Prioritizing growth and career development
Many Sandians want more opportunities to develop skills and expand their careers. To that end, Sandia created new events such as Careerapalooza and Division Spark Spotlights and established a new Career Development Office, giving staff greater insight into the work performed in other areas of the Labs and more access to tools and resources. About 7,600 employees attended Spark Spotlight or Careerapalooza events in fiscal year 2023. Employee participation in university education programs also increased to 76.6%. • 3000
Building a culture of recognition
Sandia is on a multiyear journey to make the Labs a better place to work, and a key part of that is having a strong culture of recognition. The Labs continues to enhance its rewards and recognition programs, resulting in 975 Employee Recognition Award nominations, 684 gift cards distributed by managers for jobs well done, a 52% increase in peer-to-peer recognition through Sandia’s Thunderbird Kudos program and 792 employees receiving one- and three-year service anniversary awards for the first time. • 3000
Making Sandia’s pay more competitive
By collaborating with NNSA to make the Labs’ pay more competitive compared to the market, Sandia has been able to increase starting salaries and funding for sign-on and retention programs, strengthening the Labs’ ability to attract and retain critical talent. Sandia also has been able to increase funding for promotions, pay adjustments and variable pay, known as bonuses in industry, leading to strong year-over-year pay increases and more professional advancement opportunities. • 3000
Enhancing employee health and well-being
Sandia demonstrated its focus on the health and well-being of its employees by implementing a direct scheduling phone line for the Employee Assistance Program. The direct line gives employees and managers more immediate contact with a program professional and allows representatives to respond faster to client needs. The program is also piloting a Well-Being and Resilience Practices training program that focuses on values clarification, stress management and increasing creativity. The program combats a common employee fallacy that they don’t have time to take care of themselves. • 3000
Delivering more flexible benefit options
Labs leadership continues to listen to feedback about benefits from employees, who say they value choice, time off and more flexibility and support for child care. Sandia has continued to seek ways to enhance the benefits it provides, introducing more flexible options in fiscal year 2023, like a new lifestyle spending account, additional dental and vision plan options and eliminating the $100 minimum contribution to the Health Savings Account. More new and enhanced benefits are on the way in 2024. • 3000
Expanding hiring and outreach efforts
Sandia equipped new technical recruiters to find top talent in their fields using an enriched hiring strategy. The new strategy increases the Labs’ competitive advantage in the labor market and reduces the burden for hiring managers by shortening the time it takes to find and hire qualified candidates. Sandia also remains committed to expanding its outreach for veterans and individuals with disabilities, creating a diverse pool of talent and strengthening a culture of belonging and innovation. This effort resulted in several national awards, such as Forbes’ 2023 America’s Best Large Employers and Best Employers for Diversity, a 2023 Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion from DisabilityIN and a 2023 HIRE Vets Gold Medallion Award from the Department of Labor. • 3000