For public servants, the year ahead may feel uncertain. Here’s why it shouldn’t.

As government teams face burnout and tight resources, a reminder of what sustains us

When systems work, they quietly hold life together. When they fail, everything feels suddenly fragile. I learned that at an early age. 

When my father died, my family lost more than a parent. We lost our sole breadwinner. We were living in a church manse, and overnight, my mother was faced with grief, uncertainty and the reality that she had to reenter the workforce after years away. 

What made the difference for us was not luck. It was people. The helpers and professionals who said, “We can help you navigate this.  There are resources that you can tap into and we will help you find them.” 

At Conduent, our teams are composed of people whose purpose is to help others do just that. 

I often encourage the people I mentor to pause and reflect on the moments when help showed up for them, when a system worked as intended, or when someone made a difficult situation feel manageable. These memories matter. They shape how we listen, how we design solutions and how we show up for clients and the residents they serve. 

Because you don’t forget the moment help arrives. How it feels when the ground stops shifting beneath you. Service is not a job description. It is a responsibility. If you do not care deeply about the people you serve, then all the tools in the world do not matter. Technology, process, policy, analytics. And yes, even AI. Without purpose, none of it means anything.  

Because public service is not abstract 
My early experiences shaped why I started my career in social work. I frequently worked directly with families who were living in chaos. Not because they lacked intelligence or motivation, but because when basic needs are unmet, everything else becomes a cacophony of noise of your failures. Food. Diapers. Housing. Childcare. These were not abstract policy discussions. They were urgent needs. 

I remember one of my first clients, a young mother of nine living in temporary pubic housing. We worked together to secure permanent housing and childcare. What mattered most was not that I solved her problems, but rather that she felt equipped to shape her own trajectory. That distinction is everything, and it helps drive how our teams design solutions and services for our government clients.  

From people to systems 
Today, I work with government agencies that serve millions of residents. The scale is different, but the responsibility is the same. Every missed communication, every confusing process and every delayed service has consequences for real people.  

That is why passion matters in this work. Government services are not commercial transactions. Residents are not customers comparison shopping for convenience. They are parents, caregivers, seniors and veterans navigating the hardest moments of their lives. 
 
Related: Navigating the New Era of Government Efficiency  
 
Technology with a purpose 
There is tremendous pressure today to adopt new technologies, particularly AI. Used well, it can help manage data and support better decision-making. Used poorly, it creates new barriers and erodes trust. 

I have seen this firsthand. Automated interactions can trap people in loops instead of helping them resolve an issue. Technology should not prioritize efficiency for the organization over dignity for the individual. 

Our north star must be simple. Technology must make things easier for residents. AI should fuel our passion, not replace our humanity. 

There are moments when people need a human voice, someone who can listen, ask the right questions and understand what is not being said. Families often call for help with one issue, when the real risk lies somewhere else entirely. Empathy and judgment cannot be automated away. 

Our “no wrong door” philosophy helps government agencies reduce confusion and prevent disruptions to benefits by connecting residents to the programs and services they need, regardless of where they enter the system. By coordinating across agencies, sharing data and offering user-friendly self-service tools, this improves both experience and efficiency. 
 
Related: Meet the 2027 Medicaid mandate with confidence 
 
The responsibility of partnership 
When government agencies choose a partner, they trust that partner with outcomes that matter. Health. Stability. Access. Productivity. 

At Conduent, I want our teams to feel an emotional connection to the work they do. Not because it is dramatic, but because it is honest.  

At the end of the day, passion is not a “nice to have.” It is foundational. If you do not believe in the purpose of your work, you will never fully see the consequences of getting it wrong. 

We believe in building systems that respect people, and in partnering with government agencies that carry enormous responsibility on behalf of the public. That belief is not philosophical. It is personal. 

This is why the work matters. And this is why we must never forget who we are really serving. As 2026 opens with both challenges and opportunity, I hope you’ll pause to remember the moments when help showed up for you and let those memories remind you that even in uncertain times, the work still has a steady center.