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Strengthening and Empowering the Federal Workforce

Overview

Priority Area Leaders

Kiran Ahuja

TitleDirector

AgencyOffice of Personnel Management

Dr. Kathleen Hicks

TitleDeputy Secretary

AgencyU.S. Department of Defense

Julie Su

TitleDeputy Secretary

AgencyU.S. Department of Labor

Summary of Progress

  • May 2023

    The Workforce Priority has begun delivering several products to support agencies’ abilities to strengthen and empower their workforce. Some examples include: a training for managers on “Thriving in a Hybrid Environment,” new OMB guidance on improving Organizational Health and Organizational Performance across agencies, new OPM memo on Advancing Future of the Workforce Policies and Practices to Support Mission Delivery, new functionality on USAJOBS—called Talent Pools—to facilitate the sharing of hiring certificates across agencies, issuance of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Advancing Pay Equity, and public data products to better understand workforce insights. 

    Inter-agency teams continue to work collaboratively to support outcomes related to hiring, retention, employee engagement and well-being, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA), leadership and skill development, and data-driven decision making. In the coming period, the Workforce Priority team will focus its efforts on empowering agencies to take action in support of the PMA’s objectives and continue its focus on enabling data-driven workforce decision making. For example, OPM will develop a method to track pooled hiring actions and candidates hired through pooled hiring actions in future quarters.

  • March 2023

    The Workforce Priority has an ambitious set of goals and objectives to make progress for Federal employees and will be actively looking for ways to further engage agencies in supporting this work. PMA cross-agency Workforce Priority teams have begun implementing projects designed to further progress on the goals across each of the four strategies. Teams have launched Government-wide working groups and communities of practice (CoPs), including the inter-agency Mental Health & Well-Being and Recruitment & Outreach CoPs. OPM has also released priority policy guidance to address central challenges identified by agencies to agencies, such as internship guidance designed to strengthen and diversify agencies’ pipelines for early career talent. To help promote a data-driven approach and create accountability across Government, agency guidance was delivered and agencies are making progress toward the four PMA Workforce Priority metrics, supported by guidance from the Priority Area Leaders; the metrics can be viewed on the new data page.

  • November 2022

    In order to meet the opportunities outlined above, cross-agency teams representing almost 20 CFO Act agencies have identified a suite of activities to address some of the biggest opportunities and challenges facing the Government workforce. Across each of the strategies described below, these teams continue to keep diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) goals front and center as they consider and test solutions. Teams are now working to identify potential pilots for testing and evaluation, and to implement near-term actions. These actions could include, for example, new guidance for agencies or the development of shared tools or data. Below is a sampling of initial milestones that are guiding cross-agency groups as implementation gets underway. The PMA team has continued to engage stakeholders. Priority Area Leaders have developed guidance for agencies to support the adoption of Priority-level metrics.

  • July 2022

    Cross-agency teams are advancing the PMA Workforce Priority across the identified Strategies and Goals, with cross-functional representatives from many agencies participating. These teams have been scoping the activities to support their goal statements, working to understand challenges, and exploring a broad range of solutions. Milestones included in this update represent initial foundational work to implement this Workforce Priority.

Challenge

More than 4 million Americans—including more than 2.1 million Federal civilian employees—work for our Federal Government, both at home and overseas. To be a Government for all of the American people, we need to focus on those who keep our Government running and deliver services each day. Given the changing nature of work, new technology, and the evolving skills needed to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow, we must invest in our public servants who are the backbone of our Government.

Opportunity

Federal agencies must attract, hire, develop, and empower talented individuals who are well suited and well prepared to face the challenges the Government faces, both in the near and long term. Agencies must also use what they have learned about the resilience and adaptability of the Federal workforce to make the Federal Government an ideal, modern, and forward-thinking employer. As Federal agencies continue to chart a path forward together on the future of Federal work, they will engage with public servants as well as stakeholders within and outside of Government to make every Federal job a good job and give our workforce what they need to succeed.

Strategies

Strategy 1

Attract and hire the most qualified employees, who reflect the diversity of our country, in the right roles across the Federal Government.  

2 Strategy Leads
Success Metrics
CAP Goal

Strategy 2

Make every Federal job a good job, where all employees are engaged, supported, heard, and empowered, with opportunities to learn, grow, join a union and have an effective voice in their workplaces through their union, and thrive throughout their careers.  

3 Strategy Leads
Success Metrics
CAP Goal

Strategy 3

Reimagine and build a roadmap to the future of Federal work informed by lessons from the pandemic and nationwide workforce and workplace trends.  

4 Strategy Leads
Success Metrics
CAP Goal

Strategy 4

Build the personnel system and support required to sustain the Federal Government as a model employer able to effectively deliver on a broad range of agency missions.  

3 Strategy Leads
Success Metrics

Highlights

A curated view of progress happening across this priority area

Guidance

Guidance for Agency Leaders on Employee Wellness Programs (EWPs)

Guidance

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Advancing Pay Equity

Guidance

Memo for Agencies on Advocation for Mental Health Awareness Month

Guidance

Memo on Advancing Future of the Workforce Policies and Practices to Support Mission Delivery

Guidance

Guidance to Agencies on Improving Organizational Health and Organizational Performance

Guidance

Remote/Telework Enhancements to Enterprise Human Resources Integration Data Files

Guidance

Guidance Regarding Gender Identity and Inclusion in the Federal Workplace

Guidance

Interim Final Rule on Scheduling of Annual Leave by Employees Determined Necessary to Respond to Emergencies

Guidance

Recent Pay and Leave Related Legislative Changes

Guidance

Guidance to Agencies on implementing PMA Workforce Priority Metrics

Guidance

Guidance on Promoting Internships and other Student and Early Career Programs in the Federal Government

Progress

OPM Data Strategy covering Fiscal Years 2023-2026 and newly updated OPM Data Portal

Progress

OPM launches Government-wide training for Federal Employees to succeed in hybrid work environments, delivering on a key PMA priority

Communications

The President’s Budget Invests in Our Most Important Resource — People

Communications

Applying Change to Federal Hiring: A Case Study at Interior

Progress

First-ever easily searchable Internship Portal on USAJOBS
PMA / Workforce / Join the Action

Join the Action

Members of the workforce: join one of the three cross-agency communities of practices to identify promising practices and potential pilots

Mental Health & Well-Being community of practice; the Chief Human Capital Officers (CHCO) Council Recruitment & Outreach community of practice; and CHCO Council Employee Engagement community of practice; If interested, please reach out to CHCOCouncilCoPs@opm.gov

Understand the priority metrics that support the Workforce Priority

Read the PMA Workforce Priority Metrics Memo and review the agency actions

Share

To deliver results for all of the American people, we need everyone’s help. Spread the word.

Understand the vision

Read the Biden-Harris President’s Management Agenda Vision, our roadmap for achieving an equitable, effective, accountable Government that delivers results for all of the American people

Help answer high-impact research questions

Review critical Government-wide research questions – answers to these questions will help the Federal Government deliver more effective and equitable results

PMA / Workforce / Strategy Leaders

Leaders

Nina Albert

TitleCommissioner

AgencyPublic Buildings Service

StrategyReimagine and build a roadmap to the future...

Jason Barke

TitleDeputy Associate Director, Strategic Workforce Planning

AgencyOffice of Personnel Management

StrategyReimagine and build a roadmap to the future...

Dustin Brown

TitleDeputy Assistant Director for Management

AgencyOffice of Management and Budget

StrategyReimagine and build a roadmap to the future...

Roland Edwards

TitleChief Human Capital Officer

AgencyDepartment of Homeland Security

StrategyMake every Federal job a good job, where...

Wonzie Gardner

TitleOffice Head and Chief Human Capital Officer, Office of Information and Resource Management

AgencyNational Science Foundation

StrategyReimagine and build a roadmap to the future...

John Gill

TitleAssistant Director of Center for Leadership Development

AgencyOffice of Personnel Management

StrategyBuild the personnel system and support required to...

Colleen Heller-Stein

TitleDirector, Office of Human Resources and Acting Chief Human Capital Officer

AgencyDepartment of the Treasury

StrategyAttract and hire the most qualified employees, who...

Veronica Hinton

TitlePrincipal Deputy Associate Director for Employee Services

AgencyOffice of Personnel Management

StrategyBuild the personnel system and support required to...

Kristin McNally

TitleBranch Chief of Employee Engagement, Division of Worklife and Engagement in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management

AgencyDepartment of Labor

StrategyMake every Federal job a good job, where...

David Padrino

TitleExecutive Director, Office of Human Capital Data Management and Modernization

AgencyOffice of Personnel Management

StrategyBuild the personnel system and support required to...

Nancy A. Speight

TitleDeputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Civilian Personnel Policy

AgencyDepartment of Defense

StrategyMake every Federal job a good job, where...

Tracey Therit

TitleChief Human Capital Officer

AgencyDepartment of Veterans Affairs

StrategyAttract and hire the most qualified employees, who...

PMA / Workforce / Metrics

Metrics

Create a more equitable employee engagement experience across the Federal workforce, including across employee groups and organizational units within agencies

  • Increase agency OPM Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) Employee Engagement Index (EEI) scores by narrowing agency-identified gaps in EEI by employee group or organizational unit by 20 percent.
  • Agencies will select an EEI subfactor (Supervisor, Leaders Lead, Intrinsic Work Experience) or a minimum of three OPM FEVS questions as topics to target for action and quantifiably improve results on these factors/questions. Subfactor/questions should be chosen due to overall low score, gaps across employee groups and organizational unit, or some other mission- or performance-driven factor.
  • Guidance to agencies on implementing PMA Workforce Priority metrics

Improve the Federal hiring process to efficiently hire the best talent

  • Increase the percentage of hiring manager satisfaction with the hiring process.
  • Note : This survey currently is going through improvements to automate its dissemination and to improve data collection and availability. Improvements will be integrated by fiscal year (FY) 23 Q3. A baseline will be established using the current data from the last 3 years, and targets will be determined following the implementation of survey improvements.
  • Guidance to agencies on implementing PMA Workforce Priority metrics

Attract the right talent for the right roles

  • Increase the percentage of agencies meeting projected mission-critical occupation (MCO) hiring and staffing targets.
  • Agencies will be asked to create robust projections for selected MCOs and report progress towards filling those goals in order to highlight areas of needed support to compete for talent.
  • Guidance to agencies on implementing PMA Workforce Priority metrics

Promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) strategies and practices across all human capital activities

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