sense to start measuring “regrettable” turnover—the number of departing employees the jurisdiction would like to keep. Exit interviews are important, but “retention/stay interviews” are just as useful. Meet with the employees considered to be the organization’s “climbers” or “thoroughbreds,” and ask them one question: “What more can we do as an organization to make you feel satisfied and challenged?” The following factors will probably make up the core of what these top performers are seeking: Flexibility. Flexibility is the new perk. For many employees, the desire for remote work hasn’t necessarily been driven by the pandemic. Research from Gallup published in 2017 indicated that 37 percent of workers would switch to a job that allows them to work offsite at least part of the time. Now that so many employees have had a taste of that flexibility, that number is likely to grow. According to XpertHR’s Flexible Work Policies and Practices Survey 2021 Report, nearly 90 percent of U.S. organizations are providing flexible work options to increase talent retention. To better manage flexible
Accept that the work environment has changed, and that your approach to talent management must change as well. arrangements, employers are codifying expectations. More than two-thirds are planning to implement policies governing flexible work, and one-third are expecting to implement employee agreements. You do not want to have talented top performers leave your organization due to factors that you can control. It’s time to adopt contemporary policies for flexible work arrangements. Relationships. Gallup has conducted widespread research on employee engagement, and a significant finding is that people go to work for organizations, but they leave their manager and supervisor. No single issue is more important than the relationship between employees and their supervisors. If employees report that their managers’ expectations are unclear or that their managers provide insufficient equipment, materials, or other resources, watch out. Characteristics of the Organization. Building
a healthy workplace culture—one that is based on an inspirational set of organizational values that employees at all levels aspire
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to model—is essential for retaining top employees. So are management practices that emphasize shared decision making. Workplace culture is instrumental to enlisting the initiative and participation of top performers. Interested in reading more about the power and influence of the Workplace Culture, please refer to my articles, “A Healthy Workplace Culture is the ‘Secret Sauce’ to Success, Parts 1 and 2.” Job Design. High performers want and expect to do more than finishing the tasks that comprise their job descriptions. They perceive their work responsibilities not merely as a job, but as a role. When they realize that they don’t have the opportunities to do what they do best, they start to consider their next career stop. Career Development.
Openings for upward mobility are only a portion of the equation for retaining top performers. The investments that organizations make in learning and training, mentoring, and succession planning are also important. Rotating job assignments, “acting” roles, and job shadowing provide attractive opportunities for top performers who want to stretch themselves. Compensation. Pay and benefits must be competitive, but awarding across-the-board pay raises to employees who do not perform well infuriates the top performers. Pay for performance may sound good in concept, but the application is typically fraught with problems. Distinguishing performance from one employee to another remains a challenge that needs to be overcome in government. But
not all rewards are economic. Formal and informal employee recognition efforts should focus on validating top performers for their contributions.
Employer Brand
Your employer brand isn’t a logo, it’s your reputation. —Patrick Ibarra Across sectors, leaders believe job seekers and candidates are more selective and expect something different from before. One emerging trend is “branding”—in particular, an organization’s employer brand, or the way the employer is perceived both internally and externally as a place to work. Brands are an articulation of culture, vision, history, and the future. Brands are emotional for the people (i.e., employees) who create them, and hopefully they evoke emotions in stakeholders as well. Every organization has an employer value proposition (EVP), which communicates that image to target audiences
The fundamental difference between ordinary and extraordinary organizational performance is the collective ability of its workforce.
Fairfax County, Virginia
culture become talent magnets. By continually attracting the most promising candidates and developing them once they’re hired, these organizations become higher-performing and, in turn, continue to attract the best. It’s a selfrenewing cycle that expands the capacity of the organization to tackle tougher and more demanding challenges.
The Recruiting Mindset
Hiring is like dating— you get what you look for. —Patrick Ibarra
and reinforces the reasons why talented people would want to stay with or join the organization. Part of the EVP is the spoken or unspoken exchange between employers and employees that define the relationship. In its simplest form, the exchange represents the money paid for performing a job. In its highest, most strategic incarnation, it’s the promise employers make to provide pay, benefits, career opportunities, and a supportive work environment in exchange for an employee’s discretionary effort to bring the organization’s mission, vision, and values to life. Branding is a buzzword today, but the business practice behind it isn’t new. Many organizations are adopting what they call brand-building strategies, but often these are
merely adopting new logos. This isn’t even close. Essentially, brands influence perceptions in the mind of the public; they are living concepts that change with the organization’s climate and culture. Externally, candidates perceive your employer brand as an indication of the type of employment experience they can expect. Internally, employees perceive your employer brand as how well you deliver on promises and how well they fit within your organizational culture. In short, your employer brand is your identity and reputation as an employer. Consider your agency’s brand attributes. If you were to choose one that would have the greatest influence on recruiting efforts in today’s competitive markets, what would it be? Do you know the population
of candidates who would find that attribute attractive? Do you know how to appeal to them so they will consider working for your organization? Understanding the answers to these and related questions is a dividing line between organizations that are able to hire and keep great talent and those that cannot. Organizations that invest time, effort, and energy in developing their brand are finding that the advantage of building a reputation for cultivating talent is greater than they may have originally thought. In other words, these organizations are getting a “firstpick advantage.” Consequently, organizations that provide people with opportunities to learn and grow, feature modern life-work balance options, and offer a healthy workplace
How can you find the people with the right skills to do the right work at the right time? The power balance between employers and employees has shifted. The fact is there are more jobs than people. The pandemic has prompted employers to rethink traditional ways of operating—and to rethink talent acquisition. As candidates at all levels weigh opportunities differently and the competition for talent continues to intensify, organizations will need to offer an employment experience that candidates prize. The intent is to bring in new employees who are as good as your current top performers. The marketplace for talent is competitive, so the best recruiting efforts are proactive, dynamic, and capable of engaging candidates. The challenge for public-sector organizations is to manage what comes to mind when prospective candidates think of government as an employer. Job candidates have a certain experience when they research the organization and apply for jobs—good, bad, or indifferent. This experience influences
JUNE 2022 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 21
Queen Creek, Arizona
1. Use Social Media.
their decisions about whether to apply, accept a job offer, or look somewhere else. What exactly do candidates experience when they interact with your agency as an employer? Do candidates get a sense of what sets the organization apart from other potential employers? What do reviews posted by past job candidates on Glint, Glassdoor, and Indeed offer about your agency? Many organizations see the recruiting process as a transaction, and the most talented employees do not want to feel like part of a transaction. Instead, employers should try to build a relationship with candidates, starting with the value the organization is offering them. Ultimately, candidates want to understand the value proposition associated with working for this employer. Make sure applicants know: • What they will gain by working for the agency. • What the culture is like. • What the organization’s mission entails. Many agencies assume their default strategy of “post and pray” will result in a sufficient number of qualified individuals applying for open positions. Agencies also
often rely on the misguided notion that the longer a job announcement is posted, the more applicants it will attract. The following is a series of suggested “next practices” that public-sector leaders should consider as they Rancho Cucamonga, California
22 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | JUNE 2022
take a modern approach to recruiting top performers. Always remember that you’re not the audience for your message, so when creating content, it’s about viewing your agency through the eyes of job candidates.
Social media channels, notably Facebook, LinkedIn, You Tube, Instagram, Snap Chat and Tik Tok, are the most powerful medium for communicating an employer’s brand. Consider using a Facebook add-on application to automatically post any jobs listed on the jurisdiction’s website onto its Facebook page. Join Facebook groups in order to target specific types of people and engage directly with potential applicants. Your agency should use LinkedIn to promote its employer brand and as part of the recruitment strategy, especially when targeting candidates with college degrees.
2. Communicate the Work Culture.
The jurisdiction’s website should offer job seekers a comprehensive view of the organization and its culture in an easy-to-view format. Use images, too—video, if possible—in order to generate a stronger, more emotional response and help candidates who are considering your agency make a stronger connection between their desires and your agency’s purpose. More and more, governments are using videos to tell their story and entice candidates. The city of Tracy, California, has a spectacular police officer recruitment video (https://youtu.be/JEwweoiFjw). Some organizations also choose to hire a creative design firm to update their websites, as the skills needed for projecting a first-class image are not in the repertoire of IT technicians. 3. Make Use of Testimonials.
In the same vein, include testimonials from current employees about what they enjoy most about working for your agency on the website, social media channels, and all materials. They relay powerful messages about the job or role and about the work environment. Progress in this area will set your organization apart from other government employers. 4. Make Open Positions Easy to Find.
Your agency should have a job opportunities or careers section on your website’s home page. Each department should list openings, describe the hiring process, provide an FAQ listing, and outline the challenges and satisfaction employees
As candidates at all levels weigh opportunities differently and the competition for talent continues to intensify, organizations will need to offer an employment experience that candidates prize.
can expect from working in that particular department. This type of message makes a powerful impression on potential candidates. Make sure you’re tracking traffic to your website and evaluate its effectiveness periodically. 5. Make a Good First Impression.
Carefully consider what the organization’s hiring process says about it. As in other aspects of life, first impressions are critical. Bad impressions during the hiring process lead to negative perceptions of the government’s employment brand and can drive away the best talent. Candidates who are accustomed to privatesector hiring practices see a web-based job application process as something of a minimum requirement. Timeliness is another issue. Public-sector employers often
require a series of written exams and performance tests as part of their hiring process, but keeping the interest of talented candidates means getting through labor-intensive processes relatively quickly. 6. Reimagine Your Job Announcement.
The world is teeming with smart, skilled, passionate people who are blue-chip prospects—none of whom will be particularly interested in an organization that provides an utterly boring job announcement. Many organizations have had success with more of a social marketing approach that appeals to people of all generations and offers a powerful message: Join this organization and be a part of something truly outstanding as you help make your mark. Look at the town of Queen Creek, Arizona (queencreekaz.gov) and city of Rancho Cucamonga, California (cityofrc.us) for examples. 7. Consider Candidates without Government Experience.
Before recruiting, review the organization’s existing minimum qualifications— specifically, the level of government experience required. Many candidates have extensive experience, strong credentials, and all or most of the desired skills, but no work history in government. Why not look at them? By the way, possessing government experience has no predictive value on a candidate’s ability to succeed in your agency. 8. Stop Relying on Your Human Resources Department to Find Highquality Job Candidates.
It’s not entirely up to HR to find job candidates. Every agency department director is accountable for the performance of their respective department and should be expected to be proactive in strengthening the pipeline of talent considering joining your agency. Department directors should establish and maintain relationships with local high schools, colleges, and universities—from serving as a guest speaker in various classes to asking teachers and professors about students who might be interested in public service. The same goes for relationships with trade schools and labor unions.
Closing
You’re not paid to work; you’re paid to add value. —Patrick Ibarra There are two sayings that I think sum up this topic: Every organization is perfectly designed to get the results it gets; and if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got—and that’s not good enough. Not by a long shot. It’s time to do things different and do different things. Keep an eye out for “Help Wanted, Part 2” in the August issue, where I focus on how the rapidly changing role of the human resources department is related to your agency’s ability to attract and retain talent.
PATRICK IBARRA and his consulting firm, the Mejorando Group, are passionate about unleashing human potential (patrick@ gettingbetterallthetime.com).
JUNE 2022 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 23
EMPOWERING STAFF to Assist
Residents with
IMPROVED CUSTOMER SERVICE Cedar Rapids, Iowa,
BY APRIL WING
shares the story of their success in implementing a new tool that benefits both staff and residents.
H
ow can we improve customer service and where should we start? These are constant contemplations for cities across the nation. As we charted our own journey to improve customer service delivery in Cedar Rapids, we realized it would be prudent to pause and reflect on our motivation, develop a roadmap for success, and identify and implement any missing tools. From there, the ambition to innovate and refine our processes became second nature. A little over a year into our implementation plan, and about two years into our overall efforts, we’ve learned how sharing our customer service story has contributed to our success. Those already on this journey know it is not an easy feat—there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Providing exceptional customer 24 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | JUNE 2022
service can be a fast-moving target not easily defined; a blend of varying factors unique to every community. We share our own story in the hopes that you can find something useful for your attempts to empower and unite residents through improved customer service delivery.
Finding Motivation Our approach started with a service-centric mentality instilled in every city team member. Our customers are our residents, businesses, industries, and property owners. Our people are the reason that city government exists. Understanding this, it makes Cedar Rapids, Iowa
JUNE 2022 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 25
sense that we must work persistently to improve service delivery and hospitality. We also must acknowledge how this work is critical to building community trust in city government. Like every other local government, we wanted our efforts and resources spent on service delivery to be impactful and long lasting. There are so many opportunities to focus our improvement efforts. We found ourselves asking how to get started to find the right fit for our community. Developing a Roadmap Our first step was to determine the outcomes we wanted to see based on feedback from our residents and city leadership. We started with our city’s core values: we serve enthusiastically, we team up, and we find a way. From there, we used data from a resident survey to identify three customer-service goals that aligned with those values: • We serve enthusiastically by ensuring our services are inclusive and easy to access.
• We team up to build a culture focused on effectively serving our customers. • We find a way to continuously improve the effectiveness of our customer service. We worked from the inside out—our initial focus was directed toward employee culture. It was important to continue instilling the customer-service mentality we have been building for years. We convened an innovation team of customer service champions within divisions, with the support of leadership from the very top, to reinforce our internal commitment to quality customer service. Using these champions, we set high expectations for every employee to renew their commitment to providing quality customer service. Identifying Tools Armed with clear goals and objectives, our next step was to determine what tools we would need to achieve success.
26 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | JUNE 2022
Our team ultimately concluded that implementation of a citizen request management system (CRMS) would be the best way forward. We realized such a system could not only improve our internal tracking, reporting, and metrics, but also could make our services more accessible for residents to use. Keeping customers in mind was key to developing a convenient and accessible tool that also met operational needs. Internally, our list of musthaves included a system that could provide: • A universal storing house with consistent processes and expectations for addressing customer requests. • Methods to utilize data and feedback from customers to improve our internal processes. • Integration with existing asset management systems staff were already using. We launched “My CR,” a custom, integrated CRMS application for residents and visitors to report nonemergency issues, such as
potholes, streetlights, and overgrown grass. The platform is a new way for our customers to interact with our services. It is available around the clock. Reports are easy to file through the city website and our new app, Mobile CR, which launched in conjunction with the My CR reporting tool. Residents who prefer to access our services over the phone or in person can continue to do so—support staff enter those requests into the system as well. The following are some unique features offered to customers who utilize My CR: Automatic emails:
Registered users receive automatic confirmation emails when the system receives their request. They also receive emails any time there is an update to the status of their request. Each email includes the appropriate department’s contact information. For processes that tend to take longer to resolve (i.e., nuisance issues involving court proceedings), the automated message includes expected
timelines and additional details. These automated messages save staff time while also improving the feedback loop for customers. Messaging through the system: Residents and staff can
interact with each other through the system’s inbox feature. This reduces the need for email and phone correspondence. All message history is tied to each request, including internalonly notes and comments, which is helpful when a request needs to be routed through several departments. Ease of getting started:
Clear visual icons depicting concern categories are arranged by topic/category rather than by responsible department. This takes the guesswork out of the equation, so residents do not need to know which department typically handles various request types before filling out a report. A convenient search option makes it easy to start filing a concern based upon keyword or topic. GPS integration: A mapping feature can quickly locate a resident at the location of their concern, using the GPS embedded in their mobile device. Option to remain anonymous: Residents can
remain anonymous, which is not commonly allowed by other municipalities utilizing a CRMS. Although we do recommend users register in order to receive the full benefits of the system, we recognized a need to provide this anonymous option. Citizen request map: Users can view a citizen request map on the My CR home page. This map includes recently reported concerns within the system, with “halos” around the category icons marking their status (pending, in-progress, and completed). Residents who wish to remain
anonymous can use this as a tool to track their requests.
A Successful Launch
My CR is a vehicle that our customers can use to submit their concerns and questions. In order for this vehicle to be of any value, we needed to equip its drivers (city staff) to adequately process the requests and see them through to the finish line. We identified several supporting actions to ensure the system would set our employees up for success, which in turn made the
system successful in achieving our customer service improvement goals: Training for all users:
More than 200 system users attended a 90-minute training session covering a system overview and how-to for processing requests. Several opted to attend an additional training session once the system was in beta mode. This allowed for hands-on discovery and learning prior to launch. Put expectations in writing: We created a policy
outlining expectations for use. City staff using the system
were required to review and sign-off on the policy to ensure a thorough understanding. A step-by-step, how-to guide— with images and frequently asked questions—was provided to ensure requests would be processed efficiently and that customers would enjoy a consistent experience. Expectations include the following: • Communication is key. Staff must reply to users’ concerns, including an explanation of the actions that will be taken to remediate requests (or why a concern could not be
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•
•
• •
remediated) before the request is closed out. Timing is everything. Requests must be put into a workflow— and/or the customer must be followed up with—within one business day. Mind the details. Staff must provide complete notes and details for each request along every step of the way. No early outs. Requests should only be closed when they have been resolved. Keep track of your efforts. Run daily reports to track division request activity and identify any delays.
Constant and Consistent Communication During Kickoff: Weekly updates
outlining recent system changes—
and reiterating previous important messages—were key during the first three months of system launch. Reminder emails have become less frequent as employees became familiar with the system and expectations. A solid foundation of existing key customer service concepts— through interactions via phone, email, and in person—were directly transferable to this new digital tool.
Build customer service champions within departments: We assembled a
Customer Service Leads group, comprised of support staff from each city department, to support the system’s success. During monthly meetings,
customer service leads share questions from their employees and clarify expectations. The information is cascaded down to users in each department. Customer support leads are encouraged to run daily reports, spot check requests, and follow up with other support staff and managers to ensure staff are meeting expectations. Combined with the tracking and reporting systems, a clear set of expectations allowed this team to zero in on specific employees who might need additional support. Accountability from the top down: While the
aforementioned supports helped our employees provide
My CR Customer Service Benefits Benefit
Customer (External)
CityStaff(Internal)
Proactive
Receive improved customer service delivery and increased communication from city employees.
Central tracking and data analysis provide departments the ability to evaluate trends and needed improvements to current processes and communication.
Quick access to complete records
Accessible records provide quick turnaround for request information and updates.
Central tracking provides access to complete records reducing the time a department will spend researching a concern.
Accessible
Option to submit a concern any time, day or night, through the Mobile CR app or through the city’s website.
Potential for reduced call volume.
Easy to use
The icons, search feature, and expanded list of categories allow citizens to find and submit their requests with ease. The “auto-locate” feature on the map allows citizens to locate the concern on-site.
Employees also benefit from the icons, search feature, and categorized concerns as they submit requests for citizens who call the department.
Increased communication:
Residents who sign up for a My CR account can take advantage of all the benefits the system has to offer, including receiving automatic confirmation emails as their request moves through the workflow, monitoring their submissions from their My CR dashboard, and the ability to interact with city staff by sending/receiving notes through their My CR dashboard.
Employees can also easily update residents who have submitted requests through registered accounts by adding a note to the request and clicking a button to send the note to the resident’s My CR dashboard. This also tracks the history of the conversation so all notes and messages can be viewed in the request by any employee.
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exceptional customer service with My CR, perhaps the most important support that will continue to drive our efforts has been support from city leadership. A key factor in behavior change is the ability to model behavior and demonstrate accountability. If managers can effectively model exceptional customer service and consistently reiterate expectations for their employees, their team members will begin to buy in and hold themselves and each other accountable. We have spent years working on organizational health and building knowledge and skillsets around key customer service concepts across our entire city team. These efforts paid off when we launched My CR. Our process also provided opportunities to hold staff accountable to new expectations. The new system added to our abilities to gather data and make informed decisions surrounding process improvements.
Constant Improvement, Iteration, and Refinement Within months of launch, the system has already helped us identify customer service delivery pain points. We are working on a list of internal process improvements we can continue to focus on, thanks to the data and systems integration. And we are following up on these opportunities even while we continue to onboard additional divisions and processes into the system. Here are a few key takeaways:
process improvements and enhancements within the My CR tool. While we are incredibly pleased with the new system, we will continue to identify ways we can improve. By monitoring feedback and adapting to changing technology, the system will continue to allow us to provide the highest quality customer service to our residents.
Telling Our Customer Service Story
Monitor Usability and Be Ready for Change
With any new system, we knew there might be some early tweaks. As employees started using the system and new interaction scenarios arose, implementation staff worked through any outliers to ensure the system reacted predictably. We continue to monitor feedback from our customers and employees regarding usability. Our vendor agreement includes updates and improvements along the way to ensure the system becomes more user friendly and our employees can continue to provide excellent customer service. Track Data, Draw Trends, and Make Improvements
To help departments monitor the request activity within the system, we created a data dashboard. The data can be broken down by division
and filtered by date. Some examples include: • Number of total requests in the system. • Number of requests by status type: pending, in progress, on hold, and completed. • Number of requests closed within the last 30 days. • Most common request types. • Average days to request completion. All managers have the ability to run detailed reports. We send a weekly email reminder asking managers to run reports and track their teams’ data. In addition to quantitative data, we recognized the need for qualitative data and created a customer service survey. The survey is automatically sent to users when a request is closed out in My CR. Survey responses and comments are filtered into the dashboard for staff to review. This data has also helped our teams make
It has been six months since we launched My CR and we have already seen the vast benefits provided by the system. We quickly realized that sharing improved customer service stories would not only help this new platform gain traction with our customers, it could also help encourage employees to use the system more effectively. Beyond one training session, it took real-world user experience for the success of the platform to click. Internal and external users have all benefitted by seeing the customers benefits in action. Customer satisfaction with this new tool has driven employee trust in the product, which in turn has improved customer delight and additional user adoption. Sharing these stories of customer satisfaction has helped staff better understand and relate to the expectations that came alongside implementation. In order for customers to continue to utilize the system, they needed to experience the benefits, including action taken on their reported concerns and timely follow-up from city staff. We continue to promote the application through owned and paid media channels, including social media, radio, the city’s
website, public facility message screens, visits to neighborhood association meetings—all sharing the benefits of the system and relatable examples. It is not uncommon for residents attending these meetings to chime in with their own success stories with My CR. In only six months, more than 10,000 requests have been logged and tracked. Comparatively, in the previous full year, a total of 6,900 citizen requests were logged using previous systems and methods. Here are some positive comments we have received from residents: • “I have used My CR three times. In every case, the concern was handled promptly and professionally. I really like this way of reaching out to the city.” • “I think My CR is an excellent way to ask a question, report a concern, etc.” • “I reported a dangerous pothole and it was taken care of quickly.” • “I filed a complaint about trash dumped in the street— it was resolved within a few hours.” • “The app was easy to use.” • “Fast action!” We are pleased with the response to this major improvement in Cedar Rapids’ customer service delivery. Improved responsiveness, request turnaround, tracking, communication, and buy-in have all been critical ingredients in our recipe for success.
APRIL WING is a management analyst in the City Manager’s Office of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
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THE “WHY” BEHIND THE PAYCHECK A Look At Compensation Philosophy BY ROBERT GREENE, PHD AND PETER RONZA
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Examining the guiding principles of compensation strategy can help create a framework for consistency.
O
rganizations, whether in the public or private sector, must brand themselves as employers of choice, in order to attract and retain the right talent. The brand communicates the values of the organization, its culture, and how it values and treats its people. Decisions about what type of brand
the organization wishes to create are typically made by the board/council, working with executive management, due to the importance of how positively talent views the organization as an employer in determining its success. The brand is also a signal to all parties of interest as to what the organization offers and how it intends to meet its objectives and purpose. A significant component of the brand is the value proposition that is offered to talent. It consists of all the conditions of employment and what the organization offers in return for the contributions of workforce members. Figure 1
illustrates the components of a value proposition. The components of the value proposition offered by organizations vary. Some employers will stress nonmonetary items, such as career opportunities, an attractive culture, meaningful and challenging work, recognition, and fair treatment. Economics may preclude competing with other organizations on compensation and benefits alone. Public sector organizations and nonprofits with a charitable mission are more likely to attract those who value making a difference or serving a cause. Private sector organizations tend to stress monetary rewards more. Relying on money sometimes does not work well. (Henry Ford had to pay much more
A commitment to equitable pay enables an organization to develop analytical processes to monitor pay relationships and ensure they reflect equitable treatment. than others to get people to endure the assembly line— and still had turnover of 200 percent or more.) Public sector organizations may also face stricter limitations on the type of compensation used (e.g., stock programs) and may also face greater scrutiny on very high pay levels.
The extrinsic reward components consist of fixed costs and variable costs. Base pay and the cost of benefits generally increase each year. Health care costs continue to rise much faster than inflation and unless organizations reduce benefit levels or increase the percentage of costs paid by employees, the employer costs increase. Salaries and wages can be reduced in cases where contractual agreements do not prohibit it, but this can have a detrimental impact on employee satisfaction. People assume they can adjust their standard of living to fit their income stream and unilateral reductions in that stream can be viewed as a breach of contract (social if not legal). The federal government and many state and local entities
FIGURE 1 VALUE PROPOSITION
EXTRINSIC REWARDS
DIRECT COMPENSATION
INTRINSIC REWARDS
INDIRECT COMPENSATION
ROLE DESIGN
BASE PAY
PROTECTIVES
VARIABLE PAY
PERQUISITES
CAREER OPPORTUNITY
EQUITY/JUSTICE
EQUITY RECOGNITION
JUNE 2022 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 31
use automatic, time-based step increase programs to administer base pay. When revenues drop, as they did at the onset of the pandemic, costs can become misaligned with resources. During the 2007-2010 financial crisis, the GS step structure was frozen, but employees continued to receive step increases. Using automatic step progression removed options for controlling costs. Without reductions in current rates the only way for employers to adjust workforce costs downward to align them with revenues is to reduce headcount, which may mandate terminating people who will be needed when conditions improve. Organizations must manage compensation in a manner that is sound from an economic and business perspective. One of the most common oversights is failing to be clear about the impact of the economy on pay budgets and pay adjustments. Employees often think high inflation rates should be offset with commensurate increases to sustain the purchasing power of their income. However, sustaining purchasing power is not the responsibility of employers. Economic metrics like inflation, cost of living, and unemployment rates do tend to have an impact on labor market conditions and competitive pay rates, and employers must consider the end result of economic conditions. But if inflation does not result in increased market pay levels, the organization must focus on remaining competitive and not assume responsibility for maintaining employer real income levels.
Merely putting a philosophy statement on paper does little; the principles it defines must be adhered to. Employers must respond to the cost of labor and not the cost of living. Macroeconomic conditions cannot be controlled by organizations. If the competitive cost of labor changes for specific occupations, the employer must consider how to respond in order to remain competitive for talent. The cost of labor is more strongly influenced by the relationship of supply to demand for specific skill sets than it is by inflation or unemployment levels. For example, competitive market rates for IT specialists may be increasing rapidly, even during periods of low inflation, caused by a shortage of people who are competent to work with the latest technology. Even during periods of high inflation, market rates for skill sets not in demand may be static. What Purpose Does a Compensation Philosophy Serve?
A compensation philosophy establishes agreed upon principles that will guide how compensation is administered. If the organization commits to paying for performance, however defined, that principle will guide program design and administration. The philosophy can also establish a commitment to values, such as pay equity. Sound compensation management ensures people are rewarded based on:
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1. The value of the role they play (both to the organization and in the labor market). 2. The person’s competence in the role. 3. The contributions made that help the organization meet its objectives. What a person looks like, what they believe, where they came from, and any other personal characteristics not related to the value they provide should not impact how much or in what manner they are rewarded. A commitment to equitable pay enables an organization to develop analytical processes to monitor pay relationships and ensure they reflect equitable treatment. Merely putting a philosophy statement on paper does little; the principles it defines must be adhered to. If employees and other parties do not agree with the philosophy, management must decide how to address their views. If actual practice is not consistent with the stated principles, management must evaluate how programs are designed and administered and determine if changes to the philosophy or the practices are needed. If an organization does not ensure that employees know clearly what is expected of them and how they are performing on a continuous basis, it will make convincing them that they
are being treated fairly and appropriately more difficult. Longevity
Research supports the principle that paying for performance increases the motivation to perform well. Research also shows that performance must be defined in a manner that fits the situation. For example, using longevity as one of the determinants of pay may be justified if experience in a role is highly correlated with the ability of an incumbent to perform well. Field crew members in a water utility will typically become more familiar with the system, increasing the knowledge and skill they use to maintain the system. When knowledge and skills are organizationspecific, they can only be acquired by being on the job. When consulting with a water utility we realized that having a system that was several hundred years old had resulted in a myriad of hookup methods that were not reflected in the engineering plans, making experience with that system valuable. Conversely, newer incumbents in technical fields can have more up-to-date knowledge, making longevity less relevant. The relative value of education and experience will vary based on how specific the knowledge is to the organization and how important it is to utilize conceptual principles to deal with unique situations. An automatic link between longevity and pay rates makes no provision for reflecting unsatisfactory performance in someone’s compensation, leaving termination as the sole consequence available.
processes permit applications submitted by contractors may feel they have to do their work face to face, while an IT or accounting specialist can be just as effective from any location. What Issues Does a Philosophy Need to Address?
Performance
Other principles must be included in the compensation philosophy. It should also address the methods and processes that will be used to manage performance and administer pay. Adopting a strategy that results in paying people in a manner that reflects the relative internal value of the roles they play can result in using a formal job evaluation system to ensure the relative internal values that determine the grade and pay range assigned each job. Geographic Market Rates
Alternatively, adopting a strategy that results in paying people in a manner that is externally competitive alters the primary basis for establishing pay ranges. A policy that emphasizes the establishment of externally competitive pay ranges must define how the organization defines its competition for talent. A city with a population of 50,000 may decide to compare to cities of
a similar size that are within a specific geographic area. But it may also choose to compare to the state government and counties. Further, it may decide to compare to private sector organizations for occupations that have cross-sector mobility. Finally, it must decide on a posture relative to prevailing market rates—above, below, or at market average. It is also possible to pay at different levels relative to competition. Critical occupations may be paid above market levels while others are paid at market levels. Remote Work
One of the conditions of employment that has recently seen dramatic change is the location of work. Historically employees have lived close enough to a central location to enable commuting. But when the pandemic began, a large percentage of workers were driven to remote work locations. Surveys indicate that a significant number of
employees do not see the need to return to the office and do not want to do so. Some will want to vary their location day to day, based on the need for face-to-face interaction with colleagues or the public to be effective. This makes permanent remote work a viable alternative. But new issues are created if people relocate to distant places. There has been an outflow of professionals from the San Francisco Bay Area to Northern Nevada and other lower cost locations, bringing into question whether it is still necessary to pay the same rates for someone working elsewhere. An employer that is willing to let employees make decisions about where they do their work may be viewed more positively than one mandating that everyone must work in a central location. But the impact of work location on productivity and on the effectiveness of peers and customers must also be considered. An employee who
The board/council and executive management need to agree on the compensation philosophy: • What forms of compensation will be used? • How will the value of each role be determined (internal equity, external competitiveness)? • How will performance be defined, measured, and rewarded? • What process will be used to administer compensation? Who is involved? Who decides? • How does the organization define its competition for talent? • What will the organization’s competitive posture be? • How will the compensation philosophy be communicated and to whom? • When, how, and by whom is the philosophy evaluated to ensure its continued relevance? When consulting with organizations, the first step we take is to ascertain the views of important stakeholders and to seek agreement on the principles. Without a clear understanding of how a compensation philosophy will impact the effectiveness and acceptance of strategies and programs, it is possible to develop recommendations that ultimately will not be
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used by decision-makers. Philosophy is not a theoretical exercise; it serves as the navigational system to guide the organization to its desired destination. The Value of a Clearly Articulated Philosophy
Without a clear compensation philosophy, decisions tend to be made independently case by case. This can result in inconsistent administration across departments, occupations, and time. And even though a compensation philosophy is a good fit to the context within which it was developed, environmental change may necessitate re-evaluating the principles that are being applied. The pandemic has administered an unanticipated shock and being able to call upon a
well formulated and clearly articulated compensation philosophy can facilitate sound decisions about how to react to the altered context. Continuous evaluation of the compensation philosophy to ensure it meets current conditions has become mandatory. Taking the views of all partiesat-interest into consideration when a philosophy is developed and when alterations are being considered can increase the level of acceptance. Although management may be unwilling to hold a democratic election, it is important to create an open channel of communication that can gather opinions and enable decisions to be explained once they are made. Dialogue on a continuous basis can engage employees and assure them that their views have been heard and considered.
Continuous evaluation of the compensation philosophy to ensure it meets current conditions has become mandatory.
principles. The philosophy statement communicates a good deal about an organization’s values, its culture, and its views related to how it values its people and informs all parties-at-interest as to the principles that guide compensation administration. It is an important part of both the employer brand and the value proposition.
A well-articulated compensation philosophy establishes the guiding principles that underlie compensation management. The methods and processes that are used may vary across the organization due to local contextual differences, but should be consistent with those
ROBERT J. GREENE, PHD, is a consulting principal at Pontifex (rewardsystems@ sbcglobal.net). PETER P. RONZA is president of Pontifex (pronz@ pontifex-hr.com).
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CONFERENCE ASSISTANCE SCHOLARSHIPS
To help ICMA members experience the difference that attending the ICMA Annual Conference has made for so many, ICMA offers the opportunity to apply for a scholarship to support your conference attendance. 2022 ANNUAL CONFERENCE SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES EARLY CAREER PROFESSIONALS ICMA members with three years or less experience as a full-time local government employee.
SMALL COMMUNITY EMPLOYEE ICMA members serving in small communities with limited financial resources. (no minimum population)
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TRACKS With more than 160 education sessions, keynotes, game changers, roundtables, ICMA Micro-Certification Sessions, Mobile Workshops, and Product Theater Presentations, there will be plenty of opportunities to learn from and with your peers, industry professionals, and others, too!
Sessions will focus on: ADVANCING DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION
LEADING STRONG TEAMS FOR A STRONG COMMUNITY
ICMA members continue to seek education and practical guidance on understanding and advancing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in their local governments and communities. Specific topics of interest include but are not limited to understanding disability and accessibility issues (disability inclusion at work and why it matters, strengthening and diversifying your workforce with veterans, technology and accessibility); equity in housing, public works, planning and other service areas; elevating inclusion in your budgets; unconscious bias; cognitive diversity; student/next generation DEI issues such as key skills to achieve inclusivity and steps to success; and equity (fair treatment, equitable pay, recognition, access to resources and opportunities).
Managers are at the core of strong communities. This track will highlight solutions to challenges of leading teams from different levels of the organization. Specific topics of interest include but are not limited to council/ manager relations, effective board and commission management, mid-level management support, ensuring mental health and happiness of employees, servant leadership and other leadership principles, recruitment and retention of employees, and volunteer recruitment.
CIVILITY AND ENGAGEMENT This track will aid local leaders in overcoming major challenges around communication and maintaining civility in their communities. Specific topics of interest include but are not limited to navigating polarization and the culture of contempt, best practices for working with mainstream and social media, managing mis/ disinformation, effective community engagement, and fostering trust in local government.
ECONOMIC RECOVERY, REDEVELOPMENT, AND RESILIENCE This track will focus on the major economic development challenges and opportunities as communities seek not just to restore, but to redevelop and reimagine their local economies for long-term resilience. Specific topics of interest include but are not limited to using American Rescue Plan resources, securing and managing other federal funds, how to leverage trusts/foundations, housing and homelessness issues, infrastructure, brownfield redevelopment, how to combat the shift to online shopping in a downtown/ business district, and dealing with major local economic shifts and shocks.
LIVABLE, SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES This track will focus on leading practices for local governments to promote healthy, thriving, and resilient communities. Specific topics of interest include, but are not limited to climate change implications, emergency and disaster preparedness, environmental justice, the power of arts and culture, government sponsored events, and parks, recreation, and open space issues.
PERSONAL Personal development is an essential component of professional development. This track will help local leaders commit to a balanced life and enhance personal capacity. Specific topics of interest include but are not limited to personal mental health, stress management techniques, and well-being for chief administrative officials, setting limits on the 24-hour job expectations, life in the fishbowl and effects on your family, finding your next job and when is a good time to start looking, how to interview in a public setting, succeeding in your current role, having fun, career wellness, personal care and growth, professional growth and retirement planning.
WORKFORCES AND SERVICE DELIVERY OF THE FUTURE How will local governments continue to adapt their departmental operations and services to meet the needs of a post-COVID future? Specific topics of interest include, but are not limited to remote work policies, innovations in service delivery, moving to a more digital platform, procurement and supply chain issues, recruitment for lower paying jobs in a high cost of living area, and the evolution of departments such as public safety, public works, or human resource.
SCHEDULE For schedule updates, please visit conference.icma.org. All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. 8:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Registration and Host Committee Desk Sporting Events* ICMA Micro-Certification Sessions* Mobile Workshops* Education Sessions and Roundtables Saturday Night Reception at the National Veteran’s Memorial and Museum*
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 6:45 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. 7:15 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. 9:15 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. 11:45 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m.
Registration and Host Committee Desk Sporting Events* ICMA Micro-Certification Sessions* Education Sessions and Roundtables Mobile Workshops* Equity & Inclusion Leaders Lunch* Regional Meetings Opening General Session Exhibit Hall Grand Opening Reception Open for Supplier/Affiliate Events
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. 7:45 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. 11:45 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. 11:45 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m.
Registration and Host Committee Desk Education Sessions, Roundtables, and Product Theaters General Session Exhibit Hall Open Exhibit Hall Lunch SheLeadsGov Luncheon* Mobile Workshops* State/Alumni/Affiliate Receptions/Open for Supplier Events
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 7:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. 7:45 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. 11:45 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. 11:45 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Registration and Host Committee Desk Education Sessions, Roundtables, and Product Theaters General Session Exhibit Hall Open Exhibit Hall Lunch Assistant Chief Administrative Officers (ACAO) Luncheon* Mobile Workshops* Tuesday Night Networking Event - COSI*
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 7:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. 7:45 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Registration and Host Committee Desk Breakfast and Learning: Education Sessions and Roundtables Closing General Session
As of 5/23/2022
*Additional Fee Applies
EXHIBIT HALL Exhibit Hall ICMA exhibitors will be eagerly awaiting your arrival in Columbus, ready to share with you the latest products and services that will help you solve organizational challenges, develop leadership skills, advance your career, and find inspiration to create a lasting impact in your community. When planning your schedule, be sure to allow for time in the Exhibit Hall to experience the following: • Sunday Evening Exhibit Hall Grand Opening Reception featuring light hors d’ oeuvres and one drink ticket • Refreshment Breaks Monday/Tuesday • Lunch on Monday/Tuesday • Product Theater Presentations • Attendee Relaxation Zone • Interactive Photo Station • Puppy Playpen • And More! To view a current list of exhibitors, please visit conference.icma.org/ sponsors-and-exhibitors/exhibitors
REGISTRATION PLEASE NOTE! All attendees must first register for the conference before being able to book and reserve an ICMA Annual Conference hotel room. After registering, attendees will have access to securing a hotel reservation. Reservations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis beginning when housing and registration open on Wednesday, June 8. Please do NOT contact the hotels directly.
Registration Rates: In-Person Best Value Rate
Regular Rate
$750 $1,500
$820 $1,640
(By August 17)
Member Non-Member
(Beginning August 18)
Group Registration Team registrations are available for groups of five or more attendees. Each participant will receive 15% off their applicable registration rate. For more information, please visit conference.icma.org/registration
Registration Rates: Digital Member
$149
Non-Member
$299
HOTELS You must first register for the 2022 ICMA Annual Conference before you secure a hotel reservation. Reservations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis beginning Wednesday, June 8, when housing and registration open. We will be sending out further information as the date approaches. Please do NOT contact the hotels directly. For a detailed listing and descriptions of all ICMA Conference Hotels and a map of the hotels and Greater Columbus Convention Center, please visit conference.icma. org/2022- icma=columbus/hotel-and-travel
Official ICMA Conference Hotels Hotel
Room Rate Per Night
(tax not included)
AC Hotel Columbus Downtown
$189 single/double
Canopy by Hilton Columbus Downtown
$209 single/double
Courtyard by Marriott Downtown
$182 single/double
Drury Inn & Suites Columbus Convention Center
$170 single/double
Hampton Inn and Suites Columbus Downtown
$179 single/double
Hilton Columbus Downtown
$179 single/double
Hyatt Regency Columbus
$199 single/double
Le Meridien Columbus, The Joseph
$244 single/double
Red Roof Inn Columbus
$115 single/double
Renaissance Columbus Downtown
$164 single/double
Residence Inn Columbus Downtown
$183 single/double
Sonesta Columbus Downtown
$195 single/double
See you in Columbus! September 17–21, 2022 CONTACT US Email: conferenceteam@icma.org Telephone: 800-745-8780
#ICMA2022
FOLLOW US Twitter: @ICMAEvents Facebook: @ICMAORG Instagram: @ICMAORG LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/icma
PEOPLE FIRST
Culture, Core Values, and Chalk?
How Goodyear, Arizona, implemented and communicated a core-value program that increased employee satisfaction. BY JULIE KARINS, ICMA-CM When was the last time you
touched a piece of chalk? For those of us who can remember actually using chalkboards instead of computers at school, the last time we have probably touched a piece of chalk is during childhood. The feel of chalk on a board and the sound of an eraser that follows is unmistakable. We’re making new memories with chalk at the city of Goodyear. When you step off the elevator onto the second floor at city hall, you can’t help but notice a giant chalkboard wall adorned with quirky questions, clever answers, jokes, a game or two of tic tac toe, and doodles. Framing it are colorful signs with the words “Team Goodyear Shares” and the city’s six core values: 1. Integrity 2. Empathy 3. Optimism 4. Initiative 5. Adaptability 6. Innovation. It’s not something you’d expect to see in a government office, and that’s exactly why we have added not one, but five, chalkboard walls in offices around the city. Non-negotiable
JULIE KARINS, ICMA-CM is city manager of Goodyear, Arizona.
The culture at the city of Goodyear is as special and unique as the public servants who serve the ninth fastest-growing community in the country. When I joined the city at the start of 2018 as city manager, I sensed immediately that Goodyear was special. Different. A blend of energy, motivation, and new ideas peppered with a hefty dose of genuine kindness and respect for one another. Everyone I spoke with said that one of the reasons they enjoyed working for the city is because it felt like working with family. I knew that with the continued boom in growth that we needed to keep this family feel and the mixture of teamwork,
46 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | JUNE 2022
Photo courtesy of Goodyear, Arizona
dedication, and elbow grease. It was also imperative that, from the minute a potential new hire filled out an online application, they understood the city’s core values are non-negotiable. Because they are. Thus, we embarked on an intentional culture journey.
At the city of Goodyear, we often say, “We care. We achieve. We celebrate.”
Earning Attention and Avoiding “HR Speak”
The city’s human resources (HR) team reintroduced the city’s core values to all employees in 2018, spending 18 months focused on each core value in three-month blocks. We know from our biennial employee survey that city employees overwhelmingly prefer to get important news and information directly from their supervisors and department leaders, so we used a cascaded approach for the rollout.
As the city manager, I introduced each core value to the organization, then department directors took the lead with their teams to ensure all employees had access to the same information at the same time. HR created branded tools and resources, which included custom presentations with detailed speaker notes and relevant videos. These videos were complemented with supporting collateral to help lead team discussions and activities over each three-month time frame. When we first began our journey to focus on our core values, we wanted to make sure employees didn’t see it as temporary, or a feel-good marketing campaign. By rewarding and recognizing employees who demonstrated our values, staff began to realize it was legit–and wasn’t going anywhere. And, in the spirit of innovation and customer service, the team encouraged department leaders to add the core values focus to alreadyexisting meetings. Instead of one more thing to do, our core values focus became a part of what we already do.
It’s not something you’d expect to see in a government office, and that’s exactly why we have added not one, but five, chalkboard walls in offices around the city. It’s been three years since we launched our first core value, and I’m happy to say that our core values continue to be the guiding principles here at the city. We have moved the needle on employee satisfaction since we started, and 96 percent of city employees recently said in a survey that they like working for the city. We hope and anticipate those numbers will keep on rising.
Celebrating Achievements
I firmly believe that in focusing on our core values as a city, Team Goodyear will maintain its family feel and provide exceptional customer service internally to each other and externally to our growing community. If I were to offer advice to others, it would be to only move forward when you’re fully committed to the process. It can’t be a “when we have time” or “only when times are good” effort. To be successful, it needs to be an organizational and leadership commitment of time, energy, and resources. And don’t forget to celebrate and have fun along this incredible journey! At the city of Goodyear, we often say, “We care. We achieve. We celebrate.” This applies to achievements both big and small. Achievements that are sometimes born from something as small as thoughts on a chalk wall, and the inspiration—and dare I say fun—it can bring each day. Originally published on the ICMA blog at https://icma.org/blog-posts/culture-corevalues-and-chalk.
JUNE 2022 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 47
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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Philp Smith-Hanes,
A Whole New Arena
-CM IA
County Administrator County of Saline, Salina, Kansas ICMA Member since 196 9 Co-founder, CivicPRIDE
Something I never envisioned for my career is managing all the federal to local governments through the CARES Act and ARPA. We’re really able to create some structural change in our communities through strategically deploying those resources. I feel like most of my career I’ve
art“P of My Own Identiy Is Not antig W to Be e Lik Evonery El” se. One of the great traits of this career path is that you’re unique in your community. I always say that every day in this profession is something new and different. I never know what my day will end up looking like because it’s usually radically different from what’s on my schedule.
A ableMmor Experinc One of the most memorable experiences that I’ve had along the way was trying to engage with a group of Occupy Wall Street protesters as they were marching around the conference table chanting at me. It was one of a series of meetings that I held in an attempt to engage with the protestors. Economic inequality is an important issue, but the other folks in the room decided that it was not going to be a dialogue, it was going to be a protest, and you just sort of deal with that. It was interesting because it was a public meeting and I ended up addressing the press as this chant was going on around us, and I think I got a lot of public support as a result.
budget cuts, so this is a
The alue V of
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in ’s ICMA Equity Cohrt Participating in the ICMA Equity Cohort really gave me a new appreciation for the struggles of other professionals within our organizations and particular. Oftentimes they are members of historically oppressed communities and the work is not just something that they got a degree in; it’s something that they came to through a very personal route. It was really moving to hear about their experiences trying to move equity forward in their organizations while simultaneously not falling apart because of personal experiences they were having and the ways they were being attacked.
JUNE 2022 | PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | 49
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