FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 2, 2000 CONTACT: Michael Orenstein or call (202) 606-2402 OPM's Five-Year Strategic HR Plan Defines Its Role in Helping Agencies Prepare for 21st Century Challenges

Washington, D.C.- The U.S. Office of Personnel Management has submitted to Congress a five-year plan reaffirming the agency's commitment to provide leadership to human resource professionals and program managers that will enable the federal government to maintain a high-quality and diverse work force that achieves results.

"The document we have sent to the Congress is our blueprint for assisting agencies get the right people in the right jobs with the right skills and at the right time," said OPM Director Janice R. Lachance. "As partners in reinvention, the HR community, program leaders and OPM have created a climate of cooperation and established a record of success. Our focus now is moving government forward so that we are prepared for the future challenges the American public and taxpayer want addressed."

OPM's comprehensive document, Federal Human Resources Management for the 21st Century: Strategic Plan FY 2000 - FY 2005, includes chapters on its "strategic goals," "corporate management strategies" and "operating environment."

In the latter chapter, for instance, OPM acknowledges its shared responsibility with agencies for the design and implementation of effective human resource management strategies throughout government. OPM cites its work with the Department of Health and Human Services in the implementation of a Patients' Bill of Rights for federal employees, as well as its cooperative efforts with three adjudicatory agencies on the rights of federal employees and people with disabilities.

A copy of OPM's Federal Human Resources Management for the 21st Century strategic plan can be obtained on the agency's website at http://www.opm.gov/gpra/opmgpra .