By Andrew Tellijohn

From federal budget decisions that strain local finances to heightened concern about immigration enforcement actions that resulted in the deaths of two residents, Minnesota’s cities are dealing with overlapping pressures.

For many local officials and staff, the feelings are familiar, echoing the stress of six years ago with COVID-19 and the civil unrest following the killing of George Floyd.

In these moments, how leaders take care of their employees and themselves matters. Local government leaders who manage staff professionally and humanely stand a better chance of keeping employees healthy, engaged, and productive — and of keeping them around for the long haul.

“Many cities have started prioritizing wellness amongst their staff,” said Erin Holznagel, a trained therapist and public safety wellness coordinator with the League of Minnesota Cities. “We have seen an increase in wellness initiatives, spanning both physical and mental well-being across departments, including policy changes to encourage and support these efforts and budgets that allocate funds to ensure staff longevity.”

Focusing on wellness

Wellness, Holznagel said, has traditionally been framed as passive or something reserved for easier times. In reality, it is active, intentional and requires discipline.

“It ensures the capacity for sustained effort, good judgement, and decisiveness — especially under pressure and, therefore, must be a priority,” Holznagel said. “Well-being supports performance over time.”

Wellness does not have to mean large programs or major investments. Often, it shows up in small, repeatable habits. Setting out gym clothes the night before or making the bed in the morning can create structure that reduces cognitive load and restores a sense of predictability.

“By giving yourself stability in small ways, you increase your capacity to tolerate stress long term,” she said.

For cities with limited budgets, formal wellness initiatives can be difficult to implement. Holznagel encourages leaders to look for creative partnerships. That could mean tapping into an employee who has training in yoga or working with a community college where students need volunteer hours tied to their education.

Of such partnerships, “Both sides are getting valuable resources that can be met with low budget dollars,” she said.

Down time

While routines are vital, Holznagel said it is also important for leaders and staff to step away from stressors, even briefly. Pausing allows people to notice moments of goodness and helps prevent burnout.

“Individuals who remain in high-pressure, high-demand roles are accustomed to thinking in worst-case scenarios,” she said.

That mindset often develops for good reason. It is tied to safety and survival. But without breaks, it can turn into chronic vigilance, making it hard for a person to relax or disconnect.

“The side effects are feeling on edge, struggling to stay present, and losing the ability to enjoy parts of life outside the routine. Things that once felt meaningful begin to feel dull,” Holznagel said. When that happens, she adds, it is time for “an intentional pause to help recalibrate the nervous system and lower that state of vigilance.”

Basic habits also play a major role. Prioritizing sleep, movement, and nutrition helps leaders and staff maintain their capacity over time.

“The better we prioritize these areas of our life, the better we’ll perform and the more capacity we will have,” she said. “Without them, performance degrades across all roles.”

Trust, flexibility, and humanity

During these challenging times, employers who lead with trust and flexibility are often rewarded with loyalty and engagement. Holznagel recently spoke with front-line workers about how they were holding up. One officer shared that his department was functioning well, in part because leadership balanced operational needs with an understanding that officers have lives outside their jobs. Commanders relied on common sense, recognizing that while officers are expected to show up when needed, flexibility during downtime helped sustain morale and commitment.

“Of course we are required to abide by policy, but our commanders recognize that ultimately, we’re going to show up when we have to — absolutely we will be there. There’s that trust that goes both ways,” she said.

If there was downtime and the officer needed to fix his truck or attend a family event, he was free to do so, as long as he could return when needed.

“Current operation requirements are at a point where that type of allegiance to policy can’t always be sustained by those individuals,” Holznagel said. “Because of that trust, there’s an ability for some flexibility that allows humanity to exist.”

Self-care and planning ahead

Much like airline passengers are instructed to put on their own oxygen masks first in the event of emergency, leaders must prioritize their own well-being so they can show up fully for their employees.

That self-care does not need to be elaborate. It might be 30 minutes at the gym or 15 quiet minutes drinking coffee before the day begins. The key is knowing what helps you stay grounded and present.

Holznagel recently spoke with a former law enforcement official who recalled noticing that one of his officers appeared out of sorts during a pre-shift briefing. Afterward, he checked in. The officer shared that he and his wife had just signed their first loan for a new house and they were feeling overwhelmed. Simply taking the time to ask made a difference.

“Even though all the stress and the chaos is going on around you, you are grounded enough to be able to recognize what is happening in the people who are reporting to you, and having the capacity to say, ‘Are you okay?’” Holznagel said.

She adds that this awareness depends on leaders caring for themselves first.

“Because if I didn’t get up and I didn’t work out that day, if I didn’t give myself the 30 minutes that I needed to take care of myself, I wouldn’t have had the energy to put into somebody else that day,” she said.

Competitive advantage

These human-centered practices matter every day, but they matter even more during prolonged periods of stress. Over time, they can become a real competitive advantage.

Whether in public safety or another department, leadership that is genuine and supportive often has a greater impact than financial perks alone. A gym membership reimbursement or an annual mental health check-in can help, but they are not what ultimately determines whether an employee wants to stay or go elsewhere.

“Research is showing that it’s about leadership, who builds a culture of support and real consistency in their department that says we care about you,” Holznagel said. “That’s what’s building retention. That is what is creating a culture that people are referring others to.”

Andrew Tellijohn is a freelance writer.