This is not an easy time to be working in the public sector. Heated budget battles and rhetoric about the size, function, scope, and effectiveness of government have generated criticism not just of government but also of the public servants who deliver government services. Across the country, government agencies and their employees are being denigrated and stigmatized. One proven response to maintaining effectiveness in this difficult environment is to improve the level of employee engagement.

Research has clearly and convincingly shown that improving employee engagement will drive higher levels of organizational performance, reduce turnover, and yield other important workforce benefits. This session will focus on empirically proven approaches to improve employee engagement in government agencies, including:

• what employee engagement is and why it matters in government
• how to assess the level of employee engagement
• why measuring engagement is important, how to measure it, and how to act on the results
• the key drivers of employee engagement
• what public sector organizations have done to improve and sustain high levels of engagement
• the role of HR and training in improving employee engagement.

This session will be based on Bob Lavigna's book, Engaging Government Employees: Motivate and Inspire Your People to Achieve Superior Performance.