Thursday, July 23, 2020
Dear colleagues,
At IDHS, we are committed to communicating honestly and listening to employees. I am writing to thank you for completing the staff survey and to share the interesting findings from the staff survey that so many of you completed. We received 3,455 responses spanning the five divisions, including offices and bureaus all across IDHS. The results are an important tool that will help guide decision-making as we move forward.
Here are key insights from the survey:
- Across the organization, the majority of respondents feel there are positive lessons that can be learned from the COVID-19 transformation process.
- A strong majority (86%) felt that IDHS programs/services have improved since COVID-19. 28.5% strongly agreed. Only 8% disagreed with 6% strongly disagreeing.
- When asked specifically which programs have improved, over 750 mentioned improvements in programs, including SNAP, TANF, Medical, and DD, and nearly 500 cited improved efficiency and customer service.
- When asked specifically which programs/services have declined, of the 3,455 respondents, almost 200 respondents mentioned programs, including SNAP, TANF, Medical, DD, and approximately 300 cited efficiency or customer service.
I am taking all of these results seriously, and bearing in mind that many employees are understandably worried about returning to work. The public health emergency that we are in is evolving - and it is not over.
In the coming days and weeks, we will continue to share additional, related information about how we will move forward as an organization through these unprecedented times. As always, please email any questions or concerns to DHS.Reinvent-Restore@Illinois.gov.
Thank you for your continued commitment to IDHS and to those we serve. I look forward to continuing to hear from you about how we can Reinvent IDHS and Restore Illinois.
Sincerely,
Grace
Grace B. Hou
Secretary, IDHS
