Like many state agency offices, upwards promotion is slow, and it feels monumentally slower in this small office of approx. 15 people. The best way to promote yourself is externally since internal opportunities are scarce. Additionally, because of our focus on high-profile downstate issues, an individual may have disproportionate amounts of work relative to the staff on hand, and there is not much support other than verbal commiseration from supervisors that, they too, have lots of work. A simple quell to this would be to adhere to the 50% work from home agency protocol, but if you work in the Division of Water, leadership currently discourages working from home and only allows 20% (one day a week).
My reference to this office feeling like an island earlier applies here as well. Because we are a satellite of the New Paltz headquarters, it is slow for us to get resources (like dish soap or printer paper) and when New Paltz tells us to limit our use, leadership in Tarrytown does not push back. Most staff here are field-based and the division is not generous in ordering us agency clothing to wear in the field, whereas other divisions in New Paltz can select clothing to order on an annual basis (regardless of being field-based). Overall, the lack of advocacy for limiting staff workloads and redirecting duties to Albany has created low morale amongst staff. Younger staff feel this more whereas older staff are of the notion that it has been this way for so long that they don't care to push for change.
