Reflections on the Federal Workforce
- Many federal agencies have either sustained or increased employee engagement. Increased levels of engagement—generally defined as the sense of purpose and commitment employees feel towards their employer and its mission—can lead to better organizational performance. In an April testimony before Congress, we reported that the recent government-wide decline in engagement masks the fact that the majority of federal agencies either sustained or increased employee engagement levels during the same period.
- Federal human capital management is improving. In the 2015 update to our High Risk List, we noted that over the last few years, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and individual agencies have taken important steps to better position the government to close current and emerging critical skills gaps in the federal workforce.
- Dealing with poor performers. The way the government handles poor performers is a major concern for citizens and better-performing colleagues. We recommended that OPM assess the adequacy of agencies’ leadership training, since better training for supervisors could help them better manage staff performance.
- Tracking work hours. We found that OPM lacks reliable estimates of the amount of time federal employees spend performing certain union duties, and also has inaccurate information on the amount of paid administrative leave federal employees take. To improve federal agencies’ ability to oversee and manage employees’ time, we recommended that OPM work with agencies to collect more accurate data.
- Addressing shared challenges and making workforce talent more flexible across the government. Human capital solutions could help agencies accomplish their goals in lean fiscal times. In this era of highly constrained budgets, we recommended government-wide strategies to address widespread challenges and provide the agility necessary to put human capital resources where they can be most effective.
- Questions on the content of this post? Contact Robert Goldenkoff at goldenkoffr@gao.gov or Yvonne Jones at jonesy@gao.gov.
- Comments on GAO’s WatchBlog? Contact blog@gao.gov.
GAO's mission is to provide Congress with fact-based, nonpartisan information that can help improve federal government performance and ensure accountability for the benefit of the American people. GAO launched its WatchBlog in January, 2014, as part of its continuing effort to reach its audiences—Congress and the American people—where they are currently looking for information.
The blog format allows GAO to provide a little more context about its work than it can offer on its other social media platforms. Posts will tie GAO work to current events and the news; show how GAO’s work is affecting agencies or legislation; highlight reports, testimonies, and issue areas where GAO does work; and provide information about GAO itself, among other things.
Please send any feedback on GAO's WatchBlog to blog@gao.gov.