Employee Academy: Engaging Employees at All Levels of the Organization

About the Program

Category: Personnel Management, Employment and Training (Best in Category)

Year: 2017

When Henrico’s county manager was appointed in early 2013, he shared his vision of an engaged workforce comprised of employees taking initiative to resolve customer concerns at all levels of the organization. To meet this goal, employees would need to understand the county’s operations and priorities and to expand their appreciation for how various departments work together. They would also need to broaden their networks to reach subject matter experts from other departments to assist residents with inquiries spanning various functional areas. Henrico County’s Employee Academy fills these needs by connecting employees with one another and giving them rare insight into the behind-the-scenes operations of diverse county departments. Each Academy session includes tours of three different sites, and, in keeping with the County Manager’s vision of “Leadership at all Levels” of the organization, tours are conducted not by top agency heads but by employees occupying diverse roles within each department. Cohort groups of ten employees tour various sites successively, which provides them time not only to learn about the divisions they visit but also to get to know one another and enlarge their professional networks. Fifteen different sites have been included in five Academy sessions thus far, with additional sites planned for the future. Employee response has been overwhelmingly positive. To date, 234 people have registered for the Academy, and evaluations have indicated a 98% approval rating. With the program in its third year, its positive reputation is spreading, and demand is high. The impact on participants has been profound. In post-session surveys, employees have revealed that they now understand how other departments work and, more importantly, how their own department fits into the county as a whole. They have also created robust professional networks and have increased their own engagement – and excitement – as Henrico County employees.