I am coming up on 10 years since my first job in public service as an intern for the State of Oregon.  This, along with the start of a new fiscal year and the current environment for public servants, has led me to ask a simple question in a few different forms: Why? 

Why do people join?

Having a sense of purpose, wanting to have a positive impact on society, and seeing government as a way to do this, has led many to enter into public service.  In a Young Government Leaders (YGL) survey 69 percent stated public service or the mission of their agency as the reason for working in government, followed by job security and compensation.  In a Deloitte Millennial survey more than 70 percent of millennials cited a company's sense of purpose as part of the reason why they work there.

Takeaway: Having big missions addressing the hardest societal problems is a competitive advantage for recruiting and retaining people.

Why do people leave?

I looked at responses from those under 40 in the 2014 Federal Employee Viewpoint survey to see what questions had the biggest gap between those wanting to stay and those wanting to leave. 

The top gap wasn't surprising.  The question was "Considering everything, how satisfied are you with your job?"  Of those very dissatisfied with their job, 90 percent are considering leaving in the next year and those that are very satisfied with their job, only 10 percent are considering leaving.  The next two questions are related ("I recommend my organization as a good place to work." And "Considering everything, how satisfied are you with your organization?"). 

The next three is where I think some insights can be gained:

  • My work gives me a feeling of personal accomplishment: 83 percent of employees considering leaving disagree.
  • I am given a real opportunity to use my skills in my organization: Not true, say 81 percent of those planning to go.
  • My talents are used well in the workplace: 80 percent of the soon-to-be-departed don’t think so.

Takeaway:

Invest time with your employees to craft an Individual Development Plan (IDP).  Focus on what skills can be improved as well as how to better use those skills currently possessed to help the agency achieve its mission.  For more on IDPs see this resource guide from OPM.

Why should you stay?

As public servants we have been asked to do a variety of things and to do them well.  These are big asks, from fighting fires in the Pacific Northwest to exploring far off planets, and they are not easy.   But that is why they are worth doing and doing well.  The pursuit of excellence across government, solving big problems and serving the public in critical ways is why I have stayed.

However, at times that ideal and reality do not align, which leads to discouragement.  It is easy to feel like you are playing career whack-a-mole, just treading water by solving the issue of the moment.  After 10 years serving in many capacities from intern to manager I have been there.  For me, setting short term achievable goals help keep away that mentality.  This has worked in positions where the projects are measured in hours as well as those measured in years.  Having longer term goals that these short term ones flow into is also important as solving big problems take time and patience.

Takeaway:

In the next month write down one to two long term goals for your current position.  Next, at the beginning of each quarter this year take two hours out of your schedule to just sit down and think.  Think about your goals for the next month, next three months and next year.

There are big missions and high standards when you serve the public, but that is exactly why we need your very best week in and week out.  I thank you for your service as a fellow servant and citizen.

Tyler Robinson is Chairman of Young Government Leaders, and Director of the Portfolio Risk & Reporting Division at the Export-Import Bank.

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