APPLETON – With pandemic stress and uncompetitive pay, Outagamie County is experiencing the highest turnover of its employees compared to the Great Resignation.
This year, 136 provincial staff have left their jobs, of which approximately 75%. That means, on average, one person a day leaves work, according to the region’s human resources department. If staff turnover continues at this rate, the region will be on the verge of losing 342 this year, said Justin Kluesner, Deputy Director of Human Resources.
The three main employers in the region facing the highest severity of staff are: Appleton International Airport with 22; Brewster Village Nursing Home with 48 and the Department of Health and Human Services with 39.
The COVID-19 pandemic affected many hospitals, nursing homes and many other health centers across the state. Outagamie County is no exception.
Director of Health and Human Services John Rathman recently told The Post-Crescent that some workers are leaving the county for private-sector jobs with more consistent work hours and opportunities to work from home.
“Because of Covid people are looking for different opportunities, different situations to balance work life,” he said. “We have certainly seen an increase in our resignations.”
To fill the jobs, the county hires between 30 and 40 employees a month, which is usually a full-year amount, Kluesner told members of the county council at a May 24 meeting.
Although the county is experiencing a record level of employee turnover, Kluesner said the county is in line with what other public and private employers are experiencing.
A survey by the MissionSquare Research Institute found that 36% of public sector workers thought of changing jobs during the pandemic, and 28% thought of leaving the public sector.
Outagamie County’s employee turnover also rose in 2021, with 261 resignations and 100 retirements – an increase of 40% in resignations and an increase of more than 50% in retirements from 2020 onwards.
A recent survey of workers in the region shows that two-thirds of workers are “under a lot of stress” in their regional duties.
Rathman said staff have noticed increased stress since the pandemic.
The holes left in the department by large amounts of turnover have required employees to receive additional work or be temporarily reassigned to perform important tasks.
“Many of our employees have had two jobs throughout the pandemic,” he said, referring to those who need to take on additional tasks to offset the high turnover.
There are currently 40 open jobs in the Department of Health and Human Services, according to the provincial human resources.
Historically, the public sector has had greater employee stability, Rathman said. But since the pandemic, he has noticed that more people are leaving work in less stressful areas.
Rathman has particularly noticed this in his department, where there are some 24-hour positions on his crisis phones.
There are many tasks in the department that staff have to work night shifts or on weekends and holidays. Rathman said since the pandemic, more people are leaving these tasks for day jobs or work-from-home opportunities.
The Directorate of Health and Human Services currently has 346 employees and this year has had 31 resignations and eight retirements, according to the provincial human resources department.
Abe Weber, the director of Appleton Airport, told The Post-Crescent that the majority of airport resignations come from recruiting staff who are moving to different options and more consistent work.
Regular callers come in and out to perform necessary tasks, such as snow removal or gardening.
The airport has 100 employees in the region, including airport administration, facility maintenance and external maintenance. But the department has had 21 resignations since January, according to the provincial human resources department.
The county is also struggling to maintain competitive wages with the private sector, Yvette Mueller, director of financial services, told members of the county council at a recent meeting.
In an effort to retain and attract full-time employees, the provincial commission authorized a review of the compensation analysis to determine how competitive the salaries of regional workers are.
The provincial committee also passed a resolution to provide an additional $ 1,500 to those who remain in regional jobs at the end of the year. The bonuses will be divided into two single payments: $ 500 in June and $ 1,000 in December.
Sophia Voight is an Appleton Post-Crescent government journalist. You can contact him at [email protected] or 920-993-7102.