Four Traits of Engaged Public Employees 

EMPLOYEES EXCITED TO SERVE

"How do we engage public employees in these uncertain times?"

I recently spoke with a group of municipal leaders at the League of California Cities annual conference in San Francisco, CA. The room was filled with influential community leaders who were seeking solutions to a common problem: employees aren't excited about the work they are doing.

The group acknowledged that the nature of public employment is changing rapidly. With threats to public sector pensions and reduced benefit packages, recruiting and retaining top talent is more difficult than ever. Long-term employees are expected to do more with less, in an increasingly uncertain environment. The question we all seem to be grappling with is, "How do we engage public employees in these uncertain times?"

The answer to this question is complex; the premise behind engaging employees is simple. Engaged employees are:

Intellectually respected - When an employee's ideas are cultivated, listened to, and acted upon, they feel valued and appreciated. Nothing engages an employee more than offering them a challenging, important task and allowing them to own the solution.

Emotionally connected - Public agencies deliver services that have emotional appeal. Capitalize on the contribution each employee makes to the community, and you can strengthen your "tribe."  Seth Godin in his book Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us, says we all want to be part of a tribe. He defined the concept of a tribe as "any group of people, large or small, who are connected to one another, a leader or an idea." Your tribe is the group to which you proudly belong. Engaged employees identify with their tribe (organization or their work group) and are proud to tell others about it.  

Actively involved - Sitting back and collecting a paycheck gets pretty boring, even for the most "seasoned" public employee. To engage employees you must invite them to contribute to something bigger than themselves. Create a reason for them to show up each day. Actively involve employees by asking them to help you set goals for the future. Give them the opportunity to contribute to the achievement of those goals and they'll be on board.

Meaningfully empowered - Daniel Pink, in his book A Whole New Mind, says that meaning is the new money. In the public sector, we've never counted on money as a primary motivator. Today, with trimmed budgets and streamlined operations, money is even less of a factor in the engagement of employees. But, the work you do is meaningful. You build communities, maintain a safe environment, keep citizens healthy, and foster unity. To engage public employees we must first reexamine the value of public service. There is meaning in this work if you look for it and help your employees see it too.

It's never been easy to engage employees. It's even harder in today's public agencies. But that doesn't mean it's impossible. In fact local governments, special districts, and other public entities are engaging employees by respecting their intellect, connecting emotionally, actively
involving, and meaningfully empowering. What are you doing to engage employees to serve?

Complimentary Webinar  

BEYOND SURVIVAL:

WHAT'S NEXT IN PUBLIC SECTOR WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT?

• A step-by-step approach to creating a performance-focused culture.

• Key questions and practical tips that will shift your organization from survival mode to performance mode.

• A realistic plan to create strong employee engagement and accountability.

• A real world example of how one municipality used effective employee performance management strategies to achieve significant cost savings and greater employee satisfaction - all without slipping on their critical service levels.

Pet Peeve or Performance Issue?

YOUR PET PEEVES

Recently I asked subscribers to send me their pet peeves or things employees do that bug you as a manager. Boy, did you respond! Thanks to the many folks who sent in their gripes and irritations. Here are a few of the more memorable submissions:  

• Being too chatty
• Pretending to be too busy to help a customer or answer the phone
• Chewing gum too loudly
• Looking bored while working at a public service desk
• Not responding to emails or other communications
• Arriving to work 5 to 10 minutes late every day
• Gossiping
• Talking too loudly on the phone 
• Yelling across the office rather than walking over to the other person's desk
• Heating up seafood in the kitchen microwave
• Copping an attitude
• Not responding positively to praise
  
  And my favorite....  
• Wearing camouflage clothing to work on a road construction project

In the coming months I'll break these down and offer suggestions on how to address these common issues. In each case, a simple model will be applied to determine the best approach. First, it's critical to determine if your gripe is about an observable, tangible behavior. If the gripe is not focused on the employee's behavior, it will be next to impossible to help the employee change. Second, determine how the behavior impacts the workplace. If the behavior doesn't result in a negative impact to the workplace, it's probably a pet peeve. Finally, be clear about what you would like the employee to do differently. If you can't coach the employee to an alternative behavior, you are likely to end up with a very frustrated employee.

Watch E-Tips in the coming months for more analysis of common managerial peeves. Again, thanks to everyone who submitted gripes. You sure had a lot of them!

Final Footnotes 
NEWS & EVENTS FROM MARNIE

As many of you know, I love to shop. That's why the design of my online store is important to me. If you haven't been to the MEG Store lately, I invite you to visit and browse around. 

You can order a copy of Painless Performance Evaluations at a discounted rate and you can pick up our very popular Get It Done bundle, which includes three of our most popular performance management webinars and an hour of coaching.

Okay, the MEG Store is not Nordstroms but it is certainly worth a visit.

As always, I'm grateful for your feedback and your support. 

Sincerely,

Marnie Green, IPMA-CP
Principal Consultant