May 2024
Public Service Recognition Week 2024 (PSRW) is officially underway, and will run through this coming Sunday, May 11. This week marks the perfect moment to reflect on the extraordinary contributions each one of our members make to their agencies and their communities, to The Public Sector HR Association (PSHRA), and to Making Public Sector Work Better™.
PSHRA recently teamed with Colonial Life to conduct a study that highlights how these dedicated public sector professionals perceive their employee benefits—a crucial piece of the public sector employer value proposition—how strong benefits programs help boost employee retention, and what improved retention equates to greater productivity, cost savings and morale, for instance.
Data found in the study, Tap Into Talent Retention: Driving More Effective Resource Management Through Strong Benefit Programs, was culled from polls of 505 full-time employees and 278 decision makers in organizations of all sizes across local, state and federal government.
Overall, the study found that 35% of employees surveyed characterized themselves as “promoters” of their organization who would recommend it to others. Another 21% said they would “definitely” recommend their agency as a good place to work. A large majority of study participants had neutral or negative feelings in response to this question, according to the researchers.
Employee benefits can have a significant positive effect on these impartial or unfavorable perspectives, the study authors noted, pointing out that 74% of workers said their benefits packages were extremely or very important in their decision to stay with their current employer.
“While compensation is often attractive during the recruitment process, a strong benefits program can boost engagement and job satisfaction, which creates a positive employer image and reputation for valuing employees,” the researchers wrote, adding that two-thirds of employees feel their employer values them, with this sentiment much stronger among employees in non-profit and smaller organizations.
These survey results “indicate that a comprehensive, customizable and personally communicated employee benefits program is a critical component for attracting and keeping the best talent in an organization,” said Steve Vermette, national practice leader, public sector, at Colonial Life, said.
“In the current labor environment, it is the best way to maximize a return on talent. In fact, for many existing employees, it may be the deciding factor to stay with their employer.”
Each day throughout Public Service Recognition Week, PSHRA will be sharing inspirational public service-related words on our social channels, highlighting the type of talented government employees to whom Vermette referred, and showing appreciation for the work that you, our members do throughout all levels of government, and as the lifeblood of our organization.
Former Maryland Gov. Bob Ehrlich, for example, aptly summed up the spirit of PSRW in a January 2003 address to his constituents:
“Its appropriate to celebrate public service, and the thoughtful people who choose to serve,” said Ehrlich. “They symbolize what is good and decent about this historic citizen legislature, and we thank them.”
Thank you for your incredible dedication and hard work. Let’s make this Public Service Recognition Week a memorable one!
Your PSHRA Team
