U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Ensuring the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce

OPM Goals

Goal 1

Federal Agencies adopt human resources management systems that improve their ability to build successful, high-performance organizations.

Organizational Function: Human Resources Program Development

Successful agencies of the future will attract, engage, develop and retain quality employees. The development and implementation of cutting-edge human resources management systems are key for every Federal agency in meeting the needs of the American public. OPM must create a flexible personnel system that can assist agencies in attracting and retaining quality applicants by making the hiring process more effective and efficient, improving the attractiveness of public service to people of diverse backgrounds, providing a compensation system that is both market-sensitive and performance oriented, and creating a work culture that encourages workforce development and work-life balance.

At the same time, OPM must interpret, implement, disseminate and enforce human resources policies and practices that guarantee the preservation of all rights and protections afforded all employees of the Federal Government. In doing so, OPM will assure the American public that the Federal Government is competitive with the private sector, a responsible steward of its human capital, and an attractive employer to people of diverse backgrounds.

OPM’s long-standing commitment to diversity has set a high standard and is reflected in our priorities. OPM has given urgent and ongoing attention to increasing the representation of women, minorities and people with disabilities at all levels in the Federal Government, especially within the senior executive and managerial ranks. The senior leadership corps must not only reflect the diversity of the Nation, it must be responsive to it. While most agencies have undertaken some kind of structured effort to eliminate barriers to the inclusion of women and minorities in the SES, these groups continue to be underrepresented in the Federal executive ranks. OPM senior leaders and managers embrace the fundamental belief that diversity strengthens our ability to efficiently and effectively serve the American people. This belief has been translated into a visible, long-term commitment in the areas of leadership, accountability and services, in order to build and maintain a diverse, high-quality workforce.

The outcomes for Goal 1 include:

• Federal employees are capable of meeting their agencies’ missions;
• Our Nation’s security is enhanced with the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security;
• Agencies increase the diversity of Federal job hires;
• Representation of women, minorities and people with disabilities in executive and management leadership positions is increased;
• Representation of women, minorities and people with disabilities in leadership feeder ranks (e.g., GS-9 and above levels) is increased;
• Representation of Hispanic Americans (the only group underrepresented) in the general workforce is increased;
• Federal compensation policies contribute to recruitment of high-quality employees;
• Federal compensation policies contribute to retention of high-quality employees;
• Federal job applicants understand how to apply for Federal jobs;
• More individuals are assessed and recruited to Federal jobs by technology-based methods;
• Agencies use preferred practices to improve the hiring process;
• Training, development, workforce planning and other policies contribute to agencies’ abilities to improve the capacity of their workforce to achieve their mission;
• Federal employees at all levels are held accountable for results; and
• Agencies address the retirement wave and other demographic impacts.

Goal 1    Objective 1    Objective 2    Objective 3    Objective 4

Goal 2    Objective 1    Objective 2

Goal 3    Objective 1    Objective 2    Objective 3