Texas ERS nabs best-in-class workplace culture award

AUSTIN – The Austin American-Statesman recently named the Employees Retirement System of Texas to its 2024 Top Workplaces list.

ERS – which has about 400 employees and manages pension and insurance plans for state employees and retirees – earned recognition in the midsize business category. Employees at the agency were surveyed earlier this year on their satisfaction with their workplace culture.

Examples of comments received from the survey include:

• “It’s more than a job. It’s a career, it’s a work family, and it’s a great environment for people to be able to do their best work.”
• “ERS is an agency where professional growth happens. There are so many training and development opportunities to take advantage of.”
• “The benefits are great. The culture of ERS is like no other place I have ever worked. Everyone really cares about employees, contractors, vendors, visitors, and members.”

ERS’ Director of Human Resources DeeDee Sterns says management gets a lot of insight into workplace culture at ERS thanks to another survey, the Survey of Employee Engagement, which is conducted every two years by the University of Texas at Austin. The 2024 survey, which had a 93% response rate from ERS employees and is anonymous, asked staff members about their immediate workgroup, supervision, workplace overall, pay, benefits, job satisfaction, engagement and more. 

“Management listens and makes every effort to address employee concerns,” Sterns said. “The award from the Statesman is a reflection that we take worker satisfaction seriously. It’s a validation of our efforts.”

View more information about the Statesman’s Top Workplaces awards.

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About ERS

The Employees Retirement System of Texas proudly serves the public servants who work for or have worked for the state of Texas. Since 1947, ERS has managed benefits for employees and retirees of Texas state agencies and some higher education institutions. These benefits contribute to the financial security and overall well-being of employees, retirees, and their families.