Manatee County Sheriff’s Office transforms performance management to improve service

Residents are flocking to Manatee County, Fla. From 2010 to 2021, the county’s population grew by a whopping 33% to 429,000. And while the number of citizens increases, the local sheriff’s office is faced with a familiar challenge: an ongoing shortage of officers.

According to a 2024 survey by public sector HR management company, NEOGOV, which explored the effects of the ongoing hiring crisis on the public sector, 33% of agencies report impacts to service. The 700 public sector HR professionals and job seekers who were surveyed also note that law enforcement is one of the hardest areas to fill. Between 2019 and 2023, there was a 40% increase in the number of job openings for police officers. At the same time, the number of applications per job decreased by 39%.

Understanding the nature of today’s job market and the importance of effectively recruiting and retaining its employees, the HR department at Manatee County Sheriff’s Office took important steps to transform the way it evaluates employees’ and managers’ performance. The goal: to bring accountability and consistency to the performance management process, boosting morale and improving retention over the long term.

Recognizing the need
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the population in Manatee County increased “3.8% between 2021 and 2022.” The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office has experienced this growth first-hand. In the past nine years, the agency went from serving 360,000 citizens to more than 430,000 citizens today. As the population grows, so does the need to make processes more efficient to best serve the needs of the community and its employees.

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office’s HR team recognized that its method of performance evaluation, which was time-consuming and required extensive spreadsheets and paper forms, was no longer sustainable.

Additionally, supervisors who are often responsible for 10 to 12 officers, some that require monthly evaluations, were tasked with manually drafting in-depth evaluations. This resulted in generic performance reviews and neglected the important relationship between supervisor and employee.

With a focus on streamlining processes and improving employee retention in the face of hiring challenges, the HR team recognized a strong need to better engage with and provide consistent feedback to employees and managers alike.

Preparation is key to success
Before choosing a system, the HR team took two key steps to prepare to transform the agency’s performance evaluation process:

1. Start with an audit. The HR team began by taking a detailed look at their existing employee evaluation processes to identify core strengths and weaknesses. Public sector agencies are often forced to adapt private sector technologies, despite their unique needs. The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office was no different. After initially deploying private sector-specific software, it realized the technology was not well-equipped to handle the nuances of the public sector. An audit helped the team realize the gaps it could not fill. For example, the system was not automatically updated when employee information changed, so employee payroll information, evaluation schedules and future promotional actions had to be updated by hand.
2. Determine the needs of supervisors and employees. An audit of the software system showed the obvious gaps in manual vs. automated workflows; however, no input is as valuable as the supervisors and employees in an agency. The HR team held roundtables with employees at all levels to learn about what they needed in preparation for an overhaul of their performance management system.

Embracing a tech-forward approach
After identifying its specific needs, the HR team evaluated and chose a public sector-specific software system that could accommodate these nuances and simplify its performance management processes. By doing so, the HR team eliminated outdated spreadsheets and paper forms, encouraged ongoing communication, and leveraged automation to enhance efficiency.

1. Eliminate outdated practices: By moving away from the private sector-specific software system that required extensive workarounds, the HR team eliminated dependency on spreadsheets and paper forms, streamlining operations and reducing the administrative burden.
2. Encourage ongoing communication: The new system emphasizes continuous communication between employees and managers to boost morale and foster success. This culture of ongoing feedback and collaboration enables individuals to receive timely, relevant guidance and support.
3. Leverage automation: By leveraging automation, the HR department significantly enhanced efficiency. The new system automates routine tasks and customizable workflows, providing HR professionals with more time to focus on strategic initiatives and employee development.

The transformed approach to performance management has saved the sheriff’s office more than 2,100 hours of manual HR work, boosted evaluation completion rates by 30%, and given employees and managers alike a more meaningful way to collaborate and grow.

Additionally, the transparency and visibility provided by this approach has fostered a more collaborative environment. Employees and managers now have a clearer understanding of performance expectations and can work together more effectively to achieve their goals.

In the public sector, accreditation is always top of mind. In addition to enhanced efficiencies, the HR team can now rest assured that accreditation requirements are met with the accountability and consistency of performance evaluation processes and ensure all employee information is always up to date.

Looking ahead
As Manatee County continues to grow, the sheriff’s office is now well-equipped to handle the evolving needs of its community. The improved performance management system provides a solid foundation for ongoing development and improvement.

By staying ahead of the curve and embracing a tech-forward approach, the agency is poised to better service its employees and its community and maintain its commitment to excellence in public service.

Julie Beckwith, SHMR-CP, is the human resources manager for the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, where she oversees a staff of six. Beckwith has worked in many aspects of HR to include recruitment, employment, insurance and benefit administration, medical leave and workers compensation. She is a champion for employee/supervisor relations and employee engagement, and promotes a culture of continuous, meaningful performance management and feedback, prioritizing communication and transparency. Beckwith earned a bachelor’s in human resource management from Saint Leo University in 2014 and became SHRM certified in 2016.