It’s taken some time, but things are looking up for the human resources department of Shawano County government.
Director Julie Hasser told executive committee members Sept. 16 that the culture for employees is definitely improving.
“I think good things we’re seeing are some of the areas that we’re focusing on. We’re actually seeing numbers that we reinforce what we’re trying to do,” she said. “We’ve been really talking culture and trying to create a better environment for our employees, and that over the last two years has gone down 2 percentage points, which is really great.”
She also noted there are fewer employees leaving due to pay and schedules.
“Seeing, combined, a 4% decrease in those two areas is really huge, because it means that the decisions you’re making are having a direct impact on our employees,” she told supervisors.
The number of employees retiring is also declining, which indicates long-term employees are deciding to stay, another positive sign.
In August, the county had only one resignation and one termination, equivalent to 0.5% of its workforce, its lowest percentage in the past 12 months.
She said a 20% annual turnover rate is traditionally considered a high rate, which is where the county was at in 2024-25. In 2025-26, that rate dropped to 17%.
“We’re doing a really, really great job with that,” Hasser said.
She also noted the turnover rate is flattening out, meaning it’s more consistent and controllable.
Hasser would like to to get the turnover rate below 15% and even closer to 10%.
She said a high monthly turnover is a hidden cost to the county.
“We can’t put a dollar sign on it from a budgeting standpoint, but the ripple effect of high turnover rates are felt across the board,” she said. “It’s also felt across culture and employee engagement.”
Supervisor Kathy Luebke said the morale among employees is definitely better, and it can been seen from the outside.
kpasson@newmedia-wi.com
