Happy New Year!

Seal of the State of Indiana

Dec. 31, 2020

Fellow state employees,

2020 has been a year like no other in our lifetimes. Not only have we been providing essential state services during this challenging coronavirus pandemic, we are experiencing an unprecedented time in acknowledging and addressing racial disparities that exist in our state and country.

These have been uncertain times for all of us, and we have learned to make adjustments to how and where we work. Some of us are literally on the front lines of our COVID-19 efforts; others have found ways to innovate to continue to provide services to Hoosiers. Thank you for all you have done through this long and difficult year.

I’m proud of your accomplishments. Those include the around-the-clock efforts of our state Department of Health to inform and help Hoosiers understand and protect themselves from this virus, and our emergency center operations led by the Department of Homeland Security. The Department of Workforce Development has implemented new program after new program to provide benefits to Hoosiers who need them, and the Department of Natural Resources has witnessed a resurgence of interest and visits to our great outdoors. The Family and Social Services Administration has implemented new mental health services and the expansion of telehealth availability for Hoosiers; and the Indiana National Guard has been everywhere, from distributing supplies to assisting at food banks, and now working in long-term care facilities. There are so many more examples of how you continue to play key roles in our coronavirus response.

Throughout this period, we have remained fiscally responsible, and agencies have responded to the call to operate even more efficiently and reduce spending. At the same time, we have maintained our economic development efforts by attracting more than 31,000 new jobs commitments this year. We will come out of this even stronger than before.

We must continue to be cautious about our fiscal position, and we will carefully monitor progress as we work toward the state’s next biennial budget. We are keeping health insurance rates flat for the next year, and during these difficult times, it also is important that we recognize employee performance, so we will move forward with a small pay for performance increase to recognize your work.

Employees who meet expectations will receive a 1 percent raise; employees who exceed expectations will receive a 2 percent raise, and employees rated outstanding will receive a 3 percent raise. The changes will become effective in February and be payable the first week of March. 

Thank you for your perseverance. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, but we must continue to be as vigilant as we have been for the past 10 months.

May you and your families have a healthy, safe, and prosperous New Year!

 

Gov Holcom Esig

Governor Eric J. Holcomb