{"id":1235,"date":"2013-07-15T22:12:03","date_gmt":"2013-07-16T05:12:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/careersingovernment.com\/tools\/?p=1235"},"modified":"2014-04-22T19:40:27","modified_gmt":"2014-04-23T02:40:27","slug":"engage-employees-to-strengthen-local-government","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.careersingovernment.com\/tools\/resources\/hr-tips\/engage-employees-to-strengthen-local-government\/","title":{"rendered":"Engage Employees to Strengthen Local Government"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"local<\/a>Employee engagement studies have magnified the challenge of engaging public sector employees. Threatened benefits, public scrutiny, and an improving job market make public sector employment seem less appealing than ever before.\u00a0 Yet, when managers build strong connections with employees, regardless of the larger environmental pressures, engagement happens.<\/p>\n

Many managers struggle with creating these integral connections for a lot of reasons.\u00a0 Employees may be disenfranchised with how the organization has managed through recent fiscal crises.\u00a0 They may be disconnected because they haven\u2019t been asked about critical workplace changes.\u00a0 They may be disengaged because no one has invited them to the table.<\/p>\n

Engaging employees doesn\u2019t have to be a monumental project or an initiative.\u00a0 To strengthen the connection with public sector employees, try these simple approaches:<\/p>\n

1. Conduct regular one-on-one meetings.<\/b>\u00a0 Regular, structured conversations with employees allow you to hear about their successes and challenges. A regular touch-base meeting gives you a chance to give feedback to the employee, and it gives the employee a chance to do the same for you.\u00a0 Ultimately, regularly scheduled performance-related meetings build trust. Guides to leading one-on-one meetings<\/a>\u00a0are readily available.<\/p>\n

2. Use a talent management system.<\/b>\u00a0Integrated talent management systems help to track and monitor the communication between managers and employees.\u00a0 Talent management systems enable employees to track their progress on goals and critical performance measures.\u00a0 Likewise, managers can record key performance milestones and maintain conversation records with the tool.\u00a0 A talent management system frees managers from the burden of keeping paper files related to performance so they can focus on the important conversations they should be having with employees.<\/p>\n

3. Conduct regular stay conversations.<\/b>\u00a0 Originally defined by Beverly Kaye & Sharon Jordan-Evans in their book,\u00a0\u201cLove \u2018Em or Lose \u2018Em: Getting Good People to Stay,\u201d\u00a0the stay interview is a simple conversation that allows you to learn what motivates your employees. It also conveys to the employee that you value them.\u00a0 Ultimately, stay interviews increase levels of employee retention and boost satisfaction.\u00a0 A stay interview can:<\/p>\n