The fruits of our labor: Celebrating the VA workforce on Labor Day

While many of us will celebrate Labor Day with a day off filled with picnics and cookouts, the day also serves as a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments of the past year, acknowledging all that our labor has earned us.

At VA, our workforce is what makes us great. We know that it is the people who make our mission of serving those who have served possible.

Hard at work – on Labor Day, and every day

The practice of recognizing Labor Day as a holiday is rooted in the late 1800s, when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity and well-being.

On this holiday in particular, many of our employees will still be hard at work while others are celebrating. In health care, holidays are still work days for many, and we appreciate the doctors, nurses, professionals and support staff who are supporting our Veterans.

Veterans, too, understand that missions like ours don’t take holidays. A day of rest for us was another hard day of work preserving the American way of life and securing our safety. Perhaps that is why many Veterans find their way to careers at VA—the mission to care for Veterans like themselves feels familiar, and there’s a sense of belonging to work among those who have similar experiences.

“The Marine Corps instilled in me a set of core values, and those are the principles I still live my life by,” explained said Lelia Jackson, director of the Assault and Harassment Prevention Office. “I’m proud of my service and proud that I can continue to serve with my work here at VA.”

A worthy workplace

Whether on a holiday or just any day, at VA, we recognize the value of your labor, but don’t just take our word for it. Our own employees have spoken, and VA provides a workplace you can be proud to be a part of.

VA has been named one of the top five Best Places to Work in the Federal Government by the Partnership for Public Service. In that survey, we’re among the highest ranked of the government’s largest agencies, and it’s the first time ever that we’ve been ranked in the top five on the list.

VA also recently earned the honor of being named one of America’s Best Employers in 2022 by Forbes. The distinction followed an independent survey of 60,000 Americans who were asked to rate their willingness to recommend their employers to friends and family.

While these honors show the strides we have made for our employees, we remain committed to engaging, supporting and empowering employees to provide Veterans with timely access to world-class health care. We are pushing forward with more major steps designed to make every VA job a good job.

“That’s what we all want, right?” Jackson asked. “We want to feel valued in our work and add value to our workplace. If we can do those things, it’s a win-win. Our goal is to help Veterans, and the things that we do are important. If we recognize that, and work toward that goal, it’s a win-win.”

Work at VA

Join our team and find a career worth celebrating.

• EXPLORE what it means to work at VA.
• HEAR from more VA employees in their own words.
• LEARN about our careers and culture.
• SEARCH for a VA career near you at VACareers.va.gov.