The City of Villa Rica has been certified by Great Place to Work Institute, a global authority on workplace culture, following its survey of city employees last year.
The award is based on responses the employees gave to an anonymous third-party survey and compared the city’s work environment to the top 100 small and medium workplaces in the nation.
The “Great Place to Work” designation not only gives the city a recruitment tool, but it also provides city administration with information about areas in which it could do more to improve workplace satisfaction and keep its highly trained staff.
Employee retention is a problem in the current economic environment, with many business losing personnel for a variety of reasons. The issue is particularly acute in local government, where cities and counties compete for a relatively small pool of experienced employees. Smaller cities like Villa Rica invest many hours of training on their employees, so they seek a variety of ways to retain institutional knowledge and provide a high level of service to residents.
The City Council voted in November 2021 to authorize the survey by the Institute, which for over 30 years has been a leader in helping employers evaluate their workforce. The company has surveyed more than 100 million employees and uses the results to help employers compare their workplace with those of the leading companies in the nation.
If more than 65% of a company’s employees rank their employer as a “great place to work,” the Institute awards that company with that certification. The designation allows the company to then display a special badge on its recruitment materials, which signals to potential employees the kind of workplace they will find.
Last year, the Institute did an anonymous survey of the city’s 182 employees, and the results show that an overwhelming number of city workers find Villa Rica a physically safe place to work, where workers are paid fairly, are involved in their department’s decision making, and are rewarded for their individual effort.
Villa Rica employees ranked above the median in such areas as management interest in their work. Most felt that the City’s leaders involved them in decisions that affect their work and responded to their suggestions and ideas.
The employees also felt management shows appreciation for good work and extra effort and that everyone gets an opportunity for special recognition.
Overall, the survey showed that Villa Rica’s management creates a “high-trust culture,” in which employees are encouraged to stay with the city and make an extra effort to get their jobs done.
“We thank our employees for recognizing the City of Villa Rica as a ‘Great Place to Work,’ said Lena Taylor, Human Resources Director. “The kudos, praise, and applause truly belong to you!”
“Our employees are the city’s greatest asset, said Deputy City Manager Sarah Andrews. “Without them, we cannot provide quality services to the community. I am proud to see that 70% of the respondents said this is a great place to work, but I am glad we also received information on how we can improve the environment for our employees.
“Our new HR director, Lena Taylor, and our HR generalist, Tiffany Jenkins, have proven to be a dynamic team and I look forward to what they will accomplish for our employees.”
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For more information:
Ken Denney
Public Information Officer
City of Villa Rica
678-840-1219
