Staffing Matters
“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.”
Winnie the Pooh in Christopher Robin (Disney 2018)
The end of the year is often a time to reflect on the year that has been. It’s a chance to reflect on those moments throughout the year, where the impossible was achieved out of almost nothing. As the world continues to learn how to live with COVID19, it is timely to reflect on some interesting labor statistics on hiring and quitting. In January 2020, as COVID19 was starting to become a concern to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Quit Rate in the United States was 2.3%, having been at that rate from September through to December in 2019. From January through to September 2023, the median average Quit Rate was 2.4%. From this data, based on the headline statistics, it could be extrapolated that the work force in the United States is starting to normalize.
What is curious is when the data around Job Openings, Hires and Separations are looked at. Calculating the median average from the data supplied by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median average of total Job Openings for August and September 2020 was 4.3%, just as the COVID19 pandemic was getting well under way. The median average for Hires for this period was 4.15%, a small shortfall of 0.15%, which given the context of COVID19 is somewhat remarkable. The median average for Separations from August to September 2020 was 3.3%. This means a loss is occurring between Hires and Separation. It effectively means that organizations, public and private were barely treading water, with a 1% loss between the median average of Job Openings to be filled and Separations. Obviously the jobs being filled and the jobs having people leave them, are not necessarily the same. The quantum is what is stalling.
For Government (Federal, State and Local) the situation was even more interesting. The median average for Government Job Openings in August through to September 2020 was 3.15% and the Hire rate was 1.95%. In effect 1.2% of Job Openings remained unfilled. The median average of Separations for this period was 1.4%, almost erasing the quantum of people hired for this period.
Fast forward to August through to September in 2023, where the Quit data suggests things are stabilizing. The median average for Total Job Openings during this time was a massive 5.7% for which the Hire rate was 3.7%, with 2% going unfilled. The median average for Total Separations for this period was 3.55%, effectively erasing the quantum hired at this time. For Government, the median average for Job Openings from August through to September 2023 was 4.3%, the median average for Government Hires for this period was 1.6%, suggesting a shortfall of 2.7%. The median average for Separations at this time was 1.4%, which again effectively eradicated all recruiting efforts for this period. (For Job Openings, Hires and Separations for 2020 and 2023 go the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Job Openings and Labor Turnover Archived News Releases.
Clearly something is happening in the Labor Market, particularly in Government jobs. It would seem that the recruitment experience where you take one step forward is ubiquitously followed by the proverbial two steps back. It effectively means that our organizations, especially those tasked with the delivery of Government programs, are operating in an eternal state of liminality between being understaffed and being fully staffed, a state of doing something with nothing and doing something with sufficient resources.
It’s an intriguing phenomenon. In some jurisdictions around the world, the teaching service is experiencing an increase in teachers wanting to work on a casual basis rather than on a permanent full-time or part-time basis. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, for State and Local Government Education Services, in August 2023, there were 330 Job Openings, 175 Hires and 165 Separations. This effectively means 320 Job Openings remained vacant. For September 2023, there were 337 Job Opening in Educational Services, with 175 Hires, whilst 123 Separations occurred. If you do the Maths, this effectively means that 285 Job Openings in September 2023 remained empty. Whilst these figures are across the whole of the United States for State and Local Government Education, they represent a challenge.
Consider why someone might choose to work for a Government agency, be it a school, a hospital, public works, emergency services, etc. Government agencies traditionally have been places were job security was valued and obvious. If you had a permanent job with a Government agency and you were looking for a home loan, the lender would normally take a lot of interest because they know your pay will be regular. Government agencies are an opportunity to work with like-minded people who are trying to make things better for the citizens they serve. The size of a Government agency means you have the chance to encounter and work with professionals from other industries and disciplines. An example would be the fact that local law enforcement often find themselves working alongside paramedics and firefighters, even medical professionals such as the Medical Examiner. In school and health systems, the front line workers will have reason throughout their week to speak to and seek advice from other professionals in at head office, lawyers, psychologists, specialist advisers, just to name a few.
Government agencies are often perceived as rigid, rule driven and hierarchical. No doubt some may well be. Perhaps the view is coloured through negative interactions with agents of a particular Government agency, leading to a view that all Government agencies are cold, unkind and their staff lacking in empathy and overflowing in officiousness. The only reason these people keep coming back is because it’s the only agency of Government that they can get what they need from Government. Of course this is very much a huge generalization but it only takes a handful of disaffected people to turn the tide of popular opinion. One, often cited reason, as to why people aren’t applying for Government jobs and why they are leaving in significant numbers, is money. If you hold professional qualifications and licences and can earn 10% more in private industry or with a publicly listed company, why would you want to work for Government? That said, often Government agencies have the capacity to allow employees to start early, finish late, build up excess time in the time sheet and then claim the time back as a half-day or whole-day off ‘in-lieu’.
In a March 2023 article ‘Working in Government: Pros and Cons’, the Indeed Editorial Team made the following observations.
|
Pros for Working in Government |
Cons for Working in Government |
|
Retirement Package Health Insurance Stability Student Loan Repayment Fair Pay Work-Life Balance Service-Minded Peers Meaningful Work Travel Broad Job Range Professional Development |
Lack of Growth Limited Compensation Bureaucracy Slow to Change Seniority over Ability Hiring Process Political Impact Lack of Growth |
Indeed Editorial Team. (March 11, 2023). Working in Government: Pros and Cons.
It’s an interesting list and certainly has some substance to it. To an extent, it is a generalized list, most likely emanating from people who gave feedback to the authors, as to why they haven’t applied for Government jobs. The bigger issue isn’t that people aren’t applying in numbers large enough to fill the vacancies available. The issue is compounded by the plethora of people who are voting with their feet and leaving. Think about the idea of ‘6 Degrees of Separation’, the idea that we all know 6 people, each of whom knows 6 people and each of those knows 6 people, continuing down 6 levels. The theory is that we are connected through those initial 6 people. If that’s true, then we all would most likely know of at least one person, family, friends or acquaintances, who currently or has previously worked for Government. Add to that the notion that almost everyone known to you has had to engage with at least one Government agency. If you lodge a tax return each year, you are dealing with a Government agency. These experiences of encounter plus the people we know who work / worked for Government, can easily colour our perception and that in turn can effect our decision making. This impact has been written about by Tom Peters.
Clearly something is happening in the Labor Market, particularly in Government jobs.
Of course perception is literally in the eyes and mind of the beholder. Perhaps a marketing campaign about the extraordinary work that a particular Government agency is doing, will help drive people to them for employment. Perhaps! The agencies that are most likely able to do this, are probably the ones highly engaged and embedded in the community. The Fire Ddepartment could easily embark on such a campaign and few people would argue the varasity of the claim. Most people know they do great work, especially in moments of crisis and would be happy to encourage family and friends to go and work for them. Encouraging people to work for agencies that seem a few steps removed from the daily life of individuals is more challenging. Again it comes down to perception. Referencing ‘Start-Ups’, Tom Peters in his groundbreaking work, ‘The Excellence Dividend’ explains what it takes to become an ‘employer of choice’.
“To be special. Very special. To be the best. To be an employer of choice, too—not hiring dozens, but with sustained stellar performance and growing reputation, increasing staff size from, say, three to five or six or even nine. And the jobs added would be damn good jobs. Probably not terribly high-paying jobs, but moderate-paying jobs at a great company; the three or five or six or nine employees of this little “be the best” outfit would ingest a bushel of good habits and pick up precious hard and soft skills that would increase their employability quotient and, thus, serve them well in the years, even decades, to come. Despite at first blush what appear to be ordinary-sounding services, none of these operations needs to be a commodity. Special/Excellent/“Wow!”/“Only Ones (in the region) Who Do What We Do” is not an opportunity open to a chosen few! These differentiating attributes are available to anyone with a vivid imagination, a sterling work ethic, a passion for improvement, a caring attitude, and an unwavering pursuit of excellence.”
Peters, Tom. (2018) The Excellence Dividend: Principles for Prospering in Turbulent Times from a Lifetime in Pursuit of Excellence (eBook). London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing. p131-132.
It really means investing in people. It means hiring the right people, people who are focused on excellence, people who value and can use the ‘hard and soft skills’ with ease. Caring about others, the team and the customers are critical to changing perceptions. The power of ‘word-of-mouth’ advertising should not be underestimated. Imagine going to renew your ‘Driver’s Licence’ and then being genuinely asked for your views about the quality of service you experienced. Imagine being concierged as you walk in to this Driver Licensing and Testing Centre! Yet in some jurisdictions this happens and these ‘Driver Licensing Centres’ are actually a one stop shop to gain access to the whole of Government services that may be available to you. Imagine renewing your ‘Driver’s License’, registering the Birth of your child, booking an appointment with a Career Adviser, availing yourself for your own family of Government programs that promote health and physical activities in young people, all in one visit. This concept exists as an initiative of the State Government of New South Wales (Australia), the centres being known as Service NSW. Add to that the ability to access these services online as well, you have a way in which the whole of Government can be accessed and the likely potential for a positive engagement with Government, increased (See: https://www.service.nsw.gov.au).
It’s a realization that Government programs need to reach the people they are designed to serve, as simply and effectively as possible. The customer should be the focus and that means the employees who engage with the customers must also be a focus. Professional development and training of staff, is critical. Happy customers leaving a Government agency, is the best way to promote working for the Government. The benefit of focusing on people as the key driver to changing perceptions and improving the organization in the job market, was highlighted by Mark C. Crowley in his excellent book ‘Lead From The Heart’.
“But Edmans’ more informed assertion is that the pie is not fixed at all. “When all members of an organization work together, bound by a common purpose and focused on the long term, they create shared value in a way that enlarges the slices of everyone.” All in all, Edmans’ research proves that by not making investments in people, companies underperform against their true potential. Contrary to what many of us have always believed and acted upon, organizations that find myriad ways to cultivate, honor, and otherwise support the human needs of workers manage to consistently create tides that lift all boats.”
Crowley, Mark. C. (2022). Lead From The Heart: Transformational Leadership For The 21st Century (eBook). Carlsbad. California: Hay House, Inc. p105.
Simply put, people will always be the key to improving perceptions, enhancing organizational reputation and improving the customer – agency relationship. Whilst it might seem that the organization is trying to do more with nothing, the reality is that working with and developing your employees and your customers isn’t nothing. It is something and has the very real potential to morph into something special. It helps build social capital, within and outside the organization. Eliminate the ‘Cons for Working with Government’ and focus on the ‘Pros for Working with Government’. Aim to foster daily, the relationships with all key players, showing that it is possible for Government agencies to be grounded in the local community they seek to serve. It creates a win-win scenario for all. It won’t be easy but it should prove rewarding. That requires real leadership. On this, the sage like advice of Winnie the Pooh is worth considering.
“I always get to where I’m going by walking away from where I have been.”
Winnie the Pooh in Christopher Robin (Disney 2018)
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