CHAMBERSBURG, – The Franklin County Commissioners have presented the June 2022 Employee of the Month award to Megan Simmons.
Simmons has been employed with Franklin County since July 2017 and currently serves as a Caseworker III – Intake with the county’s Children and Youth Services department.
June’s Employee of the Month recipient was determined by the Special Thanks and Recognition (STAR) Committee, which received 12 nominations for the June award, three of which were for Simmons.
When nominating a coworker, employees are asked to share a specific event or circumstance that makes an individual deserving of Employee of the Month. Simmons’ nominations cite her selflessness in assisting families and coworkers despite a heavy workload, all the while maintaining an upbeat attitude.
“Megan holds a critical position with Children and Youth Services, handling most of the heavy child protective services cases. In most instances, Megan recognizes what needs to be done prior to being asked and completes these tasks in a timely and thorough manner,” said one nomination form. “She is extremely thorough and diligent and takes a great deal of pride in working with families, law enforcement and providers, and her work product is indicative of that. Megan is often called upon to help identify potential victims, suspects and witnesses and does an exceptional job in doing so. Oftentimes, she takes the initiative in identifying additional needs of the family.”
The nomination continued, “Megan is a mentor to staff, always willing to help out, and represents the department on the Multidisciplinary Investigative Team. Her attitude is continually upbeat and positive. She encourages and recognizes coworkers’ efforts and accomplishments. Megan is always professional and her interactions contribute to promoting a positive image of Franklin County employees and Children and Youth Services.”
Another colleague said, “Megan always goes above and beyond, not only for the families she works with, but for her coworkers too. She has so much on her plate, but she will drop everything just to help someone out. She handles the most difficult child protective services cases as well as cases that require a Child Advocate Center. Megan always has the best attitude, and she really is the face of intake at Children and Youth. I am very grateful to work with Megan, and I know she has my back.”
“Megan is always willing to lend a helping hand,” cited one nomination form. “Megan will often take new hires under her wing and makes sure they have everything they need. She is very knowledgeable about child welfare and always has excellent advice. I am able to go to her even though we do two very different jobs within the same department. She provides great advice and when she is not sure, she is able to point me in the right direction of someone who can help. Due to the low numbers of caseworkers, Megan has had an extremely full caseload these last few months, but she will still support anyone she can.”
Simmons’ outstanding characteristics are attributes that have not gone unnoticed by her peers. The nomination forms describe her as empathetic, respectful and resilient with an optimistic attitude. She is also seen as selfless, trustworthy and passionate about her career.
