This document discusses strategies for retaining valued federal employees. It notes that while overall federal attrition rates have been low, certain agencies, jobs, and employee groups face higher turnover that can undermine agencies' ability to complete their missions. The document recommends that agencies closely examine who is leaving their organization, identify factors driving attrition, and develop targeted retention strategies. Such strategies should focus on improving employees' overall work experiences, including recognition, growth opportunities, relationships with supervisors, and sense of mission.
Original Description:
Original Title
Keeping Talent Strategies for Retaining Valued Federal Employees-[2011.01.19]
This document discusses strategies for retaining valued federal employees. It notes that while overall federal attrition rates have been low, certain agencies, jobs, and employee groups face higher turnover that can undermine agencies' ability to complete their missions. The document recommends that agencies closely examine who is leaving their organization, identify factors driving attrition, and develop targeted retention strategies. Such strategies should focus on improving employees' overall work experiences, including recognition, growth opportunities, relationships with supervisors, and sense of mission.
This document discusses strategies for retaining valued federal employees. It notes that while overall federal attrition rates have been low, certain agencies, jobs, and employee groups face higher turnover that can undermine agencies' ability to complete their missions. The document recommends that agencies closely examine who is leaving their organization, identify factors driving attrition, and develop targeted retention strategies. Such strategies should focus on improving employees' overall work experiences, including recognition, growth opportunities, relationships with supervisors, and sense of mission.
KEEPING TALENT The Partnership for Public Service is a nonpartisan, nonprot organization that works to revitalize the federal government by inspiring a new generation to serve and by transforming the way government works. Booz Allen Hamilton has been at the forefront of management consulting for businesses and governments for more than 90 years. Providing consulting services in strategy, operations, organization and change, and information technology, Booz Allen is the one rm that helps clients solve their toughest problems, working by their side to help them achieve their missions. Booz Allen is committed to delivering results that endure. KEEPI NG TALENT | STRATEGI ES FOR RETAI NI NG VALUED FEDERAL EMPLOYEES 1 Government agencies spend enormous amounts of time, energy and resources to hire and train qualied em- ployees. But federal managers, human resources (HR) professionals and workforce planners often fail to focus on another important aspect of the human capital equa- tionretaining the newly hired and experienced work- ers already on the job. The retention of qualied federal employees will take on added signicance in the near term with Congress already having enacted a two-year pay freeze for non- military employees and poised to consider a moratori- um on the hiring of new federal employees as part of the broader efort to cut spending and reduce the growing budget decit. A pay and hiring freeze could create conditions that may prompt some employees to seek other opportunities or cause eligible workers to retire sooner than anticipated. Agencies could certainly nd themselves short-stafed and unable to ll key positions if a hiring freeze is en- acted. All this means that keeping the right talent, those who are motivated and have the skills that match job re- quirements, is potentially more critical than ever for federal agencies to perform at a high level and to meet the needs of the American public. In recent times, however, overall attrition of federal employees has been low and therefore not considered a matter of urgency by agency leaders. In our recent study, Beneath the Surface: Understanding Attrition at Your Agency and Why it Matters 1 , we reported that the federal attrition rate was 5.85 percent in scal 2009 and had declined from 7.6 percent the year before. 2 This rate is noticeably below that of the private sector, which was 9.2 percent in 2008. Yet these numbers do not tell the whole story. Our study found that attrition rates can vary from agency to agen- cy and, within agencies, by subcomponent, occupation, geographic location, performance, employee diversity, and other factors. Attrition may not seem to be a prob- 1Beneath the Surface: Understanding Attrition at Your Agency and Why it Matters,PartnershipforPublicService,November2010. 2Federal attrition refers to all separations of full-time, non-sea- sonal, permanent employees from an agency for any reason. This includestransferstoanotheragency,voluntaryseparations,termina- tions,retirementsandothertypesofseparation. lem overall, but there are pockets within agencies and across government where turnover is high and prob- lematic. We highlighted three categories of employees who represent attrition risksthose who are new to their agencies, those eligible to retire within the next one to ve years, and those classied as having mission- critical jobs. Even in difcult economic times, highly qualied work- ers important to agency operations have other em- ployment opportunities, retire or leave for a variety of reasons. In fact, in difcult times, it may be the best em- ployees who leave. 3 The cost and consequences of unwanted attrition Federal sector attrition frequently carries with it the loss of signicant and specialized knowledge and expe- rience which can be difcult or impossible to replace. Consider, for example, the cost and feasibility of replac- ing a senior cancer researcher at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), or a cybersecurity expert at the Na- tional Security Agency (NSA), or a retiring chief meteo- rologist at the National Hurricane Center. Good employees not only take with them their skills and experience when they leave, but they may leave behind demoralized co-workersa deterioration of employee commitment and organizational loyalty. 4
Turnover also can have a substantial impact on feder- al line managers, who must reorganize existing work. When they are able to replace employees who have left, managers must go through the steps of identifying can- didates, conducting interviews, preparing ofers and orienting new employees to the new position and orga- nizational culture. 5 Although federal agencies are now working to streamline and expedite the hiring process, in many instances it still takes a considerable period of time to bring new talent on board. If hiring restric- tions are put in place in the coming months, this process 3RichardP.Finnegan,Rethinking Retention in Good Times and Bad, 2010. 4John H. Cox, Smart Steps for Creating an Employee Retention Strategy,SocietyforHumanResourceManagement(SHRM)White Paper,2007. 5TheCostofTurnover,SHRMWhite Paper,2005. INTRODUCTION PARTNERSHI P FOR PUBLI C SERVI CE | BOOZ ALLEN HAMI LTON 2 could be worsened by the limited number of new em- ployees that will be allowed at each agency. In addition, private sector data shows that the loss and replacement of employees has a nancial cost that can range anywhere from 50 to 200 percent of salary de- pending on the employees individual role, seniority, specialization, performance level and on-the-job train- ing received. These costs are comparable in the public sector. The importance of employee retention and retention analysis Retention rates serve as an important bellwether for an organization. Retention of newly hired, top-notch employees, for example, means that recruiting and hir- ing investments are paying of and new skills and en- ergy are owing into the workplace. Retention of high quality, mid-level and senior-level employees means an agency is benetting from the judgment and experience of seasoned professionals. This is especially important in government where duties are often complex, have far reaching implications and take time to learn. But high turnover rates may suggest problems in the workplace that need to be addressed. Agencies should closely examine and understand who is leaving, identify the contributing factors in the work en- vironment and develop retention strategies that make valued employees want to stay. As part of this process, agencies need to be prepared to deal with emerging issues, such as pay and hiring freez- es or the shift to the more portable Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) retirement programs with provisions that allow certain employees, such as law en- forcement personnel, to retire after twenty years. The Partnership for Public Service, with Booz Allen Hamilton, examined what makes employees stay with an organization, what retention techniques and tools are currently available to federal human resources pro- fessionals and managers, and what they think are the most efective strategies. We primarily focused this report on retention at the workforce levelon having enough people with the right competencies and skills to meet an agencys mission. Our goals are to help federal agencies better understand retention issues and to provide guidance on how to ana- lyze and prevent the loss of employees that managers want to keep on the job. Organizations are nding that quick xes just dont work, and that the solutions are more about how you treat employees than gimmicks, games, and prizes. True solutions require a change in managements attitudes and behaviors toward employees. Catherine D. Fyock Retention Tactics That Work Society for Human Resource Management WhitePaper, 1998 It is important to communicate to employees that you are trying to improve the workplace and improve retention and then actually follow through. Walking the walk is important but so is talking the talk. Packaging retention strategies as such helps improve employees feelings towards the agency. Focus Group Participant KEEPI NG TALENT | STRATEGI ES FOR RETAI NI NG VALUED FEDERAL EMPLOYEES 3 From our earlier study of federal attrition and our ex- amination of retention issues, it is clear that the desire and decision to stay on the job is greatly inuenced by many facets of the overall work environment, including an employees experiences during the rst few weeks in the workplace. 6 In general, employees want to be recognized for their work, use their talents, have an impact, feel empowered, receive support and have opportunities for growth. They want to have good relationships with their super- visors and colleagues, as well as a sense of teamwork and shared mission. They also want a family-friendly environment, and they want to receive fair compensa- tion and recognition for their performance. 6Getting On Board: A Model for Integrating and Engaging New Em- ployees,PartnershipforPublicService,May2008. Based on our research and using information from the Partnerships BestPlacestoWorkintheFederalGovern- ment, we developed a framework to illustrate the idea that employee satisfaction depends upon numerous as- pects of the work environment. 7 The work environment framework places these workplace issues in four quad- rants, or categories. The four quadrants are important individually and as a whole. Individual employees will likely be most af- fected by one issue or a set of factors. But in general, signicant organizational deciencies in one area can have a substantial negative impact on overall employee satisfaction and, ultimately, on retention. Together, the 7Our work environment framework also relates to the Ofce of Personnel Managements Human Capital Assessment and Account- abilityFrameworkwhichmaps,denesandsetsstandardsforagency humancapitalsystemsandfunctions. THE WHOLE WORK ENVIRONMENT MATTERS Figure 1Work environment framework SOCIALIZATION AND SUPPORT FOR DIVERSITY TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PURPOSE SKILLS AND MISSION MATCH WORKLIFE, PAY AND BENEFITS PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT TEAMWORK AND SUPERVISION LEADERSHIP EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT, COMPENSATION, BENEFITS AND WORK/LIFE AGENCY MISSION AND EMPLOYEE SKILLS MATCH TEAMWORK, SUPERVISION AND LEADERSHIP WORK ENVIRONMENT PARTNERSHI P FOR PUBLI C SERVI CE | BOOZ ALLEN HAMI LTON 4 quadrants create and sustain a strong, positive work environment. This can be reected in an employees choice to stay or to seek employment elsewhere, and can impact a workers performance and engagement. Smart agency leaders should strive to understand the reasons that individual employees and groups or cate- gories of employees leave, and then to use that informa- tion to improve aspects of the workplace environment they nd lacking. Agencies that focus on meaningful performance, productivity and positive working con- ditions are increasingly seen as being a best place to work or an employer of choice. We do employee feedback surveys and analyze that feedbackand we look for targeted strategies. We look at culture and supervision. And we look at all the diferent teams. Focus Group Participant We build listening and employee surveys into the system. We dont want to just be good; we want to always improve. Our managers are held accountable for making plans to improve employee engagement and satisfaction in areas that the survey reveals as needing attention. Focus Group Participant Our model is a four-legged stool. Managers can be the biggest factor in employees leaving but if any part of the stool is missing, employees could leave. Focus Group Participant KEEPI NG TALENT | STRATEGI ES FOR RETAI NI NG VALUED FEDERAL EMPLOYEES 5 Line managers typically take a tactical viewfocusing on how to retain their individual, valued team members. To this end, they seek assistance from HR in using spe- cic techniques and tools, such as retention bonuses, to achieve their desired result. Agency and HR leaders, on the other hand, take a broader view and must bal- ance the concerns of line managers with their focus on agency-wide goals. This balance between retaining in- dividuals and managing agency-wide personnel needs may result in internal tension between HR leaders and line managers views of retention. To get a ground-level perspective on retention issues and explore this balance, we conducted focus groups and surveyed representatives from more than 20 agen- cies and agency subcomponents to solicit their views and to understand the retention challenges faced by line managers and HR professionals in the day-to-day operating environment. We found that many agencies use three retention tech- niques on which the Ofce of Personnel Management (OPM) provides guidance: retention bonuses; exible workplaces and work schedules; and student loan re- payment programs. In general, we learned that some agencies are paying little attention to retention while others have carefully-crafted retention initiatives backed by top-level leadership. The ndings from these inquiries are: Many agency representatives are not concerned about strategic retention because employee attrition is generally low. While there are exceptions, many agencies do not con- sider employee retention to be a serious concern at this time. Our survey found most respondents believed re- tention was an issue of moderate importance largely because overall attrition numbers are low. Perhaps as a result, some agencies primarily limit their eforts to re- tention bonuses and are not proactively using the many other retention tactics, techniques and strategies to ad- dress the reasons employee give for leaving. As stated earlier, if employee attrition increases due to pay and hiring freezes, the agency view may alter and there may be a heightened focus on retaining key employees. Federal managers do not feel well supported by their HR teams in dealing with individual retention issues. Federal line managers do not feel HR successfully helps them retain individual employees who are considering leaving. Most managers said that collaboration between HR and line managers on eforts to retain individuals is often weak. However, line managers expect HR to act as a resource for mitigating unwanted attrition. When asked whether HR is successful in helping managers re- tain valued employees, twice as many human resources leaders as line managers answered in the afrmative, illustrating a disconnect between how HR perceives itself and how line managers view HRs support and ef- fectiveness. Managers and HR see a need to create a good work environment, but often favor diferent approaches. While many agencies do not believe they currently have a problem retaining qualied employees, managers and HR staf agreed that creating a positive environment is of considerable importance in building a good place to work. Both acknowledge that a positive work environ- ment can be helpful in implementing retention policies. They typically use work/life balance policies, pay, s- cal rewards and training opportunities to achieve this goal. The two groups also agreed that good leadership and engaging employees are among the most efective strategies to create a good work environment. HR professionals tended to favor work/life balance pol- icies, such as exible scheduling, and nancial incen- tives as their top strategies in developing a workplace that will keep good employees. Line managers, in contrast, favored longer term perfor- mance management approaches, including dealing with poorly performing employees and recognizing the good work of others. Line managers said that, by the time em- ployees approach them to say they are leaving, it is too late to keep them with nancial incentives. Given that employees typically leave for a reason related to their position, duties or work environment, line managers want to focus on performance- and job-related tech- niques, such as increasing leadership opportunities. One key area of agreement among both HR professionals and line managers is about the importance of improving their organizations image and becoming an employer of choice. This joint buy-in may provide an incentive for all parties to come together to develop creative ways to address organizational problems that contribute to at- trition, paving the way for improved retention. THE AGENCY VIEW OF EMPLOYEE RETENTION PARTNERSHI P FOR PUBLI C SERVI CE | BOOZ ALLEN HAMI LTON 6 Source: Transportation Security Administration. Retrieved from http://www.tsa.gov/assets/pdf/TSA_improvement.pdf. Figure 2TSA workforce initiatives K E Y
R E T E N T I O N
E F F O R T S KEEPI NG TALENT | STRATEGI ES FOR RETAI NI NG VALUED FEDERAL EMPLOYEES 7 No single magic bullet or retention strategy will ensure that top quality employees stay on the job. As shown by organizations such as the Government Ac- countability Ofce (GAO), the most efective approach is one in which an agency studies and identies the groups at greatest risk of leaving in order to understand what is motivating them and then undertakes a long- term efort to address those areas of concern. GAO does this by, among other things, publishing and monitoring annual retention goals and developing and operating a program to maximize the onboarding and retention of entry-level employees through its two-year Profession- al Development Program. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) provides another example, as illustrated in the agen- cys workforce initiatives chart (gure 2). The chart shows the agencys ongoing eforts, starting in 2003, to increase retention through a series of key actions that range from providing supervisory training to adding new pay bands and making available realistic job pre- views. As a result, TSA reported that voluntary attrition of full-time Transportation Security Ofcers (TSOs) for scal 2009 was 5.3 percent, a drop of 58 percent from scal 2006. Once agency leaders identify who is leaving and why by analyzing employee feedback data such as the Fed- eral Employee Viewpoint Survey and exit information, as described in our report on attrition, Beneath the Surface: Understanding Attrition at Your Agency and Why it Mattersthey can map areas of dissatisfaction against the work environment framework. This will help pinpoint the category areas of greatest dissatisfac- tion and provide a starting place for selecting retention strategies. During our research, we identied many diferent tech- niques, tools and practices that organizations use to im- prove retention in both the private and public sectors. They range from the simple to the complex. In the fol- lowing sections, we briey describe by workforce en- vironment category some of the most efective ways to retain qualied employees. TECHNIQUES AND STRATEGIES TO RETAIN TOP TALENT WORK ENVIRONMENT CATEGORY 1 Teamwork, supervision and leadership Numerous studies have shown that good relationships between supervisors and their staf are among the most important factors in creating a positive work environ- ment and retaining employees. Our analysis of Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey data shows that federal employees especially value a cooperative work envi- ronment. Employees also look for direction from their leadersfor clarity in how their work and work unit re- late and contribute to accomplishing the organizations goals. Addressing issues of teamwork, supervision and leader- ship may require new or diferent behaviors from su- pervisors, managers, agency leaders and employees. For that reason, this is arguably the most difcult area in which to make changes. Nevertheless, researchers have found that it has the biggest impact on employee job satisfaction and on retention. One manager said, Peo- ple dont leave jobs, they leave their managers. I believe people would rather work for the best manager at the worst company rather than the worst manager at the best company. Selected retention techniques for this area include: Using periodic surveys or questionnaires to gain insight into the way diferent employee groups feel about agency operations and leadership ef- fectiveness. If repeated at regular intervals using many of the same questions, this valuable infor- mation source enables agencies to study trends in survey responses to determine whether progress is being made. Results from surveys can help identify potential problems and groups at risk for attrition, and communicating progress made can afrm to employees that agency leaders are listening to and acting on their concerns. Conducting stay interviews with employees and actively using the results. A stay interview is conducted to solicit current employees opinions about what they want out of their jobs and what is missing. The most efective interviews are conduct- ed one-on-one between a relatively senior leader and the employee. It is important that these inter- views are kept condential and that they result in action. PARTNERSHI P FOR PUBLI C SERVI CE | BOOZ ALLEN HAMI LTON 8 Requiring training for managers in supervisory skills and in managing employees for teleworking, exible work arrangements and generational dif- ferences. Such training must include the fundamen- tal skills of managing and communicating efectively with employees. Providing coaching, training and other kinds of support to help problematic managers change and to hold them accountable for improvement. One side benet of this technique is that analysis and follow-up actions demonstrate to employees that the organization cares about their work envi- ronment and wants to address problematic areas. WORK ENVIRONMENT CATEGORY 2 Agency mission and employee skills match An agencys mission can be one of its most powerful recruiting and retention tools. Dedication to making a diference is an important driver for many people inter- ested in working for the federal government. 8 A strong employer brand aligned with the overall organizational vision and mission can help attract and keep the right job applicants. Selected retention techniques for this area include: Strengthening the assessment process for evalu- ating and selecting new employees. Employee t with an agencys mission and needed skills is es- pecially important from the perspective of the em- ployee, as well as the agency. 9 Obviously, employees who have needed competencies are more likely to be successful at an agency. Assessment criteria for evaluating job applicants should reect the success factors of current employees. Implementing realistic job previews. When appli- cants understand what a job entailsthe skills need- ed and what the work and work environment are likethey have a better chance of correctly deciding whether the job will be a good t. Videos posted on agency websites can provide the needed informa- tion quickly and clearly. Strengthening the line of sight between agency mission/objectives and employees. Smart agency leaders keep employees aware of and focused on the importance of what they do and how it relates to the 8Great Expectations: What Students Want in an Employer and How Federal Agencies Can Deliver It,PartnershipforPublicService,Janu- ary2009. 9Closing the Gap: Seven Obstacles to a First-Class Federal Work- force,PartnershipforPublicService,August2010. agencys mission. This can increase engagement and retention. Clear measures of success and progress toward meeting goals helps keep employees up-to- date on the impact of what they do. Building agency reputation as the place to work or as a center of excellence for a discipline or eld. Employees can gain satisfaction from knowing that they work at the leading edge of a eld or in an or- ganization that has been recognized for its work. Intentionally striving to build such a reputation can help both attract and retain top talent. Using technology, such as internal social networks, to encourage cross-agency networking and com- munication about mission-related projects. This tactic can encourage employees across agencies, subcomponents and work groups to share informa- tion, work together to solve problems, socialize and develop contacts for professional development. For some young employees, this kind of access and shar- ing is an important aspect of the work environment they favor and seek. IN FOCUSBUILDING A POSITIVE WORK ENVIRONMENT TO COMPETE WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND RETAIN TALENT At the VA Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS) in Palo Alto, Calif., the challenge is retaining medical professionals in a locality where the cost of living is high and private industry pays more. Employee reten- tion is an organization-wide efort and VAPAHCS employs multiple techniques. One technique falls in the mission and skills match category: partnering with a university to perform cutting-edge research.
At the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, executive management puts
strong emphasis on research. VAPAHCS houses a variety of specialty programs that ofer unique clinical and research opportunities (e.g., geriatric medicine, polytrauma rehabilitation, spinal cord injury, and womens health) that are dedicated to developing best practices and educating the rest of the agency and the medical community. In partnering with Stanford University, VA Palo Alto Health Care System professionals perform cutting-edge research with top academics. Re- search results are communicated nationwide. The prestige of working with the best and being at the forefront of their elds helps the orga- nization attract and retain top talent. Further, employees can see clearly how they make a diference to vet- erans and non-veterans through their research results. This recogni- tion, coupled with the care they provide for patients, is one of the reasons that employees choose to stay at VAPAHCS. KEEPI NG TALENT | STRATEGI ES FOR RETAI NI NG VALUED FEDERAL EMPLOYEES 9 WORK ENVIRONMENT CATEGORY 3 Employee development and support Researchers have found growth opportunities to be an important motivator for employees to stay at their jobs. These opportunities provide benets to the or- ganizations, as employees learn and master new skills and knowledge. In the Partnerships report on what American students considering governmental careers are looking for in their future employers, 37 percent identied professional training and development and 30 percent noted sponsorship of future education as important characteristics. 10 There are numerous ways organizations can support employee growth and devel- opment, including internal and external training, rota- tional programs and a broad focus on creating a learn- ing organization. Employees also must be condent that their work envi- ronment is fair and unbiased, as well as welcoming and supportive, especially for newly hired workers. As one federal manager said, Employees spend most of their time at work, away from their families. We want to make sure they get the opportunity to interact with the people they spend a lot of time with in both a profes- sional and a social way. Selected retention techniques for this area include: Implementing and supporting a strong onboard- ing program to prepare, socialize and help new employees adjust. Efective onboarding programs can demonstrably inuence the satisfaction and re- tention of new employees and help bring them to full productivity levels quickly. 11
Establishing mentoring programs by pairing more experienced with less experienced employ- ees. Mentors share what they have learned and give career advice, transferring institutional knowledge and potentially increasing employee engagement and efectiveness. Similar but less formal programs, such as buddies and peer mentors, can also be im- portant to building a supportive work environment for employees at all levels and in all disciplines. Encouraging employee afnity groups to support and sustain workplace diversity. Supplement- ing the two techniques mentioned above, afnity groups ofer support and acculturation to new hires, networking opportunities for employees already on board, and informal coaching opportunities to both 10Op.cit.,Great Expectations,January2009. 11Op.cit.,Getting On Board,May2008. new and current employees, among other benets. Good examples are groups organized around ethnic backgroundssuch as Blacks in Government. Emphasizing individual development plans to encourage and support employee growth. Some agencies structure employee development plans around pre-set career paths that focus supervisors and employees on the specic knowledge and expe- riences to be mastered at each step along the career progression. These plans can be tied to succession planning. Employees should at the minimum have annual reviews of their skills and competencies and develop plans for individual growth and further de- velopment. Ofering leadership training for selected individ- uals who meet criteria as potential future leaders, as well as for senior leaders and executives. Train- ing for employees with leadership potential pro- vides them with new insights, skills and networks to help them grow and develop themselves and the organization. Operating a robust internship program providing a pre-employment opportunity for potential new hires to experience the organization. Interns can learn whether there is a good t of their skills with the organization, can gain workplace skills, and can become efective but informal spokespersons for the agency. 12
WORK ENVIRONMENT CATEGORY 4 Performance management, work/life balance, and pay and benets Performance management encompasses setting perfor- mance standards and expectations for the job; evalu- ating employees performance and accomplishments against the chosen standards and providing feedback; determining when individuals should be recommended for promotion; and recognizing and celebrating accom- plishments, teamwork and results. This is important for all employees, but younger generations of employees expect more dened and faster career paths, diferent management styles, more work/life balance and difer- ent forms of recognition. 13 They are also less willing to wait their turn for promotions. 12Leaving Talent on the Table: The Need to Capitalize on High-Per- forming Student Interns,PartnershipforPublicService,April2009. 13Roger D. Sommer, Retaining Intellectual Capital in the 21st Century,SHRMWhite Paper,2000. PARTNERSHI P FOR PUBLI C SERVI CE | BOOZ ALLEN HAMI LTON 10 Because OPM already supports the use of exible work schedules and is encouraging agencies to embrace telecommuting, 14 the federal government may be seen as an employer of choice in the area of work/life bal- ance. However, not all supervisors feel comfortable with these exibilities and some need support in this area. Selected retention techniques for this area include: Ofering retention bonuses. 15 Many human re- sources professionals emphasized that a retention bonus is one of the fewand often one of the most efectivetechniques available when an employee has another job ofer and is seriously considering leaving an agency. Ofering exible workplaces and exible work schedules as part of improving work/life balance. With increased emphasis on work/life balance among current federal employees, exible work ar- rangements are important recruiting and retention tools ofering freedom to adjust both work hours and work location. Among the exibilities provided to federal agencies by OPM are telework, extime and the compressed work week. Improving the performance management process by strengthening performance appraisals, rec- ognizing accomplishments and providing mean- ingful feedback. Strategies include performance- based rather than seniority-based pay increases, performance-based awards, 360-degree feedback for supervisors and top managers and professional coaching for leaders. Often an efective aspect of performance management involves improving em- ployees line of sight between their jobs and the agencys mission. Using phased-retirement and re-employed annui- tant programs that enable agencies to bring back former employees with needed skills for specic projects and also to support knowledge transfer. In addition, alumni and other post-retirement pro- grams allow agencies to retain access to former em- ployees in case there is a need to call upon them for mentoring of employees and other assistance. 14Federal Work/Life Programs: Agencies Generally Satised with OPM Assistance, but More Tracking and Information Sharing Needed (GAO-11-137),GovernmentAccountabilityOfce,December2010. 15In 2008, the most recent year for which data are available, $155.8millionwaspaidfor24,808retentionbonusesacrossgovern- mentforanaverageof$6,284perbonus,accordingtoOPMs2008 ReporttoCongress(January2010). Supplementing pay. Options include the federal student loan repayment program 16 and tuition reim- bursement for additional job-relevant training and development. Typically, tuition-related programs require an agreement that the employee continue federal service for one or more years in exchange for the payment. Agencies can also ofer transportation and day care subsidies and, in some instances, in- creased pay rates for jobs that require an employee to use a language other than English. Providing employee and family-friendly benets. As examples, agencies can ofer on-site day care pro- grams, provide an employee assistance program to help workers deal with complicating factors in their lives or establish on-site tness facility and wellness programs. 16Inthestudentloanrepaymentprogram,agenciesmayrepayup to$10,000annuallyand$60,000intotalforeacheligibleemployee. Theprogramrequiresthreeyearsoffederalserviceforeachyearof payment.In2009,accordingtoOPMsmostrecentannualreportto theCongress,36federalagenciesprovided8,454employeeswitha totalofmorethan$61.8millioninstudentloanrepaymentbenets. Work/life balance, particularly hoteling and telework, have been a big emphasis. Focus Group Participant KEEPI NG TALENT | STRATEGI ES FOR RETAI NI NG VALUED FEDERAL EMPLOYEES 1 1 The process of selecting and implementing retention strategies begins with understanding who is leaving an agency, why they are leaving and what retention tech- niques are currently being used by the agency so that planners can then determine approaches that will more efectively address the problems. Five steps are briey described below. 1 Analyze attrition In our companion report on analyzing and understand- ing attrition, we present a protocol for agencies to ex- amine who is leaving and why. The analysis calls for looking at an entire agency, identifying subcomponents or employee groups that may have high turnover or may be at risk of high turnover and deciding which employ- ee groups deserve a closer look. After determining who is leaving, agencies need to learn why. The most common source of this information is exit data because it provides feedback directly from in- dividuals who are leaving. Agencies are increasingly collecting exit survey data. For example, the Treasury Department has implement- ed a standard exit survey to allow comparisons and analyses across Treasurys various subcomponents, and the National Nuclear Safety Administration is currently implementing an exit survey. In 2009, the Patent and Trademark Ofce collected in-depth exit survey data from its departing employees to better understand why attrition was high. The agency is using that informa- tion to improve patent examiners jobs and address pain points that were contributing to attrition. Exit data should be supplemented by analyses of em- ployee feedback survey data. By analyzing the gaps in responses to selected questions in the annual Federal Employees Viewpoint Survey, analysts can gain in- sight into the satisfaction and dissatisfaction of spe- cic groups of employees. By design, the survey ques- tions align with the categories of the work environment framework (see table 1 on the following page). Analysis will reveal which parts of the work environment seem to be most problematic for employee groups of concern, including those who are considering leaving within the next year. When aligned with the work environment framework, this information provides a way to select retention tac- tics to target dened problem areas. Agencies may be able to use this information to address employee con- cerns, improve their satisfaction and, ideally, improve retention. The steps for conducting this analysis are ex- plained in the call-out box that follows. CHOOSING AND IMPLEMENTING RETENTION STRATEGIES IN FOCUSUSING THE FEDERAL EMPLOYEE VIEWPOINT SURVEY TO FOCUS RETENTION EFFORTS 1. Using an agencys survey results, separate the data into categories based on responses to the question, Are you considering leaving your organization within the next year and if so, why? Response options are: No Yes, to retire Yes, to take another job with the federal government Yes, to take another job outside the federal government Yes, other Typically, an agency begins by comparing those not planning to leave with those who are planning to leave, but the data can be broken down further to look at the diferent yes, planning to leave response types separately. Notably, since the satisfaction of retirees typically difers from that of individuals leaving the agency for other reasons, breaking retiree data out separately can be useful.
2. Rank the data according to selected survey questions to show the gaps between responses of these employees. Categorize and ana- lyze this data to get at the top drivers of intent to stay or leave. 3. Align the questions showing the biggest gaps between leavers and stayers, with the quadrants, or categories, of the work envi- ronment model. The four quadrants are: Teamwork, Supervision and Leadership Agency Mission and Employee Skills Match Employee Development and Support Performance Management, Work/Life, Compensation and Pay and Benets 4. Use this information to focus on major areas in selecting and im- plementing retention strategies. 5. After further consideration of the pros and cons of the available options, select retention strategies that will best address the ma- jor areas of dissatisfaction for employees. PARTNERSHI P FOR PUBLI C SERVI CE | BOOZ ALLEN HAMI LTON 12 2 Review current retention techniques The next step is to pull together a team of representa- tives from key organizational groups to examine the agencys current retention strategieswhat is working and what is not efective. Depending upon the need, team members could include a designee from the Chief Human Capital Ofce, a workforce planner with knowl- edge of attrition and retention patterns, a manager from the agencys learning/training group, line leaders, and managers and employees from the groups targeted for retention. A useful approach when reviewing existing retention techniques is to align the current techniques with the categories of the work environment framework. For example, a student loan repayment program would fall within the Performance Management and Compen- sation category, while leadership training programs would t within the Employee Development and Sup- port category. By aligning current practices relevant to the at-risk group with the framework, the team can identify gaps or major areas that the agency should be- gin to incorporate into its retention plan. Ultimately, this approach strengthens the retention options already in place, as well as facilitates the development and im- plementation of new techniques. 3 Identify new retention techniques Selecting retention techniques can either be corrective (to x a problem identied during the analysis) or pro- active (to address employee concerns and head of a po- tential attrition problem in the future). Using the work environment framework as a reference point, the areas of concern for a target group can be compared to those addressed by the retention techniques already in place. This process will help identify areas where new reten- tion techniques could be efective. 4 Develop and implement strategies Instituting an employee retention strategy requires consideration of the forces for and against the plan, consultation with the afected parties, the selection of measures for monitoring and assessing success, and sustained communication with all stakeholders. Agencies may employ a variety of techniques to create an environment that encourages employees to stay. For example, the NSA brands itself as a prestigious place to work and invests in extensive training and development programs. It provides training opportunities for entry- level employees and makes careful but targeted use of retention bonuses for individuals or groups of individu- als with unusually high or unique qualications. Table 1Categories of key Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey questions Categories Key Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey Questions (2010) Teamwork,Supervisionand Leadership Q20 ThepeopleIworkwithcooperatetogetthejobdone. Q51 Ihavetrustandcondenceinmysupervisor. Q52 Overall,howgoodajobdoyoufeelisbeingdonebyyourimmediatesupervisor/teamleader? Q28 Howwouldyouratetheoverallqualityofworkdonebyyourworkgroup? Q61 Ihaveahighlevelofrespectformyorganizationsseniorleaders. Q64 Howsatisedareyouwiththeinformationyoureceivefrommanagementonwhatsgoingonin yourorganization? AgencyMissionandEmployee SkillsMatch Q04 Myworkgivesmeafeelingofpersonalaccomplishment. Q05 IlikethekindofworkIdo. Q11 Mytalentsareusedwellintheworkplace. Q40 Irecommendmyorganizationasagoodplacetowork. EmployeeDevelopmentand Support Q01 Iamgivenarealopportunitytoimprovemyskillsinmyorganization. Q47 Supervisors/teamleadersinmyworkunitsupportemployeedevelopment. Q55 Managers/supervisors/teamleadersworkwellwithemployeesofdiferentbackgrounds. PerformanceManagement,Work/ LifeBalance,andPayandBenets Q10 Myworkloadisreasonable. Q15 Myperformanceappraisalisafairreectionofmyperformance. Q42 Mysupervisorsupportsmyneedtobalanceworkandotherlifeissues. Q65 Howsatisedareyouwiththerecognitionyoureceivefordoingagoodjob? Q67 Howsatisedareyouwithyouropportunitytogetabetterjobinyourorganization? KEEPI NG TALENT | STRATEGI ES FOR RETAI NI NG VALUED FEDERAL EMPLOYEES 1 3 5 Evaluate and use results to improve programs and achieve agency goals Savvy agencies evaluate and report on the results and impact of their initiatives. They realize that solutions to complex problems require multi-faceted responses that sometimes extend over several years. Over time, agen- cies that analyze attrition and focus on retention tend to develop increasingly robust analytic capabilities, some- timesas at NSA, TSA and GAOdeveloping sophisti- cated models that can predict attrition. By identifying potential areas of dissatisfaction early on, agency leaders can interview employees and work with employee afnity groups to head of developing prob- lems The most efective way to determine the success of measures implemented to improve retention is to study the same data that was analyzed at the beginning of the process to understand who is leaving the agency and why. First, study whether attrition rates for the target group have decreased. If so, conduct focus groups, re- view exit survey data and examine employee feedback survey data to make sure that the retention changes made are the cause of the improvement. Then decide whether additional techniques can improve the overall work environment. If the retention problem persists after implementation of selected techniques, deeper analysis is needed. This process should include consideration of whether the changes made have been fully implemented, determin- ing whether the members of the employee group per- ceive them in the way they are intended and identifying additional steps or approaches that should be taken. IN FOCUSRETENTION AS A KEY PART OF A COMPREHENSIVE WORKFORCE PLAN The National Institute on Aging (NIA)one of 27 institutes at the National Institutes of Healthhas three critical positions at risk due to attrition: supervisory/senior health science administrators, senior research assistants/lab technicians and administrative ofcers. NIA held focus groups on these positions to discuss factors that impact workforce planning, workforce succession, training and retention. These conversations and further data analysis led NIA to develop a comprehensive workforce and succession plan, which includes reten- tion techniques. The plan provides retention strategies for the target positions, as well as overall retention strategies that can be applied to all positions. Examples include: DiversityofStrategies: NIAs plan includes using a variety of re- tention and development techniques because a strategy that may retain one employee may not retain another. In addition, NIAs plan provides retention methods for all stages of an employees career to increase the ability to provide tailored retention incentives. Competency-Based Hiring: NIA will use NIH competency-based vacancy announcements and interview guides to identify best t candidates. Leadership Development: NIA will develop a leadership speaker series for aspiring leaders that will give senior managers the op- portunity to share their knowledge and experiences. Communication Plan: NIA developed a communication plan to promote its retention and succession strategies, to explain and reiterate the importance of the efort to the mission of the insti- tute, to open up channels for employee feedback and to provide timely updates. It also outlined the mode of communication, the frequency, the objective and the key messages it will convey. You have to make it a part of the job. Whatever it is in the circle that youre using to retain people, you also have to make sure its part of the managers expectations. Focus Group Participant PARTNERSHI P FOR PUBLI C SERVI CE | BOOZ ALLEN HAMI LTON 14 Low overall federal employee attrition rates, coupled with the current state of the economy, can lull agen- cies into complacency and cause them to underestimate the need for strategies and policies to retain qualied workers who ll critical roles. Indeed, this attitude was apparent in our survey, which found that agency line managers and human resources personnel perceived employee retention to be of only moderate importance. Our earlier study of attrition, however, found potential pockets of concern, even if overall agency attrition rates are low. These include newly hired employees, those in mission-critical occupations and those who are or will shortly be eligible to retire. Agencies need to go beneath the surface to determine whether there are problems retaining employees in diferent groupings, occupations and locations so that they can develop and implement efective strategies. Agencies must study what employees think about their organization and the specic areas in which they ex- press dissatisfactionand do something about what they learn. This requires leadership by senior manag- ers in key parts of the organization to collaborate to im- prove the entire workplace environment. Consequently, HR and line managers must work to- gether supportively and creatively to retain individuals who are planning to leave, as well as to help implement broader strategies that address concerns from employ- ee groups or about the agency as a whole. The options can include better recruiting and hiring, improved on- boarding, employee training, advancement opportuni- ties, increased pay, and improved supervision. It could mean bonuses, workplace exibilities, student loan re- payment programs and many other actions or programs that will improve the work environment for employees. Success in any of these endeavors requires senior man- agers to communicate that talent retention is an agen- cy-wide priority. This will be especially important in the next several years, when federal hiring may be re- strained by reduced agency funding levels or cut back by a hiring freeze. Losing the most important employ- ees could have signicant implications for agencies if they cannot be replaced in a timely fashion or at all. Therefore, agency leaders need to marshal and align numerous programs, resources and people to assure that their organizations are on a path to be employers of choice. That means empowering and charging human resources and line managers to develop and carry out retention strategies. Ultimately, focusing on retention will force organiza- tions to examine the interests and needs of their em- ployees that have been left unrealized by current job circumstances. When agency leaders engage in under- standing who is leaving and why and attempt to create a positive and productive work atmosphere, all cannot help but benet. CONCLUSION ON DEMAND GOVERNMENT | DEPLOYI NG FLEXI BI LI TI ES TO ENSURE SERVI CE CONTI NUI TY 1 5 KEEPI NG TALENT | STRATEGI ES FOR RETAI NI NG VALUED FEDERAL EMPLOYEES 1 5 METHODOLOGY The Partnership for Public Service and Booz Allen Hamilton studied federal employee retention to arrive at guidance and recommendations for federal agencies. We studied what makes employees stay with a federal agency, the retention techniques and tools federal HR and line managers currently have available to them and those they think are most efective. Further, we built on our previous analysis of attrition data (see compan- ion report, Beneath the Surface) that enables agency leaders and workforce planners to understand who is leaving their agencies and why and to identify target groups where retention strategies are needed. In this report, we present a process for choosing and applying retention techniques. As part of our study, we discussed retention strategies with ve agencies: The National Security Agency, the Internal Revenue Service, the Transportation Security Administration, the Government Accountability Ofce and, to a lesser extent, the Natural Resources Conser- vation Service at the Department of Agriculture. We developed a work environment framework that pres- ents the major dimensions of the employee work envi- ronment. These relate to the dimensions of employee satisfaction that comprise the Partnerships annual Best PlacestoWorkintheFederalGovernment analysis. To understand the retention issues faced by line man- agers and HR professionals in a day-to-day operat- ing environment, we collected information from both groups through focus groups and a survey. We found that retention programs in some agencies were careful- ly thought through, agency-wide, well-managed eforts to make the agency an excellent place for employees to work. Our research participants came from more than 20 agencies or agency subcomponents. Finally, we gathered basic information about OPMs major retention-related techniques and the Human Capital Assessment and Accountability Framework. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Special thanks to those from the Partnership and Booz Allen Hamilton who contributed to this report. Partnership for Public Service Max Stier, President and CEO Lara Shane, Vice President of Communications and Research Judy England-Joseph, Director of Research Jennifer Carignan Bob Cohen Sarah Crowell, Presidential Management Fellow, National Institutes of Health Alice Feldesman, Consulting Analyst Sally Jaggar Bevin Johnston Erin Simpler Booz Allen Hamilton David Mader, Vice President Ron Sanders, Senior Executive Advisor Drew Lopez Angela Peat Mahreen Rashid Sabina Shrestha Victor Simonelli APPENDIX A METHODOLOGY AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS PARTNERSHI P FOR PUBLI C SERVI CE | BOOZ ALLEN HAMI LTON 16 The Partnership for Public Service and Booz Allen Hamilton would like to thank the following individuals from federal organizations for their participation in the focus groups conducted for this study. Commodity Futures Trading Commission Larry Mack* HR Operations Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board Deborah Biscieglia Senior Human Resources Specialist Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service Marvis Montesano Director, Talent Management Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration Mary Cummings* Formerly Program Analyst David Glines Director, Strategic Workforce Planning Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health Denise Fioravante Deputy Executive Ofcer, National Institute on Aging Linda Whipp Chief, Grants Management Ofcer, National Institute on Aging Department of Homeland Security United States Coast Guard Brenda Cockrell Contract Specialist Department of the Interior National Park Service Jerry Simpson Associate Director, Workforce Management Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Kim Lambert Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Agency Raymond Pagliarini Assistant Administrator of Human Resources Department of the Navy Naval Air Systems Command, Contracts Competency Resource Management Ofce Patricia Armstrong Management Analyst Department of State Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations U.S Carmen Montgomery Director, Human Resources Division Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration Carol Dieterle Division Manager, Performance and Cost Analysis Division Lindsay Aaronson FAA IdeaHub Operations Lead Department of Treasury Internal Revenue Service Manuella Oellerman Deputy Associate Director, Policy and Programs Ofce Susan Greer* Former Director of the Recruitment Ofce Department of Veterans Afairs Ofce of Human Resources Management Debbie Kolen Director, Recruitment and Placement Policy Service Department of Veterans Afairs Veterans Health Administration Nora Lynn Dwinell Director for Clinical Support at the VAs Palo Alto Health Care System APPENDIX B PARTICIPANTS AND FEDERAL ORGANIZATIONS ON DEMAND GOVERNMENT | DEPLOYI NG FLEXI BI LI TI ES TO ENSURE SERVI CE CONTI NUI TY 1 7 KEEPI NG TALENT | STRATEGI ES FOR RETAI NI NG VALUED FEDERAL EMPLOYEES 1 7 Government Accountability Ofce Nyree Ryder Tee Senior Analyst Quay Crowner* Former Director, Human Capital Oversight, Benets & Records Government Services Administration Federal Acquisition Service Sandy Barsky Enterprise Architect, Cloud Computing Services National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center Dr. Hettie S. Courtney Chief, Organizational Leadership and Culture Ofce in the Ofce of Human Capital Management Karen R. Weaver Organizational Development Specialist National Archives and Records Administration Analisa Archer Chief Human Capital Ofcer and Director of Human Resources Services Nuclear Regulatory Commission Ofce of Human Resources Dawn Powell Deputy Associate Director for HR Operations and Policy Overseas Private Investment Corporation Terri Wlaschin* Former Human Resources Operations Manager Smithsonian Institution Marty Emory Manager, Workforce Planning and Performance United State Postal Service Kerri Dunham Specialist Program Manager * Indicates that this person has since changed positions and/or agency In addition, as mentioned in Appendix A, in conduct- ing this study we held in-depth discussions with rep- resentatives of the Transportation Security Administra- tion and the Ofce of the Chief Human Capital Ofcer within the Department of Homeland Security; the Gov- ernment Accountability Ofce; the Natural Resources Conservation Service within the Department of Agri- culture; the Internal Revenue Service; and the National Security Agency. 1100NewYorkAvenuenw Suite1090east Washingtondc20005 2027759111 ourpublicservice.org 13200WoodlandParkRoad Herndonva20171 7039841000 boozallen.com