Hiring and employee retention have become increasingly difficult in the public sector. Finding solutions is imperative at a time when the Partnership for Public Service estimates nearly a third of current government employees are nearing retirement and also that “it takes government an average of 98 days to bring new talent on board—more than double the time in the private sector.”
As agencies and policymakers at all levels of government look for ways to ease staffing pressures, federal leaders have been working toward making the U.S. government a model employer.
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has been particularly active on this front, putting together resources such as Talent Surge: Playbook for Rebuilding the Federal Workforce. OPM also issued a memorandum on Feb. 1, 2022, authorizing agencies to streamline hiring processes to fill the large number of jobs created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which is also known as 2021’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
That memo explains agencies may “fill positions on a temporary basis for up to 1 year as needed to carry out provisions of the IIJA. These appointments may be extended in increments of up to one additional year. No appointments may be made under this authority after September 30, 2027.”
Other actions taken by OPM include convening a roundtable titled Reinventing the Federal Workforce and providing tips and resources to help agencies create hybrid workplaces that meet the needs of remote and on-site employees.
The roundtable focused specifically on making government a model employer. When announcing the event, OPM stated its intention to “bring leaders together to discuss ways to reinvent the federal workforce through the lens of equity.” OPM Director Kiran Ahuja also promised to “share ways that the Department of Commerce and Office of Personnel Management plan to reinvent the federal workforce through the lens of diversity, equity and inclusion.” You can view the full stream of the roundtable on YouTube.
OPM created four sets of customized tips for developing hybrid workplaces. Links to advice for employees, supervisors and leadership, as well as general guidance on technology, can all be found here.
Working With Organized Labor to Optimize Hiring and Retention
On Feb. 10, 2022, a Governing article explored the question “Can Unions Help Ward Off a Public Sector Workforce Crisis?” Several of the people quoted believe collective bargaining does offer answers for agencies that are struggling to hire and retain employees. So do the individuals leading efforts to secure unionizing rights for congressional staffers. Supporters of that cause include some members of Congress and a range of White House officials.
The Governing article also cites the February 2022 report from the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment. Key recommendations made by the group led by Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh appear in the accompanying table.
Recommendations From the 2022 White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment Report to the President
- Position the federal government as a model actor. The federal government will promote broader labor-management engagement, as we know that such engagement helps to make the government more effective. The federal government will also provide greater access and information to unions seeking to represent and build membership among the federal workforce. Examples include:
- The Office of Personnel Management will launch a set of strategies that will remove unnecessary barriers in federal workplaces that impede unions’ ability to organize federal workers and increase their membership.
- Four agencies, including the General Services Administration and the Department of Interior—will eliminate barriers to union organizers being able to talk with employees on federal property about the benefits of organizing a union. This will include both federal employees and private sector employees of federal contractors.
- Use the federal government’s authority to support worker empowerment by providing information, improving transparency, and making sure existing pro-worker services are delivered in a timely and helpful manner. Examples include:
- Four agencies—the Department of Labor, the Department of Defense, the Small Business Administration, and the Department of Health and Human Services—will act to expand awareness of workers’ organizing rights and employers’ responsibilities when workers are trying to organize.
- The National Labor Relations Board, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the National Mediation Board, and the Federal Labor Relations Authority each has a role to play in the process by which workers vote to join a union and take the necessary steps to enter into an agreement with their employer. These agencies are strongly encouraged to work more closely together to facilitate worker organizing and collective bargaining.
- The Department of Labor will become a resource center, providing materials on the advantages of union representation and collective bargaining. This information can be used by other agencies, workers, and businesses looking to better communicate about and support worker organizing.
- Use longstanding authority to leverage the federal government’s purchasing and spending power to support workers who are organizing and pro-worker employers. Examples include:
- Twelve agencies will attach preferences or otherwise encourage strong labor standards for recipients of federal grants and loans.
- Four agencies—the Department of Labor, the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Health and Human Services—will help ensure that federal contract dollars are not spent on anti-union campaigns and that the anti-union campaign activities by federal contractors are publicly disclosed.
IPMA-HR is tracking efforts to boost public sector hiring and retention. We regularly share articles offering tips and highlighting best practices in the weekly HR Bulletin email.
We are also interested in learning what your agency is doing to grow your workforce. Let us know by emailing ipma@ipma-hr.org. —N
01 March 2022
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HR News Article