TDCJ Sets New Target: Best Employer in Texas

by John Rhine

On that long walkway between 13 and 1 Building, flanked on either side by the pristine landscaping of the Polunsky Unit, Captain Nelaj stands with his hands on his hips, looking at the ground with his brows furrowed in intense concentration. He commits his line to memory with ease – but there’s always the age-old question of what to do with your hands. His head snaps to the camera and a satisfied smile splashes across his face. “Okay. I know what to do.”

When the camera starts rolling, Captain Nelaj walks toward 1 Building with purpose, as he has done for over a decade of service.

“Our goal is to be the No. 1 employer in the state of Texas by 2030 and we can’t do that without you!”

Nelaj ends the shot with a resolute point to the camera, evoking Uncle Sam and the most iconic recruitment drive in the history of the United States. It’s an unscripted moment that resonates with the agency’s 2030 Plan of increasing employee satisfaction and engagement.

It’s no secret. TDCJ has struggled in recent years to maintain staffing levels, particularly among correctional officer positions. The COVID-19 pandemic placed an unprecedented strain on everyone in the system, including officers who are already under tremendous pressure by the very nature of maintaining public safety in one the largest prison systems in the United States.

Though enticing new recruits has been a major focus in the agency’s efforts to improve staffing levels, data collected by TDCJ’s Research and Development Department is leading a fundamental change in how the agency seeks to overcome staffing challenges.

“It’s retention,” Andy Barbee, director of the Research and Development Division said.

“We’re very good at getting new recruits in the door, but data shows that we have struggled recently with keeping employees. This tells us that pay, though important, isn’t the most important factor in keeping people. Much of retention comes down to the experience they have once they put on the uniform.”

The goal of not only being a good place to work, but the best place to work in the Lone Star State, originated with Bryan Collier, the Executive Director of TDCJ. A voracious reader, Collier keeps up with Forbes’ list of “America’s Best Employers by State,” published every year. TDCJ is not anywhere on that list, but Collier has set his sights on changing that.

“It’s a lofty goal, but that’s what you have to shoot for. You don’t get anywhere by making goals that are easy to achieve. I don’t want to check boxes just to check boxes. I want to transform where we work, so we have to set those tough-to-achieve goals and get after it,” Collier said.

He points to one company, H-E-B, whose employees’ responses to the Forbes survey routinely catapult the company to its coveted No. 1 employer spot.

“Here are jobs that are not the highest paying jobs, but it’s a good environment to work in. It’s not about looking to H-E-B and doing everything they’re doing. What makes those employees so invested in where they work? That’s what we want to try to replicate,” Collier said.

With a five percent pay raise to all state employees secured in the last legislative session and another five percent pay raise coming September 2024, TDCJ is placing more emphasis on transforming the working environment. Soon, employees will be provided with a career plan and career-path counseling, so a path to upward mobility is available, and tuition reimbursement will offer pathways to employees seeking higher education. TDCJ’s Training and Leader Development Division is also revolutionizing how training is delivered to employees to ensure that all state employees can be reached with online learning platforms and hybrid training.

Some changes are already being seen at the unit level. Earlier this year, the role of the lieutenant transformed into a position focused on staff retention within the unit. There is also a greater emphasis on flexibility and trying new ideas, as seen through mobile correctional officer teams and correctional officers who volunteer to work at units that struggle with staffing levels.

However, some of the changes that may end up having the greatest impact involve rewriting prison operational policies to create efficiencies without sacrificing public safety. For instance, the introduction of pulse detection fences renders picket officers largely obsolete. That means those officers, who were once physically isolated for long stretches of time, are now available to cover other areas within the unit. Correctional officers will also aid in accountability while also protecting our employees, thereby bolstering a safe and professional work environment.

For now, TDCJ leadership is working out the details on how exactly to measure whether we’ve achieved the goal of being the number one employer in the state of Texas. The CReW Survey, which Captain Nelaj’s video helped promote, may be retooled later to ask that question. Town hall meetings with TDCJ employees or using outside survey groups to gather that information may be another method. And, of course, there’s always Forbes. Regardless of the method, maintaining an open dialogue between management and labor is paramount to achieving this goal.

“We have to become a learning organization,” reiterates Andy Barbee. “We have to give employees ownership, agency, and influence in ways we never have before.”

In the meantime, if you see that Correctional Retention and Wellness survey come to your phone, take the survey. Be part of the change.