by Lindy Gullett, PhD
Ready for some sunshine? Today's company culture profile features the local government at one of the world's most popular beach vacation destinations, Miami Beach. An urban-island minutes off the coast of Miami, Miami Beach is humming with activity. You might come for the miles of beaches, but you'll stay for the lively nightlife, vibrant art scene, and striking architecture.
The City of Miami Beach is a full-service organization that governs the city of Miami Beach in Florida. The entire city's government operations are overseen by City Manager Jimmy L. Morales, a Miami Beach native and Harvard Law graduate. Twenty different departments - from the police to firefighters to public works to transportation to marketing and communications - are under the City Manager's jurisdiction, and every one of them is shaped by the great example set by Jimmy Morales. He reinforces every single day that every city employee is in Miami Beach for one main reason. They are there to serve the people of Miami Beach. He truly embodies the City of Miami Beach's mission:
We are committed to providing excellent public service and safety to all who live, work, and play in our vibrant, tropical, historic community.
Jimmy Morales has high expectations for all 2400 of Miami Beach's city workers, but he also makes sure that they are recognized and supported for their contributions. The City of Miami Beach has a reputation for offering some of the best pay and benefits of any city government in the Southeast.
The fantastic culture and example set by City Manager Jimmy Morales has clearly had a positive impact on Miami Beach's city workers. City of Miami Beach's Director of HR Michael Smith says, "From an HR standpoint, the proof of whether you are doing a good job is your turnover. Our turnover is very low. Not a whole lot of folks leave our organization. The most common voluntary departure is through retirement. Very few people leave to get a better job in the same field. We have virtually no turnover in a police and fire, the rest of the city has only 4-5% annual turnover." For comparison's sake, the average turnover for a business in the United States is almost 20%.
Miami Beach's city workers aren't just happy with their jobs and work culture. They also get great benefits to support their life outside of work. Miami Beach was one of the first cities to offer paid parental leave and domestic partner benefits. They have offered family medical leave since the 90s, and they give 24 weeks of family medical leave instead of the traditional 18 12 weeks. The City even allows employees to transfer leave to one another for severe events. They also offer Defined Retirement Benefits, a stable lifetime benefit for post-retirement that continues even when the benefit holder predeceases their family.
The City of Miami Beach also has formal training programs to promote the future leaders of Miami Beach. Their mentorship program connects emerging professionals with high-level executives. They even reimburse 90% of higher education tuition for degrees up through Masters. Miami Beach doesn't just hire the best. They want to develop people to be even better. Plus, they truly care about enriching city workers' whole life, even outside of work. One of their most popular outside of work perks is a robust wellness program that offers free exercise classes like yoga, Zumba, and fitness bootcamps.
Despite only having 90,000 full-time residents, Miami Beach sees over 16.5 million visitors a year. Busy weekends, like Memorial Day, can bring in over one million visitors in the course of a few days. But Miami Beach is ready for the influx of tourists, and they pride themselves on their welcoming spirit. On busy weekends, the City of Miami Beach coordinates a volunteer program called Goodwill Ambassadors, where residents and city workers volunteer to be visitor ambassadors - giving directions, handing out water, answering questions. And in the calm between the crowds, Miami Beach's Department of Performance Improvement kicks into high gear. They inspect the condition of sidewalks and public restrooms. They send secret shoppers to check in on Miami Beach department operations. They solicit monthly reports on how the city is responding to service calls. The City also complete conducts a biannual resident survey to get feedback on what the city can do better.
Let's be honest. People don't work in Miami Beach just because the city is great to work for. They are also there for the fantastic location. Miami Beach is at the intersection of the three largest population centers in the state of Florida. And it is gorgeous. Just from the window of a city office building, you can see the New World Symphony, the Jackie Gleason Theater, the famed National Hotel, and the beautiful Atlantic Ocean. Just down the street, you'll find Miami Beach's brand-new convention center, and Ocean Drive's Art Deco buildings are legendary for the gorgeous pastel palette. Miami Beach is alive with art, music, and culture. It hosts art festivals. It has its own ballet company. It's a rich urban environment at nature's doorstep.
Miami Beach isn't just a vibrant city. It's also an innovative and ground-breaking city. The City of Miami Beach has progressive transportation policies, emphasizing cyclability, and perched just over the rising ocean water, the City of Miami Beach is at the forefront of addressing sea level rise. Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications Melissa Berthier says, "I am not only an employee, but a proud Miami Beach resident and property owner. I chose this city to raise my family in because of the vibrant cultural scene, beautiful natural environment and multicultural community. I love working for the city because we are so progressive in addressing climate change--and I believe in the proactive measures we are taking to mitigate and adapt to rising seas."
