Federal Manager's Daily Report

Nearly three-fourths of managerial and executive federal employees see critical skills gaps in their organizations, many believe those organizations do not manage talent well and further are frustrated with their own career development opportunities, according to a report by the Management Concepts HR consulting firm.

“Very few agencies employ a comprehensive, clearly-defined talent management strategy — something that may be partially attributed to various bureaucratic factors, including ineffective HR processes and lack of leadership support. Respondents identify various pain points for agencies with regard to talent management, including rewarding top performers/ addressing low performers, succession planning, retaining employees, and attracting top candidates,” it said.

Regarding personal development, the responses generally reflected complaints commonly voiced in the annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey: lack of opportunities for career development assistance such as training, mentoring, career counseling, seminars and the like, and that “promotions are often based on factors unrelated to merit.”

The report was based more than 300 responses to a survey of federal employees at the GS-11 level and up, including SES members.