Workforce Planning in the Public Sector

government - tech - customer service - leadership - opengov - gov2.0

The

GovLoop Guide
To
JUNE 2012

Workforce Planning in the
Public Sector
In partnership with:

GOVLOOPGUIDE
02.

WELCOME/
CONTENTS
About GovLoop

16
Retention and Succession Planning
Keep Employees Motivated
3 About the GovLoop Guide Series
In Focus: Seven Simple Steps to
Maintain Morale
Foreword
5 With Steve Beard: Oracle
Be Committed -
Implement Your
Be Strategic - Know Workforce Plan
Where You’re Going and 18 In Focus: North Carolina Office of State
How to Get There
7 In Focus: OPM 5 Step Model
8 Strategic Planning
Be Reflective - Evaluate
and Revise Plan as
Needed
Be Prepared - Know Your 19 In Focus: North Carolina Office of State
Personnel
Workforce
9 Multi-Sector Workforce and Planning
10 Analyze the Gap Between Current and Projected Performance
Workforce Needs Management
11 In Focus: North Carolina Office of State 20 Interview with GovLoop and Oracle
Personnel - Conduct a Workforce Analysis

Final Overview
Be Proactive - Develop a 22 GovLoop Workforce Planning Toolkit

Workforce Plan
12 In Focus: North Carolina Office of Personnel - GovLoop Resources
Create a Workforce Action Plan
23 Blogs, Discussions and Groups on GovLoop
12 Solution Strategies
Recruitment
Training and Leadership Development Acknowledgements
Programs 25 GovLoop Authors

About GovLoop
and the GovLoop Guide Series

GovLoop’s mission is simple: to connect government to improve government.

W e aim to inspire
and educate public
sector professionals as
and local public ser-
vants, industry experts
and academic research-
GovLoop works with top
industry partners to
provide resources and
Post, Government Tech-
nology, and other indus-
try publications.
the knowledge network ers. GovLoop is widely tools, such as guides,
for government. Gov- recognized as the lead- infographics, online This GovLoop Guide to
Loop serves more than ing site for addressing training and educational Workforce Planning in
55,000 members, help- public sector issues. events -- all with the goal the Public Sector is un-
ing them to foster col- of helping public sec- derwritten by Oracle.
laboration, solve prob- GovLoop boasts an ex- tor professionals to do
lems and advance their tremely engaged mem- their jobs better.
government careers. bership that creates
and comments on near- GovLoop also promotes
GovLoop members rep- ly 1,000 new blog posts public service success
resent the full spectrum and discussion forums stories in popular news
of the public sector, in- every month. sources like the Wash-
cluding federal, state, ington Post, Huffington

Meet the team/
Acknowledgements
Govloop Team: Created & Location:
STEVE RESSLER - Founder and CEO
Developed by: GovLoop is headquartered in
Washington D.C with a team of
DOUG MASHKURI - Director of Busi- dedicated professionals who
ness Development share a commitment to connect
and improve government.
PAT FIORENZA - Research Analyst

JEFF RIBEIRA - Creative Director GovLoop
734 15th St NW, Suite 500
ANDY KRZMARZICK - Community
Manager
In Partnership with: Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202) 407-7421
Fax: (202) 407-7501

Tweet: @GovLoop

05.
GOVLOOPGUIDE

Foreword
Directing organizational Human Resources is no small feat today. There is a
plethora of issues, from talent shortages to learning styles, from pending retire-
ments to internal politics that can complicate and exasperate both the process-
es and the outcomes. Just as with any business challenge, however, a thought-
ful and well-constructed workforce plan can serve as a strategic guide to help
the HR leader navigate through the storm. The workforce plan also provides
the means and measurements to accurately assess performance along the way.

I have had the unique opportunity in my career to not only create and man-
Steve Beard, SPHR age the execution of Human Resource workforce plans, but I have also enjoyed
Strategic Program Director
watching customers do the same across the Public Sector in both the United
Fusion Cloud Applications
Oracle Public Sector States and Canada for 19 years. From my experience as both executor and ob-
server, I have learned that all HR leaders want to accomplish the same three
things: 1) we want to do HR cheaper; 2) we want to do HR more efficiently; 3) we
want to do HR better. A workforce plan is an essential ingredient to recognizing
those objectives.

Oracle is a technology company. We design, develop, manufacture, and deliver
to Public Sector HR organizations, the tools they need to administer and analyze
all things HR. Oracle has a comprehensive Human Capital Management solu-
tion, from integrated talent management to workforce service delivery, from
workforce management to HR analytics. Our HCM solution can be deployed in
the cloud, on-premise, or in a hybrid model – you decide. More government
workers around the world touch Oracle HR applications than any other HR ap-
plication on the planet.

Notwithstanding Oracle’s impressive array of HCM solutions, at the end of the
day, they are just tools. No set of tools can replace the ingenuity, creativity, and
work ethic of the person using them – and that is you. And so I commend you
for your interest in workforce planning and, on behalf of Oracle, wish you a high
degree of success in your endeavor.

Oracle is proud to team with GovLoop to produce the Guide to Workforce Plan-
ning in the Public Sector which serves as a resource to help you build a com-
prehensive workforce plan to achieve your HR goals and align HR strategy with
your organization’s mission.

GOVLOOPGUIDE
06.

Workforce Planning
in the
Public Sector
Human Resources is one of the most critical areas of government. As govern-
ment budgets shrink and financial uncertainty continues to plague the public
sector, HR professionals are tasked with keeping their organizations streamlined
and moving towards their objectives.

Workforce planning has become increasingly This guide should serve as a desktop refer-
important to agencies, especially as the Baby ence to human resources professionals and
Boomers start to retire and new generations as a basis while crafting a workforce plan-
of young professionals are poised to become ning strategy. A well-crafted strategic plan
leaders in government. By crafting a well-de- will often develop stages and there will be
fined workforce plan, agencies will be able to metrics implemented to measure success. As
anticipate changes to the workforce, identify President Eisenhower once said, “Plans mean
trends, anticipate needs, and navigate the of- nothing, planning is everything.” In other
ten changing demands of the public sector. words, sometimes the process used to cre-
ate a plan is just as valuable as the plan itself.
With the Baby Boomer generation nearing and
reaching retirement age, many have called the
looming gap that will be left by retirees a hu-
man capital crisis in the public sector. Although
Boomers leaving the workforce contribute to
the potential human capital crisis, there are oth-
er compounding factors. Factors such as fewer
new hires entering into the federal government,
growing competition from the private and non-
profit sectors, and decreasing interest in public
service by the emerging workforce. All of these
factors have affected human capital in the public
sector. The current workforce requires a strate-
gic investment and management to address tal-
ent shifts, shrinking budgets and increasing de-
mands on agencies across levels of government.

07.
GOVLOOPGUIDE

Be Strategic
Know Where You’re Going and How to Get There

A cross all areas of government, one of the most
important concepts is mapping an agency’s
goals to mission critical objectives. Many federal
In Focus: OPM 5 Step Model
government agencies have published their strate- The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) provides
gic plans online and nearly every department and a fairly straightforward, five-step Workforce Planning
sub-agency has shared the agency’s mission on- Model. This model is a great addition to the GovLoop
guide, and provides the basis of what a workforce-plan-
line.
ning model should incorporate.

Agencies need to start the process of developing a Step 1: Set Strategic Direction
workforce plan by being strategic. While develop- Step 2: Analyze Workforce, Identify Skill
ing a plan, input will be required from a variety of Gaps, and Conduct Workforce
different leaders across the agency. In developing Analysis
the plan, one of the keys is that the entire organi- Step 3: Develop Action Plan
zation will need to buy into both the plan and the Step 4: Implement Action Plan
process. By bringing in leaders who cross multiple Step 5: Monitor, Evaluate, and Revise
functional areas of the agency, like budgeting, hu-
man resources, program managers, and communi- The OPM model is not limited to the federal government.
cations officials, the organization will have a more At all levels of government, agencies will be faced with a
holistic view and develop a stronger strategic plan changing workforce and must begin to plan to anticipate
changes and recruit talent into the public sector. Without
that addresses the needs of each department.
a well-defined workforce planning strategy and with in-
creasing fiscal pressures, government will struggle to pro-
In some cases, an organization/agency will include vide services to their dynamic and complex constituency.
just a handful of people, working to address a small
area of the entire organization’s mission. Regard-
less of an organization’s size, it is important to in-
clude all key stakeholders to gain buy in and sup- Some key points to remember about strategic
port. Without this, a strategic plan will not go very planning for government agencies is that there is
far. no single solution, no exact process to follow, and
only guidelines. The hard work comes from agency
leaders committing to a process and investing in
Strategic Planning their organization, which is an extremely valuable
process.
Strategic planning is defined many different ways,
but the basic premise is aligning resources and A strategic plan brings to light any limitations or
assets to match organizational objectives. With- impediments meeting organizational objectives.
in government, a well-crafted strategic plan can Through assessing needs and planning accord-
help anticipate events, assess programs, and align ingly, agencies can be prepared for the future and
priorities to the most critical mission objectives. manage complex problems it may face.

GOVLOOPGUIDE
08.

As government at all levels is tasked to do “more
“If your agency has not com- with less,” knowing the staffing requirements, and
the human capital needs is essential to planning
pleted a strategic plan, you and maintaining operational efficiency.

may wish to consider that With tightening budgets and increasing demands
from citizens for improved services, strategic plan-
step before continuing this ning allows government agencies to be proactive
towards addressing needs. For governments to
continue to meet the demands of citizens, they will
process. At a minimum, you need to become increasingly proactive, and avoid
reacting only during a crisis or emergencies. A well-
will need to have an in-depth defined strategic plan related to workforce plan-
ning and recruitment will help agencies anticipate
discussion with your organi- staffing needs, anticipate staffing changes and re-
cruit talented individuals into their agencies.
zational leadership to obtain
In Focus: North Carolina
information regarding your Office of State Personnel
– Phase I of Workforce Planning
agency’s business direction
in order to understand the The North Carolina Office of State Personnel has a
fantastic site for human resources personnel look-
ing to improve their workforce planning strategy.
human capital requirements The site lays out best practices and strategies for
developing a performance culture, strategic plan-
for the future. There should ning, workforce planning, staffing motivation and
development initiatives, retention, and metrics.
be a clear understanding of These are all critical elements of a human resources
strategy, and North Carolina Office of State Person-
organizational objectives nel lays it out clearly.

and the link to workforce The site highlights four phases of workforce plan-
ning. Phase I is identified as “Define Strategic Busi-
ness Goal.” During this phase, The North Carolina
planning.” Office of State Personnel advises human resources
professionals to ask critical questions about “the
human capital implications of your strategic goals.”
-North Carolina Office of State They note that workforce planning usually comes
Personnel on Strategic Planning after strategic planning, and there is often a direct
link between the two.

09.
GOVLOOPGUIDE

Be Prepared
Know Your Workforce

T o craft a well-defined workforce strategy, agen-
cies must identify who is currently in their
workforce and how the workforce will change. To
lenge for government is to understand the role of
each player in the workforce, and how to best an-
ticipate changes to keep the agency operating effi-
understand what the current workforce looks like, ciently. In many respects, the challenge for govern-
agencies need to pinpoint the proper data. Col- ment is to not only address the skill set within the
lecting the proper data is critical to the success of agency, but also the skills and resources that are
any plan. The data is especially important, as it will provided by various partnerships with the private
help to identify current workforce needs, and allow sector. The goal is to find the optimal mix of public
agencies to anticipate future workforce changes. and private resources to deliver the highest level of
service to citizens.
Some basic starting points for data collection are
to collect the following information: A memo by Peter Orszag, former Director of the Of-
fice of Budget and Management stated:

Previous strategic plans “Contractors provide vital expertise to the govern-
Mission and vision statements ment and agencies must continue to strengthen
their acquisition practices so they can take efficient
Budget reports and financial statements
and effective advantage of the marketplace to
Organizational long/short term goals meet taxpayer needs. At the same time, agencies
Any previous organizational studies must be alert to situations in which excessive reli-
Organizational charts ance on contractors undermines the ability of the
Staffing plans federal government to accomplish its missions.”
Retirement data
Orszag continues by explaining that an overreli-
Employees eligible for retirement ance on contractors can potentially negatively
impact the federal workforce. “Overreliance on
In larger organizations and agencies, it will be criti- contractors can lead to the erosion of the in-house
cal to identify the scope of the data and needs for capacity that is essential to effective government
the agency. For most agencies, once the key infor- performance,” stated Orszag.
mation has been identified, agencies can start to
move into collecting new critical data to under- “Such overreliance has been encouraged by one-
stand their workforce. sided management priorities that have publicly
rewarded agencies for becoming experts in identi-
Multi-Sector Work Force and Planning fying functions to outsource and have ignored the
costs stemming from loss of institutional knowl-
Across government, public sector employees and edge and capability and from inadequate manage-
private sector corporations enter into partnerships ment of contracted activities. Too often agencies
to help provide services for government. A chal- neglect the investments in human capital plan-

GOVLOOPGUIDE
10.

ning, recruitment, hiring, and training that are nec- perform each task? Can the tasks be stream-
essary for building strong internal capacity – and lined or eliminated?
then are forced to rely excessively on contractors
because internal capacity is lacking. In many cas- How do you keep knowledge of how to ac-
es, agencies lack the information that would allow complish these tasks from being lost?
managers to understand how contractor employ-
ees are deployed throughout their organization How is the agency addressing skill imbalanc-
and integrated with federal employees. The full es due to attrition, including retirement over
potential of our total workforce -- both contracted the next five years?
and federal -- often goes unrealized due to insuf-
ficient or ineffective management attention. These Should we explore training, retraining, relo-
management shortcomings work against effective cation, or recruiting options for filling compe-
government performance and must be corrected.” tency gaps?

These are important observations, and should not What retention strategies are in place and
be taken lightly. Although Orszag is addressing a what are the associated costs?
federal audience, the implications are true at all
levels of government. As more and more public- Can skills be obtained through sharing of re-
private partnerships begin to take root, govern- sources?
ment needs to acknowledge the public sector is
increasingly multi-sector and plan the workforce Would it be cost-effective to use contractors,
accordingly. outsource or use volunteers?

Analyze the gap between current and Could we implement career development
programs.?
projected workforce needs
Once your agency has identified future needs of In Focus: North Carolina
the organization and compared them to the pro- Office of State Personnel
jected workforce, you can then begin to prioritize –Conduct a Workforce Analysis
needs and prepare your future workforce. In some
cases, you may have a projected need of lower
level employees, but a high level expert within the “Workforce analysis is the process of aligning your
agency may be ready for retirement. Prioritizing workforce planning efforts with current and future
which gaps to fill are considerations that must be business requirements and forecasting staffing
made while planning your agency’s workforce. needs based on assumptions of retirement and
turnover. This phase involves gathering and analyz-
The North Carolina Office of State Personnel pro- ing specific information about staffing levels, skill
vides som good questions to start with: sets and competencies needed in your workforce.
The analysis process consists of three steps: supply,
What skills are currently vital to accomplish- demand and gap analysis. It is the process of look-
ing the agency’s goals and objectives? ing at your current talent supply, projecting de-
mands for the future, and realizing potential gaps
What are the functions outlined in current and surpluses in order to enable action planning
employees’ job descriptions? Are they accu- to eliminate the gaps,” The North Carolina Office of
rate? How much time does it take them to State Personnel.

11.
GOVLOOPGUIDE

Hiring patterns (time required to fill vacan-
North Carolina Office of State Personnel offers a va- cies, average number of vacancies in a year,
riety of strategies on how to collect data, and what etc.)
kind of data to collect. Below are some quick tips
Retirement patterns
for you to start to address your workforce:
Employee turnover
Conduct informal interviews/focus groups
with managers Average years of service

Analyze which jobs exist and are available Quality of new hires
within your agency
Transfers
Understand the essential functions of each
Promotions
job
Projected workforce based on expected at-
What are the talent issues or concerns that
trition
need attention in your area?
Retirement eligibility
Is it an immediate, critical issue or do you
have time to plan? Resignation (based on previous turnover
data)
Are you having difficulty recruiting for a par-
ticular position or positions?
Are you having difficulty retaining employ-
ees in a particular area?
Are you anticipating retirements in a num-
ber of key positions?
Do your employees have the knowledge,
skills and abilities to do their job well?
Are your employees engaged?
Are there obstacles and barriers that get in
the way of employees doing their jobs?
Are there areas of work where process im-
provement would enhance productivity?

Once those general questions are understood,
agencies should start to analyze data they have
collected over the years. The North Carolina Office
of State Personnel identifies that agencies are col-
lecting a lot of data, and using trend data is critical
to a workforce planning strategy. The North Caroli-
na Office of State Personnel identifies the following
as potential trend data:

GOVLOOPGUIDE
12.

Be Proactive
Develop a Workforce Plan

Challenges in Closing the Gap Carolina Office of Personnel.

Many agencies are faced with the challenge of clos- Solution Strategies
ing organizational gaps left by retirees or changing
operational needs. There are dozens of strategies Organizations create their workforce action plans
that can be implemented by agencies, but three based on the results of the gap analysis and from
common initiatives are recruitment, training and information gathered from workforce planning
leadership programs, and retention/succession discussions. This information serves as the basis for
planning. developing an action plan. This process serves as a
great way to identify workforce needs throughout
With competition increasing from other sectors, re- the agency, and then carefully plan strategies to
cruitment to the public sector is critical. A recent fill gaps in the workforce. As you begin to identify
study from the National Association of Colleges strategies for your workforce development initia-
and Employers (NACE) shows a decrease in inter- tive, consider the following questions:
est in working for the federal government from col-
lege graduates. The survey found that only 2.3% of What should we do to prepare for our chang-
respondents planned to work for the federal gov- ing needs and changing workforce?
ernment after graduation. 18% of respondents are
seeking employment in the non-profit sector, and What strategies should we employ?
30% are looking for employment in the private sec- What are some possible solutions to work-
tor. The remaining respondents desired to attend force shortages and changes?
graduate school or explore other options.
Are we communicating it consistently to po-
One important statistic that stood out was that 18% tential employees?
of former federal interns plan on working for the
federal government. The NACE study cites that the What more can we do to engage employees
number of students planning to enter into public as advocates?
service has been in decline over the last two years. Are there workforce process improvements
The report cites that in 2008, 8.4% of respondents that can be implemented?
desired to work in government at the local, state or
federal level. The number was at 12% in 2009, 7.4% Do solutions require legislative or policy
in 2010, 6% in 2011. change?
What are the constraints against implement-
In Focus: North Carolina ing strategies?
Office of State Personnel What are some possible solutions to those
- Create a Workforce Action Plan constraints?

The following section is adopted from the North

13.
GOVLOOPGUIDE

A variety of solutions and strategies are available case the inside story of the IRS.
for consideration. Once the proper information is
identified, and your agency understands what gaps Recruitment 411: Big Risk = Big Reward
to close, your agency can take the right steps to re- Recruitment 411: Making More than Money
main a highly optimize and efficient workforce.
Recruitment 411: Lessons of Leadership Part
1 - There’s Always Room for Improvement
Recruitment
IRS Job: Senior Economist
“Well-planned and measurable recruitment strat-
A final innovative way that the IRS is connecting
egies are the cornerstones of an organization’s
with employees is by the use of Second Life. IRS
achievement and service. Better quality applicants
Recruiter Julie posted a terrific blog on GovLoop
build the foundation for success. Great recruiters
explaining how the IRS is using Second Life. The
build great organizations. Successful recruitment
post was a guest blog post by Frank Stipe.
efforts are timely, intelligent, innovative, competi-
tive, assertive and targeted.” – North Carolina Office
of State Personnel
In the post Frank states, “When the IRS Recruitment
Office interacts with the residents of Second Life,
Recruitment is a critical challenge facing govern-
we count on our message being handed off both
ment employees. In order to recruit the most inno-
“in-world” (among Second Life users) and in other
vative and talented workers into the public sector,
social media channels like Facebook, Twitter and
government at all levels is going to need to im-
prove recruitment strategies.

In Focus: IRS Recruitment Office
One of the Federal agencies leading the charge
with recruitment is the IRS. The IRS has a great page
for prospective employees. The IRS uses dozens of
social channels to help recruit employees into the
“ Well-planned and
measurable recruit-
federal government. ment strategies are
The IRS has three different Twitter accounts used to
help in recruitment. The accounts discuss IRS op-
the cornerstones of
portunities and the benefits of working at the IRS.
They also have a Facebook page that is used for
an organization’s
career questions, provides updates and as a way
to connect with prospective employees. YouTube achievement and ser- “
is another social channel that the IRS is using for
recruitment. The IRS uses videos to help showcase vice.
how an employee can build a career at the IRS,
share agency profiles, and develops recruitment
profiles. This is a terrific way to help recruit employ- - North Carolina
ees to the IRS. The IRS also uses LinkedIn as a way Office of State Personnel
to help people see what it is actually like to work at
the IRS. The IRS also uses GovLoop, to help show-

GOVLOOPGUIDE
14.

LinkedIn. It is not uncommon for users of these
more mainstream social networking sites to come There are dozens of programs of success stories
into second Life to interact with one of our recruit- about training and leadership programs across
ers. Often, they’re not just looking for career advice government. The Presidential Management Fel-
for themselves - they’re also looking for informa- lows Program is one of the success stories in gov-
tion they can share with friends and family. ernment, and also, one of the most competitive
programs. Those admitted to the program rotate
The IRS Careers Island in Second Life opened to the among agencies for two years with accelerated
public in February 2009 after nearly a year in devel- promotion potential.
opment and testing. Our recruiters host a variety
of events on the island including dances, costume OPM has a great list of government agencies lead-
parties and job fairs. The island also features sev- ership programs. One program to highlight is the
eral career centers, an art gallery that showcases Foundations in Leadership: Administrative and
employee art, a shopping mall, a conference center Business Skills, which is available for Department
and a dance club.” of Interior employees GS - - through GS – 12.

Follow IRScareers Retention and Succession Planning
Follow IRSrecruiter59
Follow RecruitmentIRS No workforce program would be complete without
Friend IRS Careers on Facebook a plan to retain an organization’s very best employ-
ees. Monetary incentives are only part of the equa-
Subscribe to the IRS Careers YouTube Channel
tion. Although equal compensation to colleagues
Visit us on LinkedIn in the private is critical to retaining talent, many
Julie IRS Recruiter GovLoop Blog employees desire more than just incremental bo-
Visit the IRS Career Island nuses. Finding value and meaning with the work
performed is critical to retaining talent in govern-
ment. To keep talent, agencies will have to identify
Training and Leadership Development strategies to cultivate and grow the agencies fu-
Programs ture leaders.

“Training and Development is one of the most criti-
cal contributors to the success of an organization
and its workforce. Providing training for employees
not only helps them develop their skills and knowl-
edge, but it is also a motivational tool as well as a
building block to organizational success.” – Gov-
Loop Member Henry Brown

Leadership programs, like training initiatives, are
important to retain employees, develop talented
employees, and keep morale high within agencies.
GovLoop offers dozens of free trainings through-
out the year for public sector professionals. These
trainings are typically only an hour long and are
great ways to help employees grow professionally.

15.
GOVLOOPGUIDE

10 Strategies on How to Manage Tal- Mentoring Programs
ent In Federal Agencies
Mentors often provide valuable insights and in-
One key area of human capital is cultivating talent, stitutional knowledge about an organization to a
which is a critical part of retaining the most innova- younger workforce. By working with a mentor, new
tive and talented employees within government. employees are given new perspectives on organi-
Talent management involves a thorough analysis zational issues and are provided the opportunity to
of the agency’s workforce. With competition com- grow professionally and learn from their mentor’s
ing from the private and non-profit sector, manag- experiences.
ing talent is no easy task for agencies. By develop-
ing a smart human capital plan, agencies can keep There are also countless examples of fantastic men-
their most talented individuals around and not see toring programs in which people opt into a men-
a brain drain to seemingly greener pastures. Below torship agreement - these programs are largely
are ten strategies that will aide agencies in their tal- successful because those opting in are passionate
ent management strategies. about taking a mentee, and those seeking a men-
tor are equally motivated to make the relationship
1. Provide Trainings and Professional Develop- successful. GovLoop has had enormous success
ment Resources with the government-wide GovLoop mentorship
2. Provide Work that Impacts Professional program.
Growth
3. Assign High Level and Engaging Projects GovLoop Perspective: Why Not? Men-
4. Connect People, Allowing them to Grow toring with Mojitos
their Network By Steve Ressler and Corey McCarren, written for FedSmith
5. Offer a Challenging and Stimulating Envi-
ronment Last week, we looked into a new potential retire-
6. Provide Access to Mentors ment option for federal workers: mentoring into
7. Provide Opportunities for Quick Leadership retirement. The program, currently under con-
Growth sideration by Congress, would allow participants
8. Ensure That Employees are the Right Cultural nearing retirement to draw upon partial annuity
Fit while mentoring up to 20% of their work schedule.
9. Remain Sympathetic to Work/Life Balance When crowdsourcing opinions on the program, we
10. Encourage Open and Honest Two-Way Com- found that GovLoop.com users had some concerns
munication of their own, including who should participate,
whether the amount of time allotted to mentoring
There are a lot of different ways to approach talent was sufficient or too much, and whether the men-
management, but it is critical to remember that tal- tors would succeed in easing turnover.
ent management is a two-way street. The employee
needs to be willing to grow and learn, even when A FedSmith poll conducted last week showed in-
things are not perfect and work is tough. Everyone terest in phase retirement and the mentoring pro-
needs to attach themselves to the organization gram. Over 75% of respondents said they were at
and the agency’s mission, and make a commitment least partially interested in a phased retirement
to the team. In the end, by making a commitment program. When specifically asked about partici-
to the agency, all professional, personal and orga- pating in mentoring as part of a phased retirement,
nizational goals can be met. 70% said they’d be glad to share experiences in a
mentoring program as part of a phased retirement.

GOVLOOPGUIDE
16.

analysis of their roles and functions. That is why it
Regarding mentoring specifically, FedSmith read- is important to gauge employee responsiveness
ers had three main concerns with the program: and engage employees in activities that build em-
ployee morale, organizational changes might ulti-
Favoritism - or starters, there was concern of fa- mately occur.
voritism, noting that often federal retiree ‘favor-
ites’ come back as contractors who may be of little Julie Jenkins, recruiter at the IRS shared seven sim-
benefit to the organization. The same could hap- ple steps on how to help maintain morale. Julie
pen with a mentors program, where the best men- provides some great insights and provides some
tors aren’t the ones being chosen. valuable information for managers to help manag-
ers keep employees engaged and motivated.
Bad Practices - Another concern is that the feds
chosen for mentoring may pass on bad practices
and work habits. The workplace is quickly evolv-
ing due largely to new Internet platforms, and it
may not be worth the time and effort to have em-
ployees learn the old way of doing things.

Is it Coaching or Mentoring? - It was also noted
that some agencies already have coaches whose
goal is to train new employees. It’s hard to deter-
mine what the line would be between coaching
and mentoring. And, unlike coaches, mentors don’t
plan on staying with the organization, so they have
little incentive to be productive in their mentoring.

Despite the concerns, there is apparently strong
interest in a mentoring program if done correctly.
The statistics show that while there is skepticism of
the program, it is likely still worth a trial because of
the myriad potential benefits for soon-to-be retir-
ees and new hires alike. Maybe a little mentoring
with that mojito isn’t such a bad idea.

If you’re interested in participating in a mentors
program, be sure to check out the government-
wide GovLoop Mentors program.

Keep Employees Motivated
Change is always difficult to introduce within an
organization. In any workforce planning initia-
tive, employees will experience heightened levels
of stress due to the anxiety that comes with an

In Focus:
Seven Simple Steps to Maintain Morale

The other day I was reading the Ragan Communications newsletter and came across an article titled 10 in-
expensive ways to boost employee morale. I was immediately interested, not because my office is in need of
a mood change - quite the opposite – the IRS Recruitment Office is overflowing with enthusiastic, energetic,
people. I was intrigued by the article because I wanted to see just how many of the 10 things we put into prac-
tice in our office; here are seven of my favorites.

1
Recognize individual employees. In the two years I’ve been with the recruitment office, not
a single staff meeting or team phone call has gone by without someone getting a shout out from a
co-worker for their help on a project. It’s so simple it almost sounds silly, just say ‘thank you.’

2
Give employees responsibility. My manager runs a results-only work environment. This kind
of atmosphere places a lot responsibility on the employees, but with responsibility comes trust. As
an employee, nothing makes me happier or motivates me more than knowing my manger trusts me.

3 Treat employees like people. We all get caught up in crossing things of our to-do list and
trying to make it to every meeting on our schedule. However, we are encouraged to leave work at
work. The only thing my manager believes in more than a results-only work environment is work-life
balance.

4 Offer Training. Every member of our staff has a career development plan. We are encouraged and
expected to own that plan and take advantage of opportunities that are in line with our career goals.

5
Give small perks with big personal impact. It really is the little things that matter most. I
remember we had 100 percent participation in an employee survey. As a token of her appreciation,
our manager gave us 30 minutes of admin leave. It may not seem like much, but getting home to
your family a little earlier, or taking a longer lunch to catch up with a friend – what’s better than that?

6
Be transparent, and keep staff in the loop. Information sharing is a good thing; it makes
employees feel valued and cuts down on anxiety. As decisions are made and changes occur, our
manger makes sure the information trickles down so we’re all well-informed.

7
Make the office fun. A fun office and happy employees go hand-in-hand. Walk into our DC office
and it’s instantly evident that we have a good time at work. There’s a temporary hopscotch board
on the floor, placed there by a visiting co-worker. It’s highly possible that you’ll hear one or more of
my co-workers singing, and someone is always laughing – usually at the person singing but that’s
another story.

Blog Post from GovLoop, Recruitment 411: Seven Simple Steps to Maintain Morale
By Julie Jenkins, IRS Recruiter

GOVLOOPGUIDE
18.

Be Committed
Implement Your Workforce Plan

A workforce and recruitment strategy will require
a commitment to the plan from all levels of the
agency. It is up to senior level officials to align the
budget, and the human resources needed to ac-
complish them. ”

plan to the organizations objectives and lead the One option is to consider hiring a consultant to
implementation phase. help with the workforce planning initiative. In
some instances, a contractor will work well since
A recent report from the Department of the Interior they are not as ingrained in the organizational cul-
states, “Workforce planning offers a means of sys- ture, and may provide insights and experience that
tematically aligning organizational and program are not available within the agency. Likewise, there
priorities with budgetary and human resources are significant costs to hiring a consultant, and the
needs. By beginning the planning process with consultant may not fully understand limitations
identified strategic objectives, managers and their within the agency and how the agency operates
organizations can develop workforce plans that internally. By working with other agencies and col-
will help them accomplish those objectives. At the laborating, agencies may learn new insights and
same time, workforce plans provide a sound basis lessons from similar agencies.
for justifying budget and staffing requests, since
there is a clear connection between objectives, the

Metrics Planning
Identify key Collect raw data in
measurement areas. high-impact areas.

Assess the organization’s Generate metrics that
business requirements. inform the organization.

Identify associated
Evaluate periodically. HR metrics.

Consolidate operational
and HR metrics.

19.
GOVLOOPGUIDE

Be Reflective
Evaluate and Revise as Needed

M easuring outcomes of any program is impor-
tant, as time and budgets are tight for govern-
ment, every program should be looked at with a
Has the hiring process improved?
Has the selection process improved?
critical eye. Outcomes for the program should be Do new hires possess needed competencies
clearly known, so proper adjustments can be made and skills?
to meet the needs of the organization.
Has overall organizational performance in-
There are many ways to measure success of a pro- creased?
gram. One way is to look at all the data that you
Are you able to appropriately plan for suc-
previous collected, and update the data to periodi-
cession replacements for retirements?
cally measure against past success. Once that data
is collected, an organization can look at programs Are you able to successfully transfer knowl-
and policies that impacted the data, and what the edge?
outcomes were and what needs to be modified.
Are you able to build internal leadership ca-
pabilities?
In Focus: North Carolina
Office of Personnel Are employees more engaged in their work?
Have employee barriers and obstacles been
Successful workforce planning is an active and removed?
continuous process. On-going evaluation and plan
adjustments are the keys to continuous improve- Have internal processes been streamlined to
ment and to achieving your targeted goals. You be more effective and timely?
must continue to monitor and refine approaches
to meet the demands of your workforce. North Car-
olina Office of Personnel identifies the following
questions as great starting points for you to evalu-
ate your workforce:

Did the action plan accomplish what the or-
ganization needed?
Do adequate staffing levels exist?
Has turnover been reduced?
Are the skills of employees being developed
quickly enough to become effective?
Are you able to recruit for the talent needed?

GOVLOOPGUIDE
20.

Performance
Management
Stephen Beard of Oracle sat down with GovLoop to talk through how performance manage-
ment impacts workforce planning. As Stephen identifies in the interview below, performance
management is a critical component to workforce planning. Stephen shared his expert insights
with the GovLoop team.

Why is performance management so important to quit until they accomplished what they started.
workforce planning?
How will a performance management initiative im-
Performance Management is critical to Workforce pact an agency’s ability to improve decision-making
Planning. It is not only the process that allows and increase performance of the agency?
managers and employees to communicate ex-
pectations and outcomes, but more importantly, First, through a performance management initia-
it yields essential data points HR leaders need to tive, an agency can reassess and clarify both vision
determine; such as, how well organizational talent and purpose. They can determine the competency-
is aligned to organizational goals and objectives, model that best lends itself to contributing to over-
and where deficiencies exist. Without those data all organizational strategy. It provides the chance
points, HR leaders will be less able to predict out- to realign what may have become a broken pro-
comes and take proactive and corrective action cess to the ideal model. Like the State government
through other talent-related processes like recruit- example I cited above, they can audit existing in-
ing, training and development. formation and eliminate redundancies and clarify
outcomes. Second, through a performance man-
Do you have an example of an agency that has a agement initiative, an agency can streamline pro-
well-run performance management initiative? What cesses by automating service delivery. The State
makes this agency unique? took a manual, paper-based processed and auto-
mated it through self-service and workflow, mak-
There is a great State government story that I would ing it more efficient for employee and manager
like to share. Here is what makes them unique, they alike. Finally, through a performance management
aligned HR resources to organizational strategy and initiative, an agency can identify expected out-
they determined practical ways they could support comes and measure the results. More important-
the Governor’s vision of becoming the best-run ly, they can report those results to organizational
State. They were also willing to do the work and in- leadership.
vest the time. The State evaluated 3500 jobs and
reduced them to 750, defining key competencies What are some lessons learned for agencies while
that were aligned to organizational strategy, and thinking about developing a performance manage-
then assigning those competencies to each job, ment initiative?
and defining, implementing and rolling out a new
performance management system – none of this Besides using the right tool, there are three lessons.
was easy and each step required a significant in- First keep it singular. In the State example cited
vestment in time and resources. Finally, they didn’t earlier, the Workforce Plan was singular – becom-

21.
GOVLOOPGUIDE

ing the best-run State. Everything else hinged on vice accessible). Also, more and more Talent Man-
that one vision. Second, keep it simple. Too many agement suites are incorporating collaborative
times, we try to over-complicate the plan. We try and social networking features that can be lever-
to measure too many things. We incorporate too aged in performance management systems and
many moving parts. The State kept it simple. Ev- help shape performance management policies
ery competency (and they were limited in number) and practices.
was selected based on whether or not it was essen-
tial to achieving the Governors vision – becoming
the best-run State. Third, keep it seamless. What I
mean by “seamless” is that all parts need to be in-
tegrated and contribute to the whole. Without an
integrated Talent Management suite, it is virtually
impossible to manage to a Workforce Plan.

Where should an agency start if they want to develop
or improve their current performance management
initiative?

I would suggest you start by determining where
you want to go and why. Answer questions like,
“What do we want to measure?” “Why should we
measure it?”“How should we measure it?”“How will
we determine success?”

What are common challenges or roadblocks agen-
cies may be able to expect?

Steve cited three challenges agencies might ex-
pect. First, a performance management plan will
take longer than you think. Designing and rolling
out a proficient performance management system
is a significant effort and agencies need to invest
the time to establish clear goals and milestones and
stay on task. Second, no one will agree and the im-
portance to establish clear objectives and establish
rules of engagement. Finally, change is hard and to
expect resistance. This can be limited through well-
administered communication and training

What role can technology play for government agen-
cies looking to implement a performance manage-
ment plan?

Technology provides tools like integrated Talent
Management suites, HR Analytics, and a variety of
service delivery access models (think Mobile De-

GOVLOOPGUIDE
22.

Final Overview
GovLoop Workforce Planning Toolkit
The team at GovLoop knows how busy everyone can be. As such, we wanted to consolidate
the information in this guide to give you a quick overview of the elements of a workforce-plan-
ning program. Please take a moment to conduct this exercise and then use the results to help
you craft and/or improve your current workforce planning initiative.

Getting Started
Assess Current Position
Identify previous workforce and strategic plans
Review plans and develop metrics to identify current status of any current
initiatives
Conduct Strategic Planning
Collaborate with key leaders and your team to identify the following:
Identify the key problem of the workforce you are trying to solve
Prepare a vision of your workforce
Identify a common vision of your agency
Identify goals
Develop metrics and ways to evaluate your program
Conduct Workforce Analysis
Collect data on your workforce
Identify most critical skills within agency
Match skills to jobs needed
Develop Your Workforce Action Plan
Recruitment Strategies
Training and leadership development programs
Develop strategies to manage talent
Provide trainings and professional development resources
Provide work that impacts professional growth
High level and engaging projects
Work connects people, allows them to grow their network
Working in a challenging and stimulating environment
Provide access to mentors
Quickly provide opportunities for leadership
Pay attention that employees are the right cultural fit
Sympathetic to work/life balance
Open and honest two-way communication
Implement Workforce Plan
Develop Program Leads
Institute Program Checkpoints
Collect Data
Evaluate Workforce Plan
Is your program matching your stated goals and metrics that you have designed?

23.
GOVLOOPGUIDE

GovLoop Resources
An Alternative to ‘Work-Life Balance’

Are You Planning to Fail Today?

Dealing with Employee Engagement: Today’s Generation Gap in the Workplace

Don’t Bring Doughnuts to Work, Bring JUICE

How to Manage Talent in Federal Agencies

Is Telework a Critical Benefit

Leadership as an Agency’s Outcome

Rant on Productivity

Talent vs. Potential - Where Do You Stand?

The Importance of Preserving Institutional Knowledge in the Public Sector

They’re Tossing out the Baby!

Top 10 Skills for Government Workers in 2012

Used to be a Public Servant, Took an Arrow to the Knee!

What Does Accountability Mean?

Work: A Place -- Or the Things We Do?

Workforce Planning Group

Continuity of Operations Planning (COOP)

Blended Workforce Done Strategically is Right Sizing

How Can I Convince My Colleagues to NOT Leave Their Jobs?

Strategic Workforce Planning Group

About Oracle
Industry Leading Workforce Planning Solutions for Government
Oracle enables organization’s to address workforce planning challenges by offering government a complete and integrated suite of
Human Capital solutions – from core HR transactions to workforce service automation and delivery, to complete enterprise talent
management to workforce management to HR analytics.

Your Strategy, Your Choice: Deployment Options for Workforce Planning
Solutions
Depending on your organization’s operational requirements and IT environment, Oracle solutions can be deployed in a variety
of ways. Whether it be on premise, in the cloud, or something in-between, Oracle provides you with the choice and flexibility to
adopt the best deployment approach to meet your organization’s unique requirements.

Join the Oracle HCM Discussion
blogs.oracle.com/oraclehcm
twitter.com/igovernment
facebook.com/OraclePublicSector
oracle.com/HCM
govloop.com/group/oracle

Workforce Planning Solutions Offer Govern- Learn More About Oracle Solutions for Work-
ment Measurable Results force Planning

City of Chicago Innovates Hiring Process HCI Research- “The Advantages of Unified Human Capital
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions Powers Talent Software”

Human Capital Management in the Cloud Examples HR Analytics: Driving Return on Human Capital Investment

Chicago Public Schools Prepares for Future Growth Cloud Solutions for Human Capital Management

State of Kansas Consolidates HCM Functions ROI of E-Recruiting for Government

Washington County Enhances Recruiting & Performance Data Sheet- Solutions for Workforce Planning

Acknowledgements

Pat Fiorenza, GovLoop Research Analyst
Lead Author of the GovLoop Guide to Workforce Planning in the Public Sector

Pat Fiorenza is currently a Research Analyst at GovLoop. Pat works on the Business De-
velopment team and is continually interfacing with the GovLoop community. Through
blogs, research reports, guides, in-person and online events, Pat helps to identify and
find best practices to share with the GovLoop community. Prior to working at Gov-
Loop, Pat worked at Syracuse Habitat for Humanity through the AmeriCorps Program
as a Marketing Liaison and was previously a Legislative Intern to Senator Charles E.
Schumer. Pat received his Masters of Public Administration degree from the Maxwell
School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

Thank you to all who assisted in the production of the GovLoop Guide to Workforce
Planning in the Public Sector. In particular, thank you to Andrew Krzmarzick, GovLoop
Community Manager, who served as a contributing author to various sections of this
guide, and also as an editor. Also, thank you to Andy Lowenthal and Terry Hill, who
served as editors for this guide. Thank you again to our sponsor, Oracle for supporting
this guide. This guide was designed by Jeff Riberia, Content/Community Coordinator,
GovLoop.

GovLoop
734 15th St NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202) 407-7421
Fax: (202) 407-7501

Workforce Planning in the Public Sector

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