WH: We need to consider offering new benefits that better align to what the private sector is offering employees in hard-to-fill positions. Image: Lux Blue/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffFollowing is a section of a statement by OMB deputy director for management Jason Miller at a recent House hearing in which he previewed areas where the Biden administration may ask Congress for changes in federal personnel laws.
Strengthening and empowering the Federal workforce will require changes to statutory authorities. To that end, OMB and OPM are working together to develop several future-facing ideas and opportunities for exploration together. Those ideas and opportunities include the following:
• Cyber talent. Currently, some Federal agencies have special authorities that give them a leg up in recruiting cyber talent relative to other Federal agencies. The Federal Government needs to be competing in the labor market, not competing with itself. OMB and OPM are partnering with others across the Executive Branch in exploring the right balance of changes to hiring, pay, and classification to better meet the needs of all agencies’ recruitment and retention of cyber talent. We look forward to working with Congress to advance these efforts.
• The future of work. As noted, the Federal Government—as well as the private sector—is navigating a period of rapid change. We are actively exploring the specific changes necessary to facilitate the Federal Government’s adaptation. This Subcommittee has prioritized telework, and OMB and OPM would welcome further collaboration on legislation in this space. There are also related opportunities to revise current policies and regulations to better reflect the current labor market, such as giving agencies and employees more discretion for scheduling, location, and mobility to achieve agency mission. We also look forward to working with Congress on updating the Federal Government’s personnel policies aligned with broader funding requests and facility needs.
• Benefits. We need to consider offering new benefits that better align to what the private sector is offering employees in hard-to-fill positions. This includes designing a more robust student loan repayment program for the Federal Government. It is important to empower agencies to offer better benefits in recognition of the increasing cost of tuition and given the private sector’s embrace of tuition repayment as a key HR recruiting and retention tool. OMB and OPM also want to work with you on the potential for new authority for OPM to offer employees other benefits where they pay the full premium, and there is no government contribution. OPM can negotiate better group rates for employees than employees could alone on the open market, and so OPM is exploring various kinds of benefit and wellness offerings.
• Wildland firefighters. OPM worked with the Department of Agriculture, the Forest Service, and the Department of the Interior, supported by OMB, to implement the supplemental pay and occupational series provisions of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law). But a permanent solution to the various compensation and staffing challenges that workforce has faced for decades is needed, and the Administration looks forward to working with Congress on that.
• Strengthening OPM. OMB and OPM also see an opportunity for new legislation that will empower OPM in advancing toward a future vision of a real strategic human capital leader of the largest workforce in the country. Agencies should have tools they need to compete for top talent. This would include giving OPM more authority to delegate low-risk human resource activities to the agencies and ensuring agency compliance through oversight, rather than approvals on the front-end. This also includes re-imagining OPM’s demonstration project authority so that agencies have an incentive to try out new things within the competitive hiring system to promote innovation and broader learning across Government.
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See also,
Federal Retirement COLA Count Hits 9 Percent
The Process of Retiring – OPM’s Benefits Determination Process
House Republicans Revive Retirement Benefit-Cutting Proposals
Retiring from a Federal Job – Getting Started
Retiring from a Federal Job: Make Sure Your Agency Gets it Right
