Courts and the Quest for Talent: Are We Doing Enough?

March 19th Court Leader’s Advantage Podcast Episode In April of 2022, we hosted a podcast episode on “The Great Resignation.”  At the time large numbers of employees were resigning, or (after being furloughed for some period) were deciding not to return to work.  The assumption back then was that this was a temporary phenomenon. Once COVID receded, people would return to work, and things would get back to normal.  It is now a year and a half later.  COVID is receding, (or at least we think it is). Yet many courts still struggle with staffing shortages.  And this is not just limited to courts.  The World Bank has predicted that over the next decade, the number of people of working age in the U.S. (between 15 and 65) will decline by over 3 percent. This is a prospect that courts will find increasingly challenging.  This month we’re going to look at ongoing staff shortages and the battle courts are having to recruit new talent.  Not every court is short-handed; not all positions suffer from chronic vacancies.  On the other hand, I can’t think of a court administrator who has not told me their court struggles to find court reporters, interpreters, and IT staff. Today we are going to delve into several questions:     Who is struggling to hire new employees?  Are there types of employees that are more challenging to recruit? Has your court experienced operational challenges due to staff shortages? What are job candidates asking for these days regarding working conditions? Are you exploring new ways to recruit employees?   Today’s Panel          Audrey Anger: Assistant Court Administrator for the City of Olathe, Kansas Danielle Trujillo: Court Administrator for the Municipal Court in Littleton, Colorado Dana Bartocci: Human Resources & Development Director, Minnesota Judicial Branch, St. Paul, Minnesota MiHa Kapaki: Court Administrator & Probation Director, Grays Harbor District Court, Montesano, Washington Creadell Webb: Chief Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Officer, 1st Judicial District, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania  Leave a question or comment about the episode at [email protected]