Washington State Department of Personnel
Washington State has become one of the most innovative state employers. The Director of Personnel, Eva Santos recently presented on where they where, what they have done and what the future holds. Read More.

Talent Management that's Good for the Individual and Organizations
Some may ask is there a "master lever" to bring employees on board for better and engaged performance? There are many different thoughts on the number one reason on the subject, ranging from talent selection to a well defined mission. However, in a recent webinar, presented by Jon Desenberg, Consulting Director at The Performance Institute, he showed that perhaps the number one reason for employee job satisfaction is playing to employee's strengths. Read More.

Best Practices Shared at Government HR Innovations
Last week, The Performance Institute hosted its largest HR event of the year, Government HR Innovations. The conference showcased best in class practices from several different government agencies. From creating a succession plan that works, to the current status of pay-for-performance initiatives, to work/life balance programs, delegates received a wide variety of innovative programs and presentations. Read More.

Human Capital Crisis in the Intelligence Community
In early May, Government Executive hosted an executive leadership breakfast examining the latest human capital trends in the United States Intelligence Community. The breakfast, hosted by Shane Harris, National Journal’s Intelligence and Homeland Security Correspondent, featured a panel of experts in the field, including Ronald Marks, Senior Vice President for Government Relations at Oxford Analytica; Dr. William Nolte, Research Professor and Director of the Center for Intelligence and Education, University of Maryland; Timothy Sample, President of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance; and Dr. Ronald Sanders, Chief Human Capital Officer of the Intelligence Community.

President Bush Changes Locality Pay Formula
Pay disparity between private and public jobs based on location has called for legislation to decrease the salary gap.  President Bush recently advocated the change in locality pay formula.  For areas like New York or San Francisco, an executive order may be needed to increase pay in these highly competitive areas

Pay-for-Performance Prospects Dim, OMB Official Says
With the recent Democratic take over, questions have emerged concerning the government’s dedication to tying employee pay to performance.  From the Bush Administration as well as the OMB Deputy Director, the sentiment reflects a lack of dedication from incoming Democrats towards pay-for-performance initiatives.

New Government Report Card Coming in Late 2007
In late 2007, the federal government will release a new report card that was funded by the Partnership for Public Service in collaboration with the Office of Personnel Management and the Office of Management and Budget.  The new report card will specifically measure the aptitude of its workforce, leadership within the government and public perception.  There will be six grading areas which include; “the workforce’s talent, the workforce’s level of engagement, leadership, public support, agency performance in delivering service and the effectiveness of government systems.”  Bob Lavigna, Vice President for Research at the Partnership for Public Service commented, “This is really a groundbreaking project.” 

Hire Me Already!
In five years, 50% of the federal workforce will be eligible to retire.  The federal government is trying to simplify the hiring process to attract young people to federal jobs.  Currently only 3% of the federal workforce is under the age of 25.  Jon Desenberg, a Senior Consultant with the Performance Institute comments, “The primary roadblock to luring young people into government careers is the lengthy hiring procedure.”  This is seen by many to be the largest problem with the process, along with the cumbersome application method.

GAO Report:  Aligning Senior Executives’ Performance with Organizational Results is an Important Step toward Governmentwide Transformation
On September 26th, the GAO released a new report on human capital, which has concluded that the performance-based pay system for senior executives is an important step in aligning performance to actual agency results.  This new performance management system will help federal agencies to align individual, team and unit performance with agency goals.  The system has encountered implementation issues, but the most important task will be OPM’s role in working with individual agencies to meet the mandates.

Assembly OK's health bill:  It would let state run care system
The California Assembly passed a universal healthcare bill on Monday for a universal healthcare system for all of California.  The bill will now move to the state senate and with passage, would go to the Governor.  Governor Schwarzenegger has said on several occasions that he finds the state healthcare system to be a “tax increase” and would most likely veto the bill.  ...

United States Postal Service Receives 2006 Excellence in Human Capital Management Award
At its annual HR Innovations Summit today the Performance Institute presented the United States Postal Service (USPS) with the 2006 Excellence in Human Capital Management Award....

OPM Finalizes Rule on Direct Hiring for Acquisition Workers
In response to the anticipated retirement eligibility within the acquisition workforce in the next ten years, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has finalized a rule which would allow civilian agencies to bypass the strict civil service rules when trying to hire for difficult acquisition positions.  The rule would not apply to the Department of Defense as they already have their own guidelines for acquisition hires.

Federal Employees’ Job Tenure on the Decline
A recent report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that over the past six years, the tenure for positions within the federal government has dropped from 11.5 to an average of 9.9 years; all the while the private sector tenure has increased from 3.2 to 3.6 years.  The report states that the main reason for the differential is age, with approximately 75% of federal employees over 35, while only 60% are in the private sector. 

OPM Channels Recruits Through TV Ads
In an effort to recruit new and talented employees, the Office of Management and Budget (OPM) launched a new ad campaign earlier this year, which just began running in West Virginia.  “We currently have more than 22,000 openings throughout the federal government, and we need talented, dedicated Americans to come and make a difference,” OPM Director Linda Springer said.

GAO: State Should Address Staffing Shortages
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has come out with a new report criticizing the staffing shortages at the State Department.  In just over three years (2002-2005), the number of vacant civil service positions at the department has more than doubled from 800 to over 1,700.  In 2002, the Diplomatic Readiness Initiative was started and over 1,000 new positions were hired due to the mandate.  However, the department never took into consideration the strain that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan would have on staffing requirements.

Invest in HR Work Force to Ensure Government's Bright Future
The human resources workface has many of the same challenges that the entire government faces; aging workers, and recruiting and retaining talent.  During the 1990’s there was a steady decline in government human resources employees, and many of these positions were filled by personnel who did not possess the formal training and resources necessary to complete the requirements of the position.  In order to strengthen the entire federal government workforce, the government must first strengthen the front line:  its human capital officers.

Federal Pay, Benefits Double Private Sector’s
TRecent statistics from the Department of Commerce’s U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis show that in 2005 federal workers earned an average of $106,579, including benefits, more than doubling the private sector average of $53,289.  Many government employees, including Colleen Kelley, President of the National Treasury Employees Union are quick to point out that, “the comparison of the white-collar federal workforce to the entire private sector workforce, which includes many blue-collar jobs, isn’t apples to apples.” 

Feds’ Pay Raise Likely to be Lower
The White House is recommending a 2.2% 2007 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for federal employees, coming in substantially lower than last year’s COLA (3.44%).  If the current recommendation stands, the federal retirees’ COLA will also come in higher for 2007 (3.1%).  The retirement COLA is automatically calculated in conjunction with the Consumer Price Index, while current federal workers are at the discretion of Congress. 

Group Says OPM Must Do More to Recruit, Retain Hispanics
In 2000, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) by presidential order, was tasked to oversee federal government minority hiring practices.  Recently, a coalition of 40 Hispanic organizations criticized the office, giving them an “F” for the current lack and downward trend of Hispanic recruitment and retention.  Hispanic employees comprise a smaller percent of the federal workforce than private sector employment, and the percentage declines more drastically within management positions.

OPM Finally Gets Rolling on a New Retirement System
In May, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced that within four years, it would be able to give their employees the ability to alter their benefits and plan for retirement the way that most private companies already utilize.  This technology will allow employees to plan for their retirement and use web tools to access “what if” scenarios that will give them various options.  Not only is this beneficial to individual employees who will no longer have to wait for their pension and benefits to be calculated upon retirement, but the new system will prove to be more accurate. 

Succession Planning
On July 13, The Performance Institute hosted a day-long training on succession planning, as part of Human Capital Management Week.  With the greatest number of federal employees in the age range of 50-54, the need for succession planning in the federal workforce has never been greater.  HR managers in the federal government are recognizing that they will have to work to recruit, but also retain young workers, who grew up in the age of the Internet and for the most part, do not plan to spend their entire career in one agency. 

OPM Director Supports Federal Workforce Performance Appraisal and Management Improvement Act
Linda M. Springer, Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director has come out in support of the Federal Workforce Performance Appraisal and Management Improvement Act, the goal of which is to increase performance by the federal government civilian workforce. The act was introduced in the United States Senate by Senator George V. Voinovich (R-Ohio).