OPM has finalized rules designed to “align human capital management practices to broader agency strategic planning activities, and better align human capital activities with an agency’s mission and strategic goals.”
“The purpose of this rule is to better assist agencies with developing strong human capital practices for achieving agency goals and objectives, and to further empower the human capital community to collectively identify and address cross-cutting human capital challenges,” OPM said in a Federal Register notice.
The rule establishes the Human Capital Framework to replace the Human Capital Assessment and Accountability Framework; reduces and clarifies reporting procedures agencies are required to follow; formalizes HRStat, a data-driven review process; describes workforce planning methods that agencies are required to follow; and tweaks questions on the annual government-wide employee survey.
The rules require agencies to develop a human capital operating plan and to participate in human capital reviews with OPM; institutionalize the requirement for agencies to conduct HRStat reviews; remove the requirements for agencies to develop and submit a strategic human capital plan and to develop and submit annual human capital management reports; commit OPM to issuing a quadrennial federal workforce priorities report; communicate the workforce planning methods agencies are required to follow; and define key human capital management terms.
They further specify 16 questions that must be asked on the annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey regarding agency leadership and management practices and employee satisfaction and state that agencies are free to add questions unique to them.
