Six Things Public Agency Executives Need to Do
to Compete for Key Talent
It happens all the time: that engineer it took your agency a year to find turns out to be a hard-working overachiever who actually likes talking to the public! She exceeds all your expectations and is fitting in perfectly in the Public Works Department. Then, within one short year, she hands in her resignation papers and is gone within two weeks. Believe me, it's not just your agency. I've seen it happen again and again with every type of agency in every level of government.
Here's What You Already Know:
- One in five employees will quit within the first two years of employment. The statistics are becoming even more startling with a new generation workforce.
- Public agencies are having an increasingly difficult time attracting new college graduates.
- Only one third of recent Kennedy School of Government graduates entered public service, compared to 75% in 1980.
- There will be a worldwide talent shortage for the next ten years as the demographics of the workforce shift.
- More than 50% of public agency employees in California are already eligible for retirement. Private sector employers have already embraced the tools necessary to position themselves to get and keep the best talent in a very competitive market.
- It costs more than one and a half times the salary of a departing employee to replace him or her when factoring in recruitment, training and lost productivity.
Your agency needs proven strategies to:
- Hold onto good employees
- Hire the right employees
- Compete effectively in today's talent wars
What the "best in class" companies have learned
It's no wonder that Google, Whole Foods and SC Johnson are at the top of Fortune's list of the Top 100 Best Places to Work. They know and practice these strategies each and every day. They begin using them before they begin a recruitment. It starts with the internal environment, and it's no wonder job applicants are crossing their fingers, hoping to get hired into those companies.
But, how can a public sector agency compete with private companies for talent?
You don't have the luxury of offering huge performance bonuses or added vacation time. Not to mention the gourmet luncheons and pets at work! You are restricted by salary structures, compensation guidelines and labor agreements. And can we please not discuss the fluctuating general fund? You can't just call an Executive Team meeting and declare a new compensation structure to match market conditions. But there are things local government executives can do to get and keep key employees.
Making your agency THE agency of choice for key talent
Did you know that Google receives more than 1,300 resumes per day? People really want to work for them. They know what a good company it is and how well it treats its employees. Google has its choice of employees; the company doesn't have to settle for anyone less than the best. They aren't forced to hire the one person who applied that month for that key job. Google is an employer of choice and your agency can be one too. Even if you think there's no money.
"But, we're a public agency. Funds are limited and we're already struggling with public perceptions of inflated salaries and enriched benefits."
In this FREE report learn our strategies for overcoming these barriers in your agency. We introduce methods developed specifically for public agencies by public agency executives. Get past the barriers so that you can have the satisfaction of actually implementing some of those great Fortune 100 strategies.
Yes! I want to learn how to make our agency stronger and my life easier by getting and keeping key employees
every time!
Extra: We know you'll want to share this information with your council or board. To save you time and to make it easier for you, we have prepared this report as a slide presentation – ALSO FREE! Download it to disk and you have an instant presentation for those who don't know what you know about this problem.
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