We have all struggled with the definition of work-life balance. And now more than ever, we struggle with separating our work and home lives. The pandemic has forced more employees to work from home and although many welcome the added flexibility, many are struggling to find balance between work and home life.

Pre-pandemic, employers were increasingly trying to provide work-at-home options as retention tools, and employees often looked for new jobs citing better work-life balance as the primary reason for the search. Although employees welcome this new flexibility, we have to recognize that working from home has its own set of challenges.

Remote employees, whether contracted or full-time, can bring a lot of value to organizations that want to operate leaner, faster, and more efficiently. Because of this, as much as 50% of the modern workforce does their job at least, in part, through telecommuting and remote collaboration with other employees.

Local and municipal governments face unique challenges that includes not only meeting the basic needs of citizens, but also improving their overall experience when dealing with local government – both online and in-person. 

And while technology can assist in improving interactions between citizens and governments, all levels of government administration are today challenged with trying to operate with severe budget restrictions.

Solutions for Municipal Government

Administrators, finance, HR and IT departments are tasked with educating themselves about technologies that can increase efficiency and accuracy, and finding affordable solutions for municipal government that work in this unique environment.

From the ROI of integrated payroll and HR solutions, leveraging HR data, citizen and employee self-serve solutions, to cyber security and identity management, StarGarden can help local governments gain efficiencies and serve citizens more effectively.

Benefits of Integrated Payroll and HR

Countering Downward Budget Pressures

Employee Termination

Self Serve and Employee Engagement

Cyber Security

Identity Verification and Fraud

After reviewing your current HR and payroll systems, are you thinking about implementing an integrated scheduling and payroll system, but aren’t sure whether it’s worth the time and money? An integrated system offers many significant benefits.

I always tell my clients that I have four letters stenciled across my forehead “R I S K”.

When someone applies for a job in your enterprise or, appears at a counter wanting to be served or, is wanting to deal with you electronically, verifying their identity should be based on risk. Let’s use Jane Doe as an example.

Local and county governments are entrusted with many types of personally identifiable information (PII), personal health information (PHI) and other sensitive data such as births, deaths, social security/social insurance numbers, property tax, deeds and medical records. 

As keepers of such valuable information local governments need to ensure that security measures are in place to protect constituents' data from cyber attack. Here's how HR departments in local government can play an active role in reducing cyber security risks.

Is it time to buy an HCM solution or replace your aging HCM? For most organizations it starts with recognizing issues with the existing way of work.

One of the common reasons why municipalities switch to HR technology is to allow employees to view, validate and update their own information on a web portal. Many municipalities provide self-service to employees for benefit selection, viewing policies, and accessing training programs and information.

Our guest blogger today is Guy Huntington. Guy is an expert identity architect and has worked on a large number of high profile identity fraud and identity management programs including Government of Alberta’s Digital Citizen Identity and Authentication Program.

When I consider the root cause behind many of the fundamental missteps in leadership that I’ve either witnessed, or personally perpetuated, it almost always boils down to one common shortcoming - that leaders consistently fail to actively listen. In fact, this isn’t simply about leaders. It applies to sales professionals, consultants, and negotiators of all stripes.