Local Leaders Learn How to Retain a Talented Workforce at #MACoCon

At the 2022 MACo Summer Conference, an expert panel discussed strategies for local governments to retain a quality workforce amid evolving workplace dynamics.

In the second part of a two-part series at the 2022 MACo Summer Conference, experts and HR professionals explored how retaining talent not only requires a well-designed human resources program, but also effective communication about what your place of work has to offer compared to other employers. Participants learned about best practices for retaining talent in a competitive and evolving workforce and how to best communicate their value to staff.

Panel speakers included:

  • Beverly Churchill, Director, Human Resources, Queen Anne’s County
  • Christine Walters, Principal, FiveL Company
  • Sasha Vazquez-Gonzalez, Director of Human Resources, Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services

Moderator-participant:

  • Dan Ripberger, Managing Director, Bolton
Dan Ripberger of Bolton Rewards encouraged attendees to consider why they stay at their job and to apply a total rewards strategy to retention, which includes everything that touches employment and “what it feels like to interact with your employment.”
Queen Anne’s County Human Resources Director Beverly Churchill discussed that county’s evolving strategies to retain staff, including offering a hybrid and flexible work environment. She also emphasized that there is a huge challenge to replace those leaving the workforce and retiring vs moving into different roles, noting that there’s a gap that counties are trying to fill by offering unique retention incentives.

Sasha Vazquez-Gonzalez, Director of Human Resources for Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, on the other hand, talked about leveraging financial resources to offer unique rewards including enhanced retirement bonuses for extended employment.

Christine Walters, Principal of FiveL Company, provided an oversight of legal and ethical considerations for local governments looking to implement retention strategies.

The session was held on August 19, 2022, at the Roland Powell Convention Center in Ocean City, MD.

More about MACo’s Summer Conference: