SANTA FE, N.M. – The New Mexico State Land Office is a recipient of the 2024 Fall Culture Excellence Awards, winning the Top Workplaces 2024 Culture Excellence Award and the Top Workplaces 2024 Women-Led award, as announced in Business Wire today. The Woman-Led Top Workplaces award celebrates outstanding organizations whose most senior leader is a woman who has fostered and built stand-out, people-first workplace cultures. The agency also received awards in the categories of: Innovation, Appreciation; Work-Life Flexibility; Employee Well-Being; Professional Development; Compensation & Benefits; and Leadership.
The awards are presented by human resources company Energage. The Top Workplaces and Culture Excellence Awards are based solely on employee feedback to an anonymous survey that measures 15 culture drivers that are critical to the success of any organization, including alignment, execution and connection.
“Getting recognized once again for our workplace culture is just more proof that we have the best staff around. Our employees show up every day motivated to deliver for the institutions and New Mexicans we serve,” said Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard. “Over the past several years we have made deliberate investments in our employees with the understanding that they have a life and responsibilities outside of the confines of our building. We’ve also strived for fairness across the board, rightsizing salaries and making sure employees are fairly compensated for the expertise they bring to the table. I couldn’t be prouder of this staff and the amazing work they do every day.”
According to the Energage survey that determined the awards announced today:
- 94% of employees believe the agency operates by strong values.
- 92% of employees agree the agency is going in the right direction.
- 90% of employees are happy with their work-life flexibility.
The State Land Office finished in the top 1% within the public sector for employees’ willingness to refer others to work for at the agency.
The State Land Office finished in the top 5% in the following categories:
- Cross-Team Cooperation: Employees believe there is good inter-departmental cooperation at the State Land Office.
- Trusted Leader: Employees have confidence in the leader of the State Land Office.
The agency also finished in the top 25% in the following categories:
- Strong Values: Employees believe that the State Land Office operates by strong values.
- Meaningful Work: Employees jobs make them feel like they are part of something meaningful.
- Employee Appreciation: Employees feel genuinely appreciated at the State Land Office.
- Work Life Balance: Employees have the flexibility they need to balance their work and personal life.
The State Land Office previously won a Top Workplaces award in 2024, ranking 2nd among midsize employers (organizations with between 150-499 employees). It marks the second consecutive year the State Land Office has been named a Top Workplace, after ranking 1st in 2023.
The State Land Office won the Top Workplaces USA Award from USA Today in March 2024. Over 2,220 organizations participated in anonymous employee surveys as part of that national contest. The State Land Office was the only organization from New Mexico to rank in the top 25, regardless of size or sector. The agency was the top ranked government agency in its category.
The State Land Office also previously won a Woman-Led Organizations Award as part of the October 2023 Top Workplaces Culture Excellence national awards. The agency qualified for each award after it was named the #1 Midsize Employer by the Albuquerque Journal in June 2023 as part of Energage’s annual Top Workplaces Awards. Energage is a human resources and technology research company that partnered with both USA Today on the national award and the Albuquerque Journal on the regional award.
Over the past several years, Commissioner Garcia Richard has instituted agency-wide policies that invest in employees and promote fairness, including correcting pay equity disparities, hiring and promoting diverse candidates to leadership positions, offering remote work up to three days a week, and much more. The State Land Office’s mission is to earn money for schools and other public institutions by responsibly leasing state lands for energy production, commercial development, and agriculture, among other uses. The State Land Office has continued to earn historic revenue, earning $2.56 billion last year alone, as these cultural changes were implemented.
Learn more about the awards here.
Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard has overseen the New Mexico State Land Office since 2019. In that time the agency has raised more than $10 billion for New Mexico public schools, hospitals, and universities. Over 13 million acres of state trust land are leased for a variety of uses, including ranching and farming, renewable energy, business development, mineral development, and outdoor recreation. The State Land Office has a dual mandate to use state trust land to financially support vital public institutions, while simultaneously working to protect the land for future generations.