For the past few years, the U.S. labor market has experienced some shifts that have resulted in an increasing difficulty in finding and retaining good employees. Local government is no exception to this trend. From an aging workforce to the “Great Resignation” that followed the pandemic, the reasons for this trend are many – but it does mean that department heads are having to find new ways to attract and retain employees.

Raising salaries and increasing benefits aren’t always a viable solution for local government agencies that operate on strict budgets, making the problem of employee retention more challenging for municipal leaders and department managers. If you find yourself in this boat and are looking for innovative ways to increase employee retention, check out these tips.

1. Employee Recognition

One easy first step toward increasing employee retention in local government agencies is to increase employee recognition. It might sound like an overly simple step, but sometimes the simplest things make the biggest difference. Acknowledging the hard work and positive contributions of your employees can go a long way toward increasing their overall satisfaction at work. According to a Gallup/Workhuman survey, employees who work for companies that prioritize recognition are 56% less likely to look for a new job and 73% less likely to always feel burned out.

As a manager or leader, employee recognition can take many forms, from simply praising employees during an all-staff meeting to setting up a formal recognition program. While a peer-to-peer recognition program can help create a culture of appreciation, praise tends to feel more meaningful when it comes from leadership. Consider a monthly achievement award or a spotlight in an internal newsletter. Keep in mind that specific feedback is more effective than just saying “good job.” Taking the time to identify specific things the employee did well, in addition to the positive outcome of their actions, will feel more genuine and in turn help to make employees feel more valued.

2. Provide Ongoing Training

With more and more long-term government employees aging out, many municipalities are turning to younger generations to fill positions. Different generations have different values though, and for many government agencies, it has been challenging to shift tactics to appeal to the priorities and values of younger generations.

One area that younger generations such as millennials and especially Gen Z prioritize is workplace training. According to a 2022 Employee Well-Being Report from LinkedIn, 76% of Gen Z respondents said they are looking for positions with opportunities to learn or practice new skills. Many worry about developing skills and learning crucial knowledge to carry them throughout the course of their career. To that extent, many employees in the younger generations value workplace training that will help them to expand their skillsets.

Providing ongoing training and learning opportunities can be a win-win. Younger employees will learn valuable information and skills, which in turn can make your department stronger and help retain current employees. From mentorship programs to online conferences and work-sponsored training programs, providing current employees with continuing education opportunities can be a major value-add for prospective employees.

3. Eliminate Redundancies to Better Focus on Meaningful Work

In that same LinkedIn report, 80% of Gen Z respondents said they are looking for positions that better align with their personal interests or values – and they’re not the only ones. Post-pandemic, droves of people quit their jobs in what has become known as the Great Resignation. While some made career moves in favor of positions that offered them greater flexibility, others began rethinking how and where they were spending their work time and made moves to careers that better aligned with their values or provided more meaningful work.

In many ways, this trend can benefit local government agencies. Government exists to serve the people, and no form of government has a bigger impact on the day-to-day lives of its citizens than local government agencies. Many departments have the ability to work directly with citizens and influence their lives for the better. Unfortunately, for many local government employees, their day-to-day is tied up in repetitive administrative tasks that prevent them from engaging in the more meaningful aspects of their job.

One way that government agencies can help their employees get back to the things that matter the most is by investing in technology with automations. Automations, as their name implies, automate time-consuming tasks by setting up rules and logic within a program so that taking one action triggers another to be done automatically. Automations relieve employees of time-consuming repetitive tasks, freeing them up to do more thoughtful and meaningful work.

Empower Your Employees with Comcate’s Technology

At Comcate, we believe in empowering government employees to increase a city’s service capacity and enhance its interactions with citizens. All of our products offer valuable time-saving automations that increase employee efficiencies and relieve them of repetitive administrative tasks.

Hartford City, Indiana partners with Comcate for code enforcement software. “The bottom line in government is you try to do as much as you can with what you have,” said Ron Dudelston, who served as Hartford City’s Property Standards Board chair at the time. “Comcate frees up our Code Enforcement coordinator to do something other than rummaging through files. Before Comcate, she'd spend a couple of hours preparing files for the Property Standards Board meetings. Now I just plug my tablet in and we’re reviewing everything online on our big displays. You can buy more paper, but you can't buy more time.”

Want to see how software could improve your employees’ work? Contact us today to schedule a demo.

Schedule a Meeting with Comcate Today!

Learn how Comcate can help make government delivery simple, and offer a modern digital experience to help you increase transparency, efficiency, and performance across your departments. If you have any questions about implementing our software, please fill out the form below or call us directly at (415) 632-1248.

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