The Office of Personnel Management, working with the
chief human capital officers council, should serve as
a clearinghouse to foster greater use of personnel
flexibilities, the General Accounting Office has said
following a recent survey of agency chief human capital
officers about the federal hiring process.
It said OPM could gather, analyze, and report on when,
where, and how agencies are using, or should use,
direct hire and category rating procedures to aid in
their hiring efforts.
Thirteen of the 22 CHCOs GAO interviewed said they
were aware of OPM efforts to reform the federal
classification process. One officer representing a
large department said OPM had relinquished any
responsibility for reforming the process and that it
as been up to Congress to legislate reforms for
specific agencies while another said OPM is making
modest progress to change the classification process
but the law will have to change for real reform to
occur, said GAO.
Ten respondents said OPM should take the lead in
further classification process reform compared to
five that said Congress should take the lead, rather
than the agencies themselves, according to GAO.
It said all 22 respondents said their agencies had
made efforts to improve their job announcements and
web postings.
A Council member representing a major department added
that OPM’s continued support is needed in providing
guidance and templates to agencies on streamlined,
easy-to-understand language for job postings. Overall,
more survey respondents reported some degree of
satisfaction with OPM’s assistance in improving job
announcements and Web postings than on any other part
of the hiring process surveyed, said GAO.
