NEOGOV Blog

In addition to health concerns, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an upheaval of the public sector job market that has left many workers uncertain about their future. With massive layoffs and a hiring freeze, the US unemployment rate increased to 14.4% in April, the highest since World War II. Learn more about the data behind recruiting in a pandemic below.

According to our survey of 23,310 job seekers between April and June of 2020, 51% reported their job status had changed as a result of the pandemic. The top three reasons that caused a job status change were involuntary, including being laid off (32%), reduced working hours (25%), and being furloughed (18%).

The unexpected disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic caused many organizations to work remotely for the safety of their workforce. When we asked HR teams whether their teams moved to remote work at some point during the pandemic, 93% said they had. Despite a lack of preparedness, the majority we surveyed back in May found that with flexibility, resourcefulness, and a ton of support from their IT departments, they managed to adjust and persevere.

As American society faces a new reckoning around the subject of discrimination and harassment, government bodies are looking for ways to remedy these problems with legislation. One such topic being addressed by state and local laws in the wake of the #MeToo movement is sexual harassment training, with several states and one major city enacting policies that require employers to ensure their employees are getting this important education and training.

If you are like me, you are more than just a bit off balance with all that is going on in the world. At the end of 2019, things were moving along at a nice clip and we were all excited about the prospect of a robust 2020 -- and then the COVID-19 pandemic hit with a ferocity that we had never seen or could have even imagined. Then, we all saw the senseless murder of George Floyd and other Black civilians replayed over and over across media outlets. As a result, the world exploded into a chaos that is at once compelling and traumatizing, one which many of us still have trouble processing. The issue of race relations and racial injustice symbolized by the Black Lives Matter protests have put issues we have historically been ill-equipped to deal with squarely in our sights.

Learn how to leverage the strengths and embrace the differences of your multi-generational workforce to drive greater success for your agency.

Though we are hardly out of the woods yet with regards to COVID-19, employers and employees alike are naturally beginning to think about what work life will look like when non-essential personnel return to offices. In particular, public sector agencies may not have the luxury to remain at home indefinitely – or perhaps they never went home at all – because of the nature of the services they provide to local communities.

A recent report from Gartner found that 82% of HR leaders will be involved in the planning of the return to offices. With a plethora of items to consider to not only maintain productivity but also keep everyone safe, HR must put a plan in place to ensure the return to the office is done judiciously and effectively.

Bearing that in mind, we put together an overview for HR leaders to contemplate for a safe return to the office.

In some ways, being an HR professional is a lot like herding cats. You’re constantly following up with employees on simple tasks that ultimately benefit them but that you’re responsible for implementing.

Learn how government agencies can break down barriers to help their employees be more productive, efficient, and successful at work.

Learn how giving your organization’s performance review process a thorough overhaul can radically rejuvenate your employee engagement. 

Your brand tells the public who you are, and as an extension of that, can help you attract the best and brightest to your workforce. Your brand can help you differentiate yourself in a meaningful way that potential employees will remember and that current employees can live out on a day-to-day basis. Here's how to differentiate your brand.