Tax Collector Chuck Perdue had specific goals he wanted to accomplish when he took office in 2017. Among those goals was improving customer service, putting more efficient systems in place, and creating a positive work environment for team members. He and his team have certainly made many improvements over the past four years and he is focused on ramping up those efforts, particularly when it comes to pouring into his team.
“We’ve improved facilities, we have implemented more efficient systems, we’ve created and defined new policies and while we’ve tried to focus on our team all along the way, there is never a better time than now to make them the priority,” said Perdue.
Perdue and his team understand the difference a caring and supportive work environment plays in the lives of team members.
“Our team has experienced a lot together, first a category 5 hurricane and now a global pandemic,” said Perdue. “These experiences have brought us really close as a team, we’ve become a family. We genuinely care about one another’s success not just in the office, but in life.”
While some may see the work of the Tax Collector’s Office as pretty straightforward, Perdue is quick to explain the reality of the work his team faces each day.
“The work the team does each day is challenging. They make it look easy, but the reality is they are toggling between multiple systems, interpreting policies, reading manuals and trying to solve problems all day long. Every transaction is different and small nuances in a document can completely change the way it has to be processed,” said Perdue. “The work can be mentally taxing, especially when most customers are there not by choice, but because the law compels them to visit us and aren’t always happy to be visiting.”
Perdue recognizes that with the challenging work they do each day, they need to feel valued and supported. He and his leadership team have created some tools to help ensure they understand the concerns and needs of the team.
“Each year we deploy an employee engagement survey, which really aims to hear from team members in an anonymous manner. It is a very in-depth survey and we encourage them to be completely honest with us and share their thoughts in the comment areas to give us some context,” said Perdue. “The survey is certainly no substitute for having one-on-one conversations with team members, which we work to do as well, but it is one avenue for them to give feedback. It provides our leadership team with an opportunity to hear the areas in which we need to improve. We always have opportunities to improve.”
As a result of the survey responses, Perdue and his leadership team work annually to incorporate new objectives into their strategic plan to address the needs identified. One of the objectives recently deployed as a result of team member feedback was a growth and development plan. The plan serves as a roadmap to help team members understand how they can grow within the organization.
Perdue believes when you take care of your team your team will take care of the customers.
“Our goal is to be an employer that attracts and retains some of the best talent in Bay County,” said Perdue. “While I think we’ve made great strides, we have to continue to be intentional in our efforts to care for our team and build an environment of trust and support.”
Individuals interested in a career with the Tax Collector’s Office can visit www.baytaxcollector.com/join-our-team to learn more about current opportunities.
