Meeting the Challenge:
Attracting and Retaining
a World-Class
Work Force
1. Overview and
Framework
rlavigna@ourpublicservice.org
Why it Matters
“It is not at all clear how
government can be well
executed unless it is able to
compete more effectively for its
fair share of talent.”
“Government is always
going to be able to fill
vacancies. The important
question is whether we
can fill them with talented
and committed people
with the skills we need.”
”In the globalization system
… One of the most important
and enduring competitive
advantages that a country
can have today is a lean,
efficient, honest civil service
system.”
Why it Matters
“The challenge is to attract and
retain people who are a cut above
the competition. You need to provide
benefits, good working conditions,
and an environment that caters to
their personal needs and business
needs. That’s a tough balance.”
“By the end of the day
I felt I had made a
terrible mistake … My
agency lost its shine
on my first day.”
“Don’t give me excuses,
just make the hiring
process work!”
“In the government, you
get an order and you
follow it. I realize that as
a leader, I need to be
more creative and
innovative.”
Why it Matters
 Grant Thornton 2008 survey –
HC/HR #1 concern
 GT 2009 survey – right talent #1
factor in clean audit
 2009 survey of corporate CFOs –
most critical factors:
• Strong leadership
• Hiring best people
Public Sector Workforce is Graying
50%
45%
40%
35%
30%
Federal
State
25%
Local
20%
Private
15%
10%
5%
0%
Under 30
30-39
40-49
50+
Government Agency -- Today
Chief Engineer
January 16, 1995
Director
Mgmt. Services
January 21, 1972
Deputy Director
May 10, 1971
Director
Property Services
June 26, 1989
Director
Engineering
February 16, 1970
Director
Equipment Services
April 17, 1970
Director
Water Treatment
August 15, 1966
Director
Field Services
March 20, 1970
Director
Transportation & Parking
March 2, 1970
Director
Solid Waste & Recycling
December 12, 1991
Director
Administration
August 10, 1970
Same Agency -- in 3 Years
Chief Engineer
RETIRED
RETIRED
Director Mgmt. Services
Deputy Director
Director
Property Services
RETIRED
RETIRED
RETIRED
Director
Engineering
Director
Equipment Services
Director
Water Treatment
RETIRED
RETIRED
RETIRED
Director
Field Services
Director
Transportation & Parking
Director
Solid Waste & Recycling
Director
Administration
More Complex Workforce:
Multiple Generations
Traditionalists (born before 1946)
Boomers (born 1946-64)
Gen Xers (1965-81)
Millennials (>1982)
More Complex Workforce:
Changing Expectations
 Free
agents
 Less
loyalty -- “transactional”
relationship
 “Knowledge
 Demand
nomads” – mobile skill sets
work/life balance
Guam Division of Accounts Workforce:
Today and Tomorrow
Total employees in
2008 = 46
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Guam Division of Accounts Workforce:
Today and Tomorrow
Total employees in
2008 = 46
Eligible to retire in
5 years = 16
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Guam Division of Accounts Workforce:
Today and Tomorrow
Total employees in
2008 = 46
Eligible to retire in
5 years = 16
Eligible to retire in
5-10 years = 7
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Island Workforces – Today and Tomorrow
Employees
New
Hires
Annual
Turnover
5-Year
Retirem’t.
10-Year
Retirem’t.
Guam
46
48%
11%
35%
50%
Palau
125
20%
7%
16%
28%
USVI
107
24%
8%
27%
CMNI
125
33%
14%
8%
25%
American Samoa
147
24%
5%
20%
35%
FSM
77
31%
6%
10%
31%
Yap
25
64%
18%
4%
12%
So … What’s It All Mean?
Workforce undergoing dramatic shifts
Tougher to attract and retain talent
Public sector feeling these effects first
Government must adapt to the
talent market, not vice-versa
What We’ll Cover
1.
Recruiting and hiring talent
• Recruiting v. hiring
• Meeting candidates’ expectations
• Recruiting strategies
• Effective hiring
2.
Onboarding effectively
• What it is and why it’s important
• How to onboard effectively
What We’ll Cover
3.
Maximizing employee engagement
• What employee engagement means
• Why it’s critical
• What drives engagement
• How to maximize engagement
4.
Building the leadership pipeline
• What is leadership
• Integrated approach to building leadership
What We’ll Cover
5.
Working effectively with HR
• The evolving role of HR
• Setting mutual expectations
• How to meet these expectations
What We Won’t Cover
 Secret
 Easy
formulas, magic bullets
answers
 Simple
solutions
 One-size-fits-all
 Turning
approaches
you into an HR expert
Research: Creating and
Applying New Knowledge
Recruiting on Campus
Hiring Baby Boomers
What Students Want
Hiring Interns
Building Employee
Engagement
Onboarding New
Employees
Finding Jobs
How Does Government Meet These
Workforce Challenges?
Understand expectations
Develop multiple pipelines for
talent
Recruit aggressively
Make the hiring process work
Maximize engagement and
satisfaction
How Does Government Meet These
Workforce Challenges?
Make performance management work
Build the talent/leadership pipeline
Create more flexible, timely, user-friendly
and responsive civil service systems
Use workforce planning as the foundation
Human Capital Framework
Resources
Recruit and Hire /
Onboard
Manage Performance
Core
Purpose/
Values
Business
Strategies
Workforce
Planning
Reward/Recognize
Engage
Plan for Succession
Train/ Develop
Environment
Mission
Accomplished
Workforce Planning:
What It’s Really About
1. What talent do we need to succeed – now
and in the future?
2. What talent do we have now?
3. Where are the gaps?
4. How are we going to eliminate these gaps?
Workforce Planning
There isn’t any silver bullet to
attract, develop and retain talent
It takes silver buckshot!
Now It’s Your Turn!
 Your
workforce/talent challenges
 How
you’re dealing with them
Meeting the Challenge:
Attracting and Retaining
a World-Class
Work Force
2. Recruiting and Hiring
rlavigna@ourpublicservice.org
What We’ll Cover
Recruiting and hiring talent
Recruiting v. hiring: what’s the
difference?
 Need for aggressive recruiting
 Recruiting strategies – your role
 Effective hiring

Human Capital Framework
Resources
Recruit and Hire /
Onboard
Manage Performance
Core
Purpose/
Values
Business
Strategies
Workforce
Planning
Reward/Recognize
Engage
Plan for Succession
Train/ Develop
Environment
Mission
Accomplished
Why it Matters
“It is not at all clear how
government can be well
executed unless it is able
to compete more
effectively for its fair
share of talent.”
“Government is always
going to be able to fill
vacancies. The important
question is whether we
can fill them with talented
and committed people
with the skills we need.”
The Research
Recruiting v. Hiring
1. Recruiting – Attracting an adequate number
of interested and well-qualified candidates
2. Hiring
 Evaluating the candidates to decide who to hire
(i.e., who to make the job offer to)
 Getting the best candidate to accept
Reactive v. Proactive Recruiting
Reactive
Proactive
 Repeat
the job description
 Create a new brochure
 Post an ad – newspaper, Web
 Where
 Sit
 How
back and wait
can I find the best
people?
 How
do I reach them?
do I convince them to
apply? Accept?
 How
can I best use our limited
resources?
Recruiting is everyone’s job!
The Universum “IDEAL Employer” Survey
Annual survey of undergraduate
students
43,313 respondents
195 colleges/universities
260 employers
What Are the Top Attractors?
 Culture that respects my individuality
 Work/life balance
 Base salary
 High level of responsibility
 Good reputation
 Rapid promotion
 High ethical standards
 Exciting products and services
 Friendly work environment
 Creative, dynamic work environment
Top 4 Career Goals
1. Work/life balance (66%)
2. Dedicated to a cause, feel that I am
serving a greater good (46%)
3. Secure or stable in my job (46%)
4. Competitively or intellectually challenged
(40%)
Where Students Want to Work
% “extremely” or “very” interested in working for
But Few Plan to Work in Government
Which best describes your current plans immediately after graduating?
37%
Graduate school or additional education
24%
Jobs in a private company or business
18%
Job in the federal government
Job in state or local government
Job in a nonprofit organization
Service: Americorps, Teach for America
Volunteer Work
Military service
Other
Unknown
3%
3%
2%
1%
1%
3%
8%
Why? Because Knowledge is Low
How knowledgeable do you feel about career and internship opportunities in government?
13% Total Knowledgeable
But … The More They Know,
the More They Like
Did information -- what you saw, heard or read -- about federal
government job or internship opportunities make you more or less
interested in government opportunities?
% “more interested”
Leaving Talent on the Table:
Capitalizing on Intern Programs
The numbers
 Private sector employers hire 50% of interns
 Jumps to 59% for co-ops
 40% of all vacancies filled by
interns
 Employers see internships as
one of most effective hiring tools
 Students see internships as avenue
to full-time employment
Recruiting Strategies:
High Tech plus High Touch
Develop a long-term strategy – build
alliances and relationships
•
•
•
•
Identify needs – recruiting plan
Avoid “drive-by recruiting”
Invest to build success
Obtain and provide a point of contact
Recruit aggressively – market and
personalize public service to multiple talent
pools
Recruiting Strategies:
High Tech Plus High Touch
Use “near peers”
Hire through internships
• Provide substantive work
• Follow up
• Convert students to permanent employees
Use technology – but smartly!
Recruiting is everyone’s job!
Why Become Involved in Recruiting ?
 You know the work
 You know the culture and work
environment
 You know the skills and competencies
 You know the impact
 You can provide “high touch”
Personalize: “Making a Difference in
People’s Lives and Your Own”
This Web Site …
… Or This Site?
The Hiring Process -- What Job
Candidates are Saying
“The overall feel of the
vacancy announcement
is negative and heavy
handed. If the application
is like this, what’s it like
to work there and why
would you want to?”
“Don’t give me
excuses, just make
the hiring process
work!”
How to Alienate Good Candidates
 Use
long, bureaucratic, boring
announcements
 Use
paper-based applications
 Take
too much time hiring
 Conduct
 Don’t
bad interviews
communicate with them
What Candidates Desperately Want
1. Be concise, use fewer words, get to the point
2. Tell me exactly what you need -- I have no idea
what your jobs are looking for
3. Let me apply online using my résumé
4. Tell me in plain language -- get rid of jargon
5. Tell me when I will hear from you
6. We want to hear from you. We can take bad
news -- just tell us!
How Many Steps Does it Take to Hire a
Government Employee?
1
Agency
Establishes FY
staffing plan for hiring
manager
2
Hiring Manager
Identifies need to
recruit for vacant
position
Yes
Hiring Manager
PD
Established?
No
5
3
Obtains position description
and provides to HR Specialist
with request to fill position
Drafts PD and
forwards with request
to fill position to HR
Specialist
PD Library
Personnel
Request
System
4
6
Hiring Manager
Meeting
HR Specialist
Discuss recruitment
strategy
HR Specialist
7
HR Specialist
Prepares vacancy
announcement, if needed,
and provides to Hiring
Manager for approval
8
Hiring Manager
Approves and returns
to HR Specialist
A
Classifies position
Requirements of
position and tasks;
KSAs; Questions;
selective factors;
level(s) of position
to be filled; type of
appointment;
alternative staffing
options;
recruitment
activities, etc.
Go to
Step 6
Personnel
Request
System
We’re Not Done Yet!
A
9
HR Specialist
Posts vacancy
announcement
Vacancy
Announcement
System
10
Screens
applications and
issues certificate
Applications
Certificate
11
Hiring Manager
Interviews candidates, makes
selection and provides
certificate to HR Specialist
Certificate
12
HR Specialist
Offers position to
selectee
Yes
Selectee accept
job offerf?
13
HR Specialist
Issues offer letter and
closes request in
system
15
Offer letter
Personnel
Request
System
Employee
14
Enters on duty
and orientation
begins
No
HR Specialist
Discusses options of
recruitment incentives
Hiring Manager
16
Hiring Manager
Decides recruitment incentive
Go to
Step 12
End of
Process
Job Announcement -- Before
It Goes On …
… And On
After – Concise and Appealing
Fixing the Hiring Process
 Improve
the front end -- get engaged early,
prepare for roles
Make
process effective, timely, user-friendly
Automate -- online
• Evaluate smartly
• Eliminate steps
• Communicate early, often
•
Use
flexible certification approaches
Interview well
Hiring Best Practices
Immediate job offers
Hiring/referral bonuses
Realistic job previews (e.g., job video)
Flexible work arrangements
Measure results
In Groups -- Discuss and Report
3 or 4 ways your recruiting can be improved
3 or 4 ways your hiring process can be
improved
Meeting the Challenge:
Attracting and Retaining
a World-Class
Work Force
3. Onboarding Effectively
rlavigna@ourpublicservice.org
Human Capital Framework
Resources
Recruit and Hire /
Onboard
Manage Performance
Core
Purpose/
Values
Business
Strategies
Workforce
Planning
Reward/Recognize
Engage
Plan for Succession
Environment
Train/ Develop
Mission
Accomplished
What We’ll Cover
Onboarding effectively
 What
is onboarding?
 Why is it important?
 How to onboard
effectively
Why it Matters
“My first week was
terrible.”
“My agency lost its shine
on my first day.”
“By the end of the day I felt
I had made a terrible
mistake in leaving my old
job.”
Why it Matters
 Improves employee performance
 Increases employee engagement
 Improves employee retention,
reduces turnover costs
 Accelerates time-to-productivity
BOOZALLEN.COM
OURPUBLICSERVICE.ORG
What is Onboarding?
 Integrating and acculturating new employees
into the organization and providing them with
the tools, resources, and knowledge to
become successful and productive
 From accepted offer to end of first year
What New Hires Have to Say
“I was sent to a conference room
where someone from HR helped
me complete a bunch of forms. I
was not introduced to anyone, and
no one had set up my computer
access so I sat there and stared at
the wall.”
“I didn’t receive my ID on the first day
so it was hard for me to go anywhere
and my manager did not give me any
work to do. My manager was not
welcoming. By the end of the day I was
terrified that I had left a great job.”
“My first week was terrible. I
didn’t have any equipment, I
wasn’t given any
assignments, there was
nothing on my desk, and my
supervisor did not even
come see me for the first
three days I was there.”
Strategic Onboarding Model
Recommendations
Define onboarding goals
Assess your onboarding status
Seek quick wins
Use technology – smartly
Tailor onboarding to type of employee
Don’t reinvent the wheel – borrow it
Measure results
In Groups -- Discuss and Report
1. 1 good and 1 bad onboarding experience
2. Barriers to effective onboarding
3. Steps your organizations can take to
improve onboarding
Meeting the Challenge:
Attracting and Retaining
a World-Class
Work Force
4. Maximizing Employee
Engagement
rlavigna@ourpublicservice.org
What We’ll Cover
Maximizing employee engagement for
productivity and retention
 What
employee engagement means
 Why it’s critical
 What drives engagement
 How to maximize engagement
Human Capital Framework
Resources
Recruit and Hire /
Onboard
Manage Performance
Core
Purpose/
Values
Business
Strategies
Workforce
Planning
Reward/Recognize
Engage
Plan for Succession
Train/ Develop
Environment
Mission
Accomplished
Why it Matters
High levels of employee engagement correlate
with:
Better program results
Higher customer satisfaction
Less sick leave and missed work time due to workrelated injury or illness
Higher retention
Engagement and Financial Outcomes
30 Multinational Companies
 Financial
performance consistently stronger
in companies that emphasize:
• Commitment
• Job satisfaction
 But
... high levels of employee engagement
require active leadership support
High Engagement  High Retention
Total Percent Satisfied
Employees
planning to stay
for > 2 yrs
Employees
planning to leave
in < 2 yrs
Gap
Use of skills and abilities
83%
49%
34%
Ability of top management
74%
41%
33%
Company sense of direction
57%
27%
30%
Advancement opportunities
50%
22%
28%
Opportunity to learn new
skills
66%
38%
28%
Coaching and counseling
from supervisor
54%
26%
28%
Satisfaction with:
High Engagement 
Better Customer Outcomes
Work units with higher overall customer satisfaction scores also have
employees with more favorable opinions
100
80
68
70
64
70
65
65
64
58
58
60
53
53
50
40
20
Leadership Immediate
Supervision
Job
Satisfaction
Ability to Get
the Job Done
High Customer Satisfaction
Performance
Management
Pay, Benefits,
and Career
Low Customer Satisfaction
Action
Planning
Island Workforces –
Today and Tomorrow
Employees
New
Hires
Annual
Turnover
5-Year
Retirem’t.
10-Year
Retirem’t.
Guam
46
48%
11%
35%
50%
Palau
125
20%
7%
16%
28%
USVI
107
24%
8%
27%
CMNI
125
33%
14%
8%
25%
American Samoa
147
24%
5%
20%
35%
FSM
77
31%
6%
10%
31%
Yap
25
64%
18%
4%
12%
The Best Places
to Work
2009
bestplacestowork.org
What is Best Places?
 Rating and ranking of 278 departments,
agencies and subcomponents
 Based on data from government wide
employee survey
 Overall satisfaction score
 Ten workplace dimensions
 Web site: bestplacestowork.org
Why Ratings and Rankings Matter
 INCENTIVE to
focus on engagement and
develop high-performing organizations
 ROADMAP for
improvement
 TRANSPARENCY for public and
job
seekers
 OVERSIGHT information for
Congress
Employee Engagement Score
Considering everything, how satisfied are you with
your job?
Considering everything, how satisfied are you with
your organization?
I would recommend my organization as a good place
to work
2009 Government Wide Score – 63.3
Workplace Dimensions
 Effective leadership
 Employee skills/mission match
 Strategic management
 Teamwork
 Performance-based awards
 Training and development
 Support for diversity
 Pay and benefits
 Family-friendly culture
 Work/life balance
What Do These Dimensions Mean?
Effective Leadership
 My
immediate supervisor/team leader does
a good job
 Supervisors support employee development
 Performance discussions are worthwhile
 I have a high level of respect for senior
leaders
 Leaders generate high motivation and
commitment
What Do These Dimensions Mean?
Effective Leadership (cont.)
Leaders
maintain high standards of honesty and
integrity
I have a feeling of personal empowerment and
ownership of work processes
Complaints, disputes or grievances are resolved
fairly
Satisfaction with involvement in decisions that
affect work
Satisfaction with the information received from
management
What Do These Dimensions Mean?
Employee Skills/Mission Match
 My
work gives me feeling of personal
accomplishment
I
like the kind of work I do
 My
talents are used well
I
know how my work relates to mission and
goals
I
do important work
What Do These Dimensions Mean?
Work/Life Balance

My supervisor supports my need to balance
work and family issues

I have sufficient resources (e.g., people,
materials, budget, etc.) to get work done

My workload is reasonable
What Do These Dimensions Mean?
Training and Development

I am given a real opportunity to improve my
skills in my organization

I have enough information to do my job well

My training needs are assessed

I am satisfied with the training received for
present job
Becoming and Staying a Best Place
Systematically obtain employee feedback
Share information – a dual responsibility
Figure out what driver satisfaction
Focus on managers/supervisors
Manage performance
Train and develop
Track changes over time
In Groups -- Discuss and Report
1. What are the barriers in your organization
to maximizing employee engagement?
2. 3-4 steps your organization can take to
maximize employee engagement
Meeting the Challenge:
Attracting and Retaining
a World-Class
Work Force
5. Building the Leadership
Pipeline
rlavigna@ourpublicservice.org
Why it Matters
“In the government, you
get an order and you
follow it. I realize that as
a leader, I need to be
more creative and
innovative.”
“We need an opportunity
to be inspired about our
work and to believe that
we can really make a
difference.”
Workplace Dimensions
Employee Skills/Mission Match
78.8
Teamwork
71.2
Pay and Benefits
63.8
Work/Life Balance
62.1
Training/Development
61.5
Support for Diversity
60.5
Strategic Management
57.2
Effective Leadership
Performance-Based Rewards and Advancement
Family-Friendly Culture and Benefits
51.7
45.6
43.4
Human Capital Framework
Resources
Recruit and Hire/
Onboard
Engage
Core
Purpose/
Values
Business
Strategies
Workforce Manage Performance
Planning
Train/Develop
Reward/Recognize
Environment
Plan for
Succession
Mission
Accomplished
Integrated Approach to
Building the Leadership Pipeline
Program Evaluation
Why the Integrated Approach
 Many ways to build leadership pipeline
 Because all aligned with strategic plan,
workforce plan, competency model, and/or
other frameworks, aligned with each other
 Pipeline larger -- demand for more talent
Who’s in the Pipeline?
High Potentials and
Replacement Pool
for Sr. Managers
Middle
Managers
1st-line
Supervisors
All
Employees?
Technical
Specialists
Time
What Are Developmental Needs?
 Understanding other departments
 Understanding enterprise and its environment
 Building relationships and networks
 Getting things done in government
 Managing change
 Managing the public
 Managing the media
 Influencing, motivating, developing, retaining talent
 Managing conflict, dealing with problem employees
Leadership Development Best Practices
Private
Public
Other
 Accenture
 Army War College
 Brookings Institution
 Aon Corporation
 Defense Logistics
Agency
 Georgetown
University
 Federal Executive
Institute
 Harvard Kennedy
School of Government
 Government
Accountability Office
 Louisiana State
University
 Office of Management
and Budget
 Senior Executives
Association
 Office of Personnel
Management
 Young Government
Leaders
 The Boeing Company
 GE
 Goldman Sachs
 IBM
 IDEO
 Lockheed Martin
 McKinsey & Company
 Procter & Gamble
 Office of the Director of
National Intelligence
Leadership Development Best Practices
 Leadership development part of system (e.g.,
succession planning, competencies,
performance management)
 Current leaders develop future leaders
(not necessarily expensive)
 Leaders learn best by “doing”
 Executive coaching addresses unique, realtime needs
Structure
Coursework
Defining Leadership &
Managing People
• Understanding your
leadership style
• Managing people
• Building teams
Managing Projects &
Networking
• Delivering results on time
and on budget
• Establishing and cultivating
your network for success
Communicating with &
Influencing Executives
• Making a business case
• Selling your ideas
• Writing and communicating
Leading Innovation &
Managing Change
• Driving innovation
• Managing change
Continuous
Self- Development
• Creating and managing your
individual development plan
• Seeking career guidance
Projects:
Solving Government’s Problems
Project Criteria:
Agency Criteria:
 Important management
issue that requires action
 Leadership committed to
testing innovative solutions
 Solutions within control of
an agency
 Committed to providing
necessary background
materials and data
 Potential for high-impact
results
 Support participants and their
time away from the job
Dealing with High-Risk Issues
Improve communication between USDA
and FDA to strengthen food safety during
recalls
Recruit talent required to care for veterans
Ensure sufficient energy for our country
Improve employee morale to enhance
economic and homeland security
Coaching
 360o assessments – anonymous
 Coaches identify strengths,
weaknesses and blind spots
 Personal action-planning tool for
long-term skills development
 Personal coach for ongoing advice -government and business leaders
 360o repeated after program to
measure growth
Building Your Leadership Pipeline
1. Engage senior leaders
2. Identify competencies
3. Assess developmental needs
4. Create leadership development strategy
5. Use Individual Development Plans (IDPs)
6. Tap into talent pool of retirement-eligible
employees and retirees
7. Don’t let $$$ be the barrier
8. Assess results
In Groups -- Discuss and Report
1. What are your barriers to developing
leaders?
2.What can you do to address these
barriers?
Meeting the Challenge:
Attracting and Retaining
a World-Class
Work Force
6. Building a Strong
Partnership with HR
rlavigna@ourpublicservice.org
What We’ll Cover
Building a strong partnership with HR
 The
evolving role of HR
 Setting mutual expectations
 How to meet these expectations
Human Capital Framework
Resources
Recruit and Hire /
Onboard
Manage Performance
Core
Purpose/
Values
Business
Strategies
Workforce
Planning
Reward/Recognize
Engage
Plan for Succession
Environment
Train/ Develop
Mission
Accomplished
Why it Matters
“It is not at all clear how
government can be well
executed unless it is able to
compete more effectively for
its fair share of talent.”
“HR must give
value or give
notice.”
“If line managers and HR
professionals are to be the
champions of organizational
capability, then a new
agenda for both HR practices
and HR professionals must
emerge.”
HR Evolving -- Splitting in Two
 Administrative and transactional work -increasingly automated or outsourced
 Transformational work -- helps develop
organizational goals, determines what
capabilities are needed and creates HR
practices
David Ulrich
The Shift – in Theory
Personnel management
HR management
Rule maker
Consultant
Functional orientation
Business orientation
One-size-fits-all
Tailored programs
Centralized decisions
Framework for others to decide
Mutual distrust
Partnering
Focus on activities
Focus on impact
Internal services
Outsourcing
Management’s View of HR
What best describes the way your organization's executive management
views its HR organization?
60.6%
Strategic Asset
50.0%
18.4%
Cost Center
15.6%
13.7%
No Strong Opinion
21.9%
7.3%
Other
12.5%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
N=449
Non-Public Sector
Public Sector
60%
70%
What Do You Think?
Is HR:
 Strategic asset?
 Cost center?
The Current Reality
 Very little change in how HR spends
its time
 Instead of playing a central strategic
business partner role, HR has
responded by maintaining status quo
Ed Lawler
What’s HR’s Mission?
 Implement a system of personnel administration which will
ensure equitable treatment of employees through a merit
system based on recognized princ1ples of appointment,
promotion, classification, termination and other aspects of
government employment.
 Plan, organize and implement pre-service training, in-service
and federal programs to rehabilitate, upgrade, and enhance
the skills and work performances of all employees thus
promoting self-reliance, dependability and enhance
competencies in the quality services for the public.
What’s HR’s Mission?
Attract, develop and retain the talent
we need – and measure our progress
Value of HR Transformation
How important is HR transformation to your future plans?
N=166
63
70
60
43
50
38
40
19
30
20
3
10
0
1 (not
important/valuable)
2
3
4
5 (extremely
important/valuable)
HR Areas Needing Improvement
What HR areas need the most transformation & improvement?
48%
Workforce Planning
IT
Training / Employee Dev
Comp Admin
Recruitment
Benefits
Job Candidate Testing
Payroll
Orientation
Retirement Plan Mgmt
Workers Comp
Union Contract Negotiation
Other
43%
43%
39%
30%
30%
26%
23%
20%
17%
12%
9%
4%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
Workforce Planning:
What It’s Really About
1. What talent do we need to succeed – now
and in the future?
2. What talent do we have now?
3. Where are the gaps?
4. How are we going to eliminate these gaps?
Workforce Planning
HR’s “New” Roles
HR Expert
Business
Partner
Change Agent
HR Expert
Only competency that covers HR expertise
HR professionals generally excel in this
traditional role
Business Partner
 More than service provider
 Management partner who shares
accountability for organizational results
 Works with management to devise
solutions
 Involved in business strategic planning
 Works towards results, aligned with
mission
 Promotes collaborative consultant role
Change Agent
Helps managers/employees deal w/change
in culture, skills, job security
Understands what drives change
Recognizes impact of change
Understands change models/processes
Recognizes change agent role in managing
and sustaining change
Learns strategies to negotiate change
Leader
Promotes merit systems principles
Fosters diversity
Balances employee satisfaction with
organizational requirements and goals
Builds teamwork
Models collaborative problem-solving
The “New” HR Competencies
 Organizational
acumen
 Results orientation
 Interpersonal skills
 Making/implementing
tough decisions
 Demonstrating
empathy
 Speaking and writing
persuasively
 Analyzing data
Negotiating
Demonstrating good
judgment
Coaching
Applying knowledge of
HR principles/methods
Systems thinking
Understanding
technology
What Managers Should Expect from HR
Understand HR business and your business
and how HR can support strategy
Build partnerships -- be flexible, champion
change
Rely on data -- deliver measurable results
on outcomes
What HR Should Expect From You
Allow HR to be a business partner
Involve HR early
Take ownership of talent management
Ask questions and champion change
Understand tomorrow’s workforce
What You Can Do
 Become involved in recruiting and hiring
 Do a good job onboarding new employees
 Make performance management work
 Train and develop
 Ask questions and push for change
 Understand tomorrow’s workforce
Resources
 International Public Management
Association for HR – ipma-hr.org
 Society for Human Resources
Management – shrm.org
 Human Capital Institute –
humancapitalinstitute.org
In Groups -- Discuss and Report
1. 3 or 4 approaches/strategies that you
can discuss with your HR staff when
you return home
2. 3 or 4 ways you plan to engage more
directly with HR
Key Points
Recruit aggressively and widely
Hire quality talent -- efficiently
Onboard well
Maximize engagement
Reach out to HR – set expectations
There isn’t any silver bullet to
attract, develop and retain talent
It takes silver buckshot!