Understaffing is a chronic public health challenge. Ensuring a sustainable public health workforce requires innovative recruitment and retention strategies. Recommended strategies include holistic recruitment efforts in collaboration with community and academic partners, enhanced leadership training, staff compensation reviews, flexible work arrangements, and worker wellbeing initiatives.

This article discusses the creation of the “Putting Our People First Discussion Guide,” which is designed to empower agencies to engage workers in a collective dialogue to improve workforce mental health, wellbeing, and retention.