OPM Directs Agencies to Implement Choice of Workforce Development Priorities
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) instructed agencies to implement two of the four primary priorities outlined in the 2022 Federal Workforce Priorities Report. The guidance outlines two groups of priorities (1) primary priorities and (2) enabling priorities. Both lists focus on enhancing information technology, expanding diversity efforts, and optimizing recruitment strategies.
According to OPM, the flexibility to choose which two priorities to begin implementing allows agencies to identify the most effective initiatives for achieving their workforce and mission objectives. The action replaces efforts to impose uniform procedures on human capital personnel.
Further, agencies can determine best practices by consulting the OPM directly or leveraging the Open Opportunities platform. The platform offers creative solutions and addresses implementation challenges efficiently.
“In this time of unprecedented change, it is essential that the agencies continue to collaborate and share promising practices in all aspects of human capital management. The eight priorities outlined in this report will continue to be evaluated and refined as the future unfolds,” wrote OPM Associate Director of Employee Services Robert Shriver in the memorandum.
OPM expects the outlined priorities will aid in the Biden Administration’s efforts to increase diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility of the federal workforce; recruit the next generation of federal employees; and base personnel decisions on relevant data. These priorities also serve to influence long-term adjustments to agency administration to combat systemic issues facing the federal workforce.
The guidance is the second of its kind to be released and expands upon OPM’s 2018 report, which outlined six priorities for agencies. It also follows the recent release of the 2021 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey findings, which noted elevated levels of dissatisfaction in the federal workforce.
Once agencies select the two priorities they will work on, OPM instructs the agencies to outline strategies for the priorities in their Human Capital Operating Plans.
