From the Director's Office

Welcome to the first edition of HR Beat — the pulse of our people, policies, and priorities! We’re excited to launch this new monthly newsletter as a way to keep you informed, connected, and supported. Each month, you can expect updates on upcoming projects and initiatives, program highlights, important reminders, training opportunities, and spotlights on the incredible staff who make our work possible.

In this inaugural edition, we’re pleased to share several new and updated SOPs, highlight resources and training in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, feature an article summarizing trends and findings from the State’s Exit Survey Data, introduce upcoming system enhancements in AspireAlaska, and celebrate some of the standout moments from Public Service Employee Appreciation Week earlier this month.

We hope you enjoy this first issue of HR Beat. And we’d love to hear what you think! Don’t forget to visit the Feedback Corner at the bottom to share your ideas and suggestions.

NeoGov Onboard Implementation

In April, DOP began working with a few departments on the Phase 1 roll out of NeoGov Onboard implementation. As part of the process, we have been going through weekly training sessions with NeoGov to make sure that everyone understands how the system works. We will be moving forward with getting employees loaded into the system and working with the Phase 1 departments on how they would like to roll out implementation within their department to start using NeoGov Onboard. After the initial Phase 1 departments have started using the system we can start discussing rolling out to other departments.

A reminder that the live NeoGov hosted Onboard trainings remain open to all agencies HR staff. We encourage everyone to take advantage of these opportunities even if your department is not yet in its implementation phase—as they provide a helpful head start in becoming familiar with the system.

Looking ahead, the next phases of implementation will be facilitated by DOP, with continued training support from NeoGov. We’re excited to build on the momentum from Phase 1 and help every department prepare for a successful transition.

What Can We Learn from Employee Exit Surveys?

The State of Alaska uses a voluntary survey to collect consistent information from departing employees to help understand the factors that lead employees to leave state service. In response to a recent inquiry from the legislature, we compiled summary statistics over the past four years (FY2022–FY2025) to look at trends and key metrics. The survey asks employees to identify their primary, secondary, and tertiary reasons for separation, which we grouped into five major categories for this analysis:

• Personal/Situational Circumstances
• Salary and Benefits
• Nature of Position/Retirement/Advancement
• Culture of Staff/Unit
• And "Other" typed responses

Personal and situational factors consistently represented the largest share of responses, with family related circumstances steadily increasing over the four-year period. Meanwhile, health related reasons declined, suggesting some improvement in this area or shifting employee priorities.

Two other major contributors—role fit/career trajectory and workplace culture—remained consistent themes. Employees frequently cited opportunities for advancement, career change, and retirement as drivers of separation, while within the culture category, working conditions and high workloads stood out as recurring pain points. Salary and benefits played a smaller but still notable role, with wages far outweighing benefits as the primary compensation related reason for leaving. However, the report notes that wage only departures appear to have softened by FY2025, based on responses about expected pay differences.

Overall, the data points to several practical areas of focus: strengthening workplace flexibility and support for personal circumstances, increasing clarity and availability of advancement pathways, addressing persistent working conditions concerns, and monitoring wage competitiveness. These insights can be used by departments to help inform retention strategies and shape improvements in organizational culture across the State of Alaska.

AlaskaCare Employee Assistance Program

May is Mental Health Awareness month – a great time to remind employees who have AlaskaCare about the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). The AlaskaCare EAP, administered through Resources for Living by Aetna, offers confidential, no-cost support to AlaskaCare employees and their dependents, covering up to eight counseling sessions per issue from life’s everyday stressors to more serious challenges like relationship difficulties, substance use, grief, legal or financial strain, and workplace concerns. Available 24/7/365 via phone and in-person sessions, the program features crisis counseling in emergencies and referrals to specialized care when needed. In addition to one-on-one counseling, the program provides extensive online resources -- from webinars and self-help materials to CareKits and discounts on services. All interactions remain strictly confidential unless disclosure is legally required.

Suggested Employee Training

Since it is Mental Health Awareness Month, it is a perfect opportunity to pause and reflect on how we care for our mental and emotional well-being. The Division of Personnel encourages you to take a few intentional moments for self-care this month.

AspireAlaska offers several excellent trainings focused on mental health, resilience, and workplace well-being:

Improving Your Mental Health at Work
Learn practical, science-backed strategies to better manage stress, build resilience, practice self-compassion, and create healthier workplace habits. This course also includes a downloadable Psychological Fitness Action Plan worksheet.
Course Duration: 58 Minutes

Are Your Coping Mechanisms Healthy?
This engaging TED Talk explores how common coping habits — like procrastination or doom-scrolling — can increase stress over time, while offering healthier strategies to build resilience and confidence.
Course Duration: 10 Minutes

Managing Mental Health in the Workplace
This quick micro-learning course highlights common workplace stressors, burnout prevention strategies, and the importance of intentional breaks and healthy boundaries. Includes a companion worksheet.
Course Duration: 4 Minutes

Whether you only have a few minutes or want to take a deeper dive into mental health and wellness, these trainings offer valuable tools and reminders to support your well-being.

Two Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) Posted; One New, One Updated

We recently have had two Standard Operating Procedures posted to the website; one new SOP and one updated SOP. The new SOP pertains to Supervisory Geographic Differential - Article 24.3 B and provides information about requesting, approving, and managing the supervisor geographic differential per the contract..

The updated SOP formerly called Services is now called Service Distinctions, Position Creation and Changes, and Effects on Employees to more accurately reflect its scope. The revisions include updated guidance and current processes, a newly added section detailing position creation workflows, and expanded information throughout to more fully capture position management procedures for the classified, partially exempt, and exempt services.

All SOPs can be found under the Policies and Procedures page on the Division of Personnel website.

Performance Updates Coming to AspireAlaska

DOP is currently exploring enhancements to the Performance Management process within AspireAlaska. Guided by user experience feedback, these efforts include updates to the system interface and process improvements designed to make performance management more intuitive, intentional, and meaningful for supervisors and employees across the State.

As changes are implemented, we are committed to providing updated resources, guides, and training opportunities to help support agencies through the transition. Employees and supervisors will also have opportunities to attend sessions, ask questions, and sign up to receive one-on-one support as updates continue to roll out.

Employees and supervisors interested in participating in focus groups or pilot testing opportunities are encouraged to contact Rohan Ralliaram at rohan.ralliaram@alaska.gov.

Public Service Employee Appreciation Week

This year, Public Service Employee Appreciation Week was May 4-9. DOP spent the week celebrating our incredible team across Anchorage and Juneau through a Virtual Appreciation Week on MS Teams. Throughout the week, we shared appreciation messages around daily themes, May the 4th Be with You, Team Spirit Tuesday, Favorite Telework Coworker Wednesday, Throwback Thursday, and Feel-Good Friday. It was an amazing, motivating week! Of course, we appreciate our HR community each and every day, and we thank all of you for the hard work, dedication, and impact each of you brings to State Service.

Thank you to everyone who submitted recognition messages for DOP staff members! We shared those with the whole division during our Team Spirit Tuesday.