Ensuring happy and engaged employees

Just as interacting with government can be hard, working within government to improve those interactions is also hard. People management is hard, the silos are hard, the bureaucracy is hard.

Hana Schank and Sara Hudson, Getting the Work Done: What Government Innovation Really Looks Like

Recognize that working within the government is hard. And in today’s economy, digital talent have plenty of job opportunities. You’ll need to make an effort to ensure your employees are happy and engaged with their work.

Following many of the recommendations throughout this handbook will help make for happy and engaged employees. Here’s a recap of some of the most important steps you can take:

• Select interesting projects where traction is possible. Scope down problems that are too large to succeed.
• Partner with program offices that are willing to embrace new ways of working.
• Encourage a work/life balance. During project planning, take into account vacations and time off. Work with others in your organization to ensure scope and deadlines are realistic.
• Make it easy to work from home.
• Create opportunities for professional development and exposure to new ideas. Encourage your team to attend conferences, meetups, and other events.
• Create a generative organizational culture.
• Ensure that your physical and virtual environments encourage collaboration.
• Create a career path for all roles on your digital team.