The Great Resignation: How Has It Affected the Courts?

Court Leader's Advantage

April 19th Court Leader’s Advantage Podcast Episode

One unintended consequence of the COVID pandemic has been a phenomenon called “The Great Resignation.” Large numbers of American workers have either quit their jobs or (after being laid off) have chosen not to return to their previous employer. CBS News has reported an estimated 20 million people left their jobs in only the second half of 2021. Why is this occurring?

A survey conducted by the Pew Research Center found that of those who left their jobs, almost a two-thirds (63%) cited low pay. Almost two-thirds also cited no opportunity for advancement. Well over half (57%) felt they were disrespected at work. Slightly less than half (48%) cited child-care issues. An interesting side note: only 18% cited their employer’s vaccine mandate as a reason for leaving.

Since we appear to be coming out of the COVID pandemic, is this Great Resignation on the wane? Well, a survey conducted by ResumeBuilder.com estimates that almost a third of workers (32%) plan to leave their current job this year. That number is particularly high in the Information Technology Profession.

This month we are going to explore The Great Resignation and its effect on courts and court employees. In this discussion we are including not only courts that may have lost employees, but courts that are having trouble recruiting and courts that are suffering because their justice system partners have having trouble keeping fully staffed. Some of the questions we will explore include:

· What has been the courts’ workforce experience during this “Great Resignation”?

· Do you see this situation getting better or worse in 2022?

· Are there things courts can do to entice more people to consider court administration as a career?

· What advice do these panelists have for the rest of us?

Today’s Cohost and Panelists

Cohost

Alyce Roberts is the semi-Retired Special Projects Manager for the Alaska State Court System. As a member of the court’s senior staff, Alyce was the AOC’s primary liaison with the clerks of court. In this capacity, she was responsible for developing the annual statewide clerks of court conference program, facilitating the sessions and serving as a presenter. She has worked for the Alaska Court System since 1989, holding a number of positions including clerk of court in Anchorage (the state’s largest general jurisdiction court). She has served on the National Association for Court Management’s (NACM) Board of Directors, chairs NACM’s Communication Committee, and she is a Fellow of the Institute for Court Management (2010).

Panelists

Dawn Palermo is the Judicial Administrator for the Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court in Harvey, Louisiana. She has held this position since 2004. In this capacity, she oversees all court programs, employees and finances, negotiates and monitors all contracts and drafts all funding proposals. Ms. Palermo is also currently serving as a board member for the Louisiana Court Administrators Association (LCAA).

Eric Silverberg is the Court Administrator for the Municipal Court in Tucson, Arizona. He has worked in the Arizona Courts since 2005. Eric has been an involved member of NACM since 1995. His academic credentials include graduate degrees in Business Administration and Computer Resources and Information Technology. He became an ICM Fellow in 1997.

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