PPS drew lessons for a range of customer facing agencies with a local presence. Image: Mark Van Scyoc/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffThe Partnership for Public Service has listed best practices for building community support learned in an initiative to support federal employees involved in local programs.
“It is critical that federal employees build strong and sustainable relationships with the individuals and communities they serve” in carrying out initiatives under laws including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the American Rescue Plan, the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS and Science Act, it said in a blog posting.
Those lessons include (in its words):
* Building relationships takes time and effort . . . Agencies should not show up only when they need to implement big investments—they need to lay foundational relationships well in advance.
* Listen, ask questions and let go of any assumptions when working to improve customer-facing processes.
* See the big picture and have empathy . . . many individuals who receive services need to interact with multiple agencies, fill out multiple forms or provide multiple pages of documentation to get the support they need. In the short term, federal employees should understand the burden these requirements place on their customers. In the long term, agencies should continue to find ways to find ways to streamline and increase access to their services.
* Show that you are invested in the community for the long term . . . the key is showing that a relationship with the community is something more than just a box you want to check.
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