Building a Stronger Workforce
Human Resources
The competition for recruiting and retaining a qualified , vibrant workforce has been challenging for organizations across the country in recent years . Talent is often scarce , which makes filling positions difficult and keeping existing employees satisfied in their workplace is critical .
The City of Port St . Lucie has used tools like the National Employee Survey™ for the past five years to understand the overall satisfaction , needs and general perceptions of our employees . Using data from those surveys provides valuable insights for the Human Resources Department , especially when it comes to determining what benefits are most important to staff .
In 2023 , the survey showed that employees were looking for more options in the benefits plan . As a result , Human Resources enhanced benefit options that allowed more flexibility and added value . The City has seen increased participation in benefit offerings and programs because of these efforts .
Employees have maintained steady levels of satisfaction since the survey began and their trust in City leadership remains strong . In 2023 , 89 % of employees said they felt positive about working for the City of Port St . Lucie , higher than benchmark communities nationwide .
Using data to inform workforce decisions and to shape the culture of the organization is an important part of the work being done by our Human Resources Department .
Those efforts were recognized when the City received the 2023 Public Sector Human Resources Association Small Agency Award of Excellence . This national award recognizes the overall quality , accomplishments and contributions of an agency human resource program that exceeds the normal operation of a “ good government human resource program .”
The awards nomination focused on several Human Resources initiatives and accomplishments that were tied to the City ’ s Strategic Plan involving leadership , culture , talent , technology and innovation .
42
The number of days on average it took to fill job openings in 2022 / 23 . That was a 24 % reduction from two years ago and 19 % from the previous year .
10.5 %
The overall employee turnover rate for the City . That was a 4.5 % decrease from the previous year .
95 %
The percentage of employees surveyed who planned to be working for the City a year from now .
2023 City Manager ’ s Annual Report | 27