Public Sector HR News

From this job candidate's perspective, the days of spotlighting talent based on merit are gone. A good reputation apparently can only go so far. Seemingly, internal hires aren’t appreciated like they used to be. Even with interview scores and a testing matrix, the best candidates could fall through the cracks.

This is the first in a two-part article series that analyzes U.S. Office of Personnel Management's 2019 and 2021 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, respectively. The author did not consider using 2020 data for this series because there was a great deal of confusion and flux in the federal government when COVID-19 started.

Leadership support and cultural safety fuel the workplace engine that empowers employees to identify, advocate for and drive workplace change. Since the racially charged 1960s, employee resource groups (ERGs) have been a valuable part of the workplace. 

Malena Murray is an accomplished HR professional with more than 15 years of private and public sector experience. In February of this year, she started a new position as the human resources director for Draper City, Utah. She took time out recently to speak with IPMA-HR about her lessons as an educator, communicator, traveler, hockey fan, dog lover, and self-motivated lifelong learner.

The pandemic has significantly transformed the workplace and how people interact. It has also transformed the learning and development (L&D) paradigm and its course of curriculum. Before the pandemic, L&D had been weighted toward “training” the tactical. It now must be transformed to balance skilling and upskilling with the soft skills needed to survive and thrive in a fluid corporate ecosystem.

A 360-degree feedback program can be a powerful way of helping employees grow within their organization. Used successfully, it is a tool that increases engagement, identifies training opportunities, and helps employees develop in their own role and go on to succeed in a leadership role.

A shift is taking place at work, and a new generation of workers is leading the way. It’s the much-talked-about Generation Z—digital natives who are eager to work and determined to make a difference by holding employers accountable for their value positioning and workplace culture.

Beyond PTO and flex working policies, employers can offer benefits that go a long way toward supporting the working realities of women.

It doesn’t really matter how you develop new capabilities in today’s hybrid workplace. The key is that you develop them. No government employee (city, state or federal) can afford to stay idle without being left in the dust.

It’s important to recognize that embracing boomerang employees is mutually beneficial. Returning employees will bring certain benefits to their return. An example of this is that they already understand the operation.