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”?
- What are the four pillars that make up the new caseflow management model?
- 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, Semi-Retired Special Projects Manager for the Alaska State Court System
Panelists
Dawn Palermo, Judicial Administrator in the Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court in Harvey, Louisiana, and
Eric Silverberg, Court Administrator for the Municipal Court in Tucson, Arizona
Click here to listen to the podcast. The audio version is 36 minutes 2 seconds long and the video version is 23 minutes 7 seconds long.
The results will be posted and periodically updated on the NACM Ethics Webpage
clapodcast@nacmnet.org
Show Notes
Eric Silverberg
Eric Silverberg is a career court manager beginning his court career as a court analyst in Gainesville , Florida in 1991. He 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.
He has worked in the Arizona Courts since 2005 and currently serves as Court Administrator for Tucson City Court.
Dawn A. Palermo
Dawn A. 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). She is the current columnist for the Courtside Conversation for the National Association of Court Management (NACM). She is a past board member and Communications Committee Chair for NACM. She has also authored the NACM CORE curriculum for budget and financial management.
Prior to her appointment as the Judicial Administrator, Ms. Palermo served as the Deputy Judicial Administrator for Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court from 1999-2004, the Drug Court Administrator for the Adult Drug Court at the 24th Judicial District Court from 1997-1999, a Management Analyst with the Jefferson Parish Human Services Authority from 1995-1997, and as a Liaison to the Louisiana Legislature for Jefferson Parish. Ms. Palermo started both the Jefferson Parish Adult and Juvenile Drug Courts and served on the steering committee to start Jefferson Parish School Based Health Centers. She served as the President of Louisiana Court Administrators Association from 2012 to 2013 and as treasurer and a board member for Louisiana Drug Court Professionals. She was one of the founding members of Louisiana Drug Court Professionals. She also was a founding member and served on the Jefferson Chamber Foundation Academy Board.
Ms. Palermo received a Bachelor’s of Science in Business and Public Administration from Louisiana State University and a Master’s of Public Administration from the University of New Orleans. She is also certified as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and a SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP). She resides with her husband and daughter in Metairie.
Alyce Roberts
Alyce Roberts is recently retired as the Special Projects Coordinator for the Alaska Court System. As a member of the court’s senior staff, she 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. Alyce regularly worked with court colleagues and justice partners to propose revisions to court rules and develop statewide clerical procedures. She served on the Alaska Supreme Court’s Civil Rules Advisory Committee. 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).
