It’s been a rough few years for the public health workforce. From post-pandemic burnout and declining resources to political shifts and planned retirements, many state and local health departments are experiencing significant staff losses.
Over a fifth of the government public health workforce plans to leave their jobs in the next year, according to the 2024 Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS). Of those intending to leave, 26% say it is because of a lack of acknowledgement or recognition for the work that they do.
Employee recognition programs can help health departments address some of these challenges. When employees feel seen and appreciated by their supervisors, they’re more likely to feel engaged in the work they’re doing — and to feel more satisfied with their leadership. Recognition for a job well done can also encourage employees to take on new challenges, readying them for new opportunities and roles within the department.
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) noted in its 2023-2024 State of the Workplace report that many organizations planned to direct more resources toward developing and supporting their current workforce. Leveraging existing resources to build and strengthen employee recognition practices is a smart investment. Here, we offer some recommendations and examples of how different health departments approach employee recognition.
Listen to learn what makes employees feel valued
New York State Department of Health
In 2024, Jillian Bumpus visited New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) employees at different locations throughout the state. She asked a set of similar questions and ended up with some interesting qualitative data, she said. “The data prompted some shifts in my initiatives during the last year,” Bumpus said. “And it helped us create what we call the three pillars of organizational health for our department — connection, recognition, and workspace wellness.”
One thing Bumpus heard consistently from supervisors was that they want to learn ways to recognize staff. They understood the importance of this practice but needed ideas, she said. So, she and her team are creating two digital toolkits for supervisors and managers to offer ideas and resources to encourage employee recognition.
“We want people to find strategies they can easily plug in,” Bumpus said. “We’re gathering the ideas we heard into a playbook others can use.”
As an example, one employee recognition strategy includes creating opportunities for presenting to department leadership or in more public forums. “Often, when somebody creates an initiative, their supervisor will report it at an executive leadership meeting or present it at a summit or conference,” Bumpus said. Encouraging the employee who created the initiative to present instead is a way to challenge norms and remove potential barriers to employee recognition.
Bumpus said her employee visits have also led to bringing back the department’s former practice of presenting a commissioner’s award, which is now called the Excellence in Public Health Award. The award has a rubric with defined criteria and all employees are eligible.
“Sometimes, operations and administrative staff are excluded from these kinds of awards,” Bumpus said. “Our award includes public health service delivery employees, as well as operations, administrative, and infrastructure employees. We had an overwhelming response when the nomination form went out, with people emailing us and saying, ‘Thank you for including us.’”
Bumpus emphasized the importance of continuing to listen to employees to learn what makes them feel valued. She and her team are following the U.S. Surgeon General’s Five Essentials for Workplace Mental Health & Well-Being framework to gain leadership support and more insight into the worker voice. In fact, her informal visits have now grown into a more formal “listening tour” that she expects to conduct in 2025.
Keep It Personal to Make It Matter
Westfield Regional Health Department, New Jersey
When it comes to helping employees feel seen and heard, sometimes it’s less about grand gestures and more about connection. Last year, the Westfield Regional Health Department (WRHD) in Westfield, New Jersey tried a new approach for the department’s 20 full-time employees — intentional one-on-one time with the director where they could share their thoughts and feedback.
“Each of the nonsupervisory employees got a check-in with me mid-year,” said Megan Avallone, director of WRHD. “These were a chance for them to talk to me about what they think and for me to tell them how great they are.”
The sessions didn’t take place in the office. Instead, Avallone and the employee met at a coffee shop or took a walk together. Location was the employee’s choice to encourage them to feel comfortable, she said.
Avallone said the sessions were a remarkable opportunity for her to listen to feedback, including criticism of her own leadership or of the department. “We encouraged people to be honest and to talk about things that were important to them,” she said. “I wanted them to know that everybody matters. I’m busy, but I’m never too busy for the team.”
The new practice generally received good reviews, she said.
WRHD also works to elevate employees through its required monthly reporting to the town’s Board of Health, which oversees the agency. “Our reports have a section for staff accomplishments,” she said. “We use that opportunity to showcase all the great things staff are doing in their professional lives.”
Avallone said the department also works to foster recognition of the team’s collective humanity. “We try not to overshare personal things, but we’re good at having a general understanding of who’s going through a happy time and who’s going through a lot,” she said. “We’re all human and we try to give everybody the benefit of the doubt. That recognition can really help morale.”
The WRHD team also builds in regular time for celebration. Monthly get-togethers recognize birthdays, milestones, and achievements. Informal monthly networking events help encourage and strengthen team connections.
“It’s not one-size-fits-all when it comes to recognition,” Avallone said. “I spent a lot of time asking, ‘How do you feel appreciated?’ One person just wants to be told she’s doing a good job. Another doesn’t want constant feedback but wants more autonomy to show they’re doing a good job.”
One theme is common, however — an appreciated and happy employee is a productive employee, Avallone said.
Dedicate Staff to Employee Recognition
Metro Public Health Department of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee
At Metro Public Health Department of Nashville and Davidson County, employee recognition is a well-oiled machine led by the department’s Workplace Culture Committee. Each month, the committee collects nominations for employee of the month and team of the month and makes their selections.
The awards come with certain perks, including a photo opportunity with the director of health and the employee’s or team’s supervisor. Those photos are displayed on electronic screens throughout the department’s facilities. Winners also get to host a circulating trophy for the month.
“The employee of the month also gets a special parking space,” said Jamie Means, workforce development director for Metro Public Health.
The program has been in place for more than a decade, according to Means. But that doesn’t mean the department rests on its employee recognition laurels. “We’re constantly asking, ‘What type of engagement do we want? What impact do we want to have?’” she said. “How can an employee recognition program help us develop a positive work culture?”
One important step is making sure awards are inclusive and not limited only to those employees in leadership roles or at the highest levels of the organization. Metro Public Health encourages inclusivity by keeping the nomination process broad. “Employees can self-nominate if they feel they’ve done something that is worthy of recognition or they can nominate a team member or someone from another division who they know has done great work,” Means said. “The nomination opportunity is broadcast through our health announcements and flyers are posted at all campuses. We make sure everyone knows about the process and has the opportunity to support and highlight one another.”
Clear definitions are also critical to a successful employee recognition program, according to Means. That means all employees understand the criteria for consideration and that the process is fair and transparent.
Means noted that creating a sustainable employee recognition program that employees are excited to be part of requires a team that’s dedicated to the effort. Metro Public Health’s Workplace Culture Committee includes two co-chairs. “It’s important to make sure you have the people in place to run a program,” she said. “Those people need to have the capacity to serve on a committee and do this work in addition to the responsibilities of their jobs.”
It’s also important to ensure that staff running the employee recognition program do so through a lens of fairness and equity. That’s where managers and supervisors play an important role, Means said.
“They’re the people working directly with employees who could be considered for awards,” she said. “Managers and supervisors can also be considered, of course, but those working closely with team members should be encouraged to note the work their team members are doing and sharing, whether that’s through annual performance evaluations or ongoing conversations. Those relationships help support efforts to highlight employees and show how their work is improving our organization.”
Ultimately, formal employee recognition programs can help build a culture of positive celebration. “Once you get people into the mindset of celebrating each other and the work, and of uplifting each other, that shifts the focus from ‘I’m coming here to do a job’ to ‘There’s an opportunity here for me to engage, spark change, and serve value to my organization,’” Means said. “That helps support a shift to a culture where employee recognition is a common practice.”
Add Employee Recognition to Your Strategic Plan
District of Columbia Department of Health
Employee recognition practices help support employee wellness and positive workplace culture. That’s why goals for the development and sustainability of these practices can be an important addition to a health department’s strategic planning.
The District of Columbia (DC) Department of Health recently added an employee recognition program as one of the recommended actions in its Culture and Wellness Action Plan. This strategic plan, designed to create a culture of wellness, was informed by the department’s culture and wellness assessment — a survey of employees in five domains of employee well-being.
A desire for recognition emerged as a theme from these assessment results. But an employee recognition program had never been done at the agency. In response, the department decided to pilot a program last year as part of its strategic plan.
“Given the way most government agencies work, we knew we had to have a policy around employee recognition to create a program of substance,” said Adaora Otiji, chief learning officer for DC Health.
So, she and her team drafted a policy. “We had our union presidents review the policy, and they serve on our committee as well,” she said. This year, DC Health awarded its first annual employee recognition awards to four teams and 20 individuals. Winners received a certain amount of administrative leave time, according to Otiji.
“As part of our employee recognition policy, we also recently implemented a quarterly recognition called the Impact Award that recognizes good work as it’s happening, rather than waiting until the end of the year,” Otiji said. “We just completed our first round of Impact Award selections and will soon announce three winners.”
The department’s employee recognition policy will remain in place for the next four years, until the strategic plan is due for review, Otiji said.