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Policy, Data, Oversight Human Capital Management

 

About the Report

Effective April 11, 2017, Title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 250, Subpart B, Strategic Human Capital Management requires the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to issue the quadren-nial Federal Workforce Priorities Report (the report). The report communicates key government-wide human capital priorities and suggested strategies and helps inform agency strategic and human capital planning. OPM requests that agencies align their human capital management strategies to support the Federal Workforce Priorities Report, as demonstrated in Human Capital Operating Plans (HCOP).

OPM established the report in regulation in response to the first recommendation in the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report Human Capital: Strategies to Help Agencies Meet Their Missions in an Era of Highly Constrained Resources (GAO-14-168). Therein, GAO recommended that OPM strengthen coordination and leadership of government-wide human capital issues. One of two key supporting actions was the development of a government-wide human capital strategic plan. Build¬ing upon this idea, OPM committed to developing a report that establishes government-wide human capital priorities based upon current and emerging workforce challenges. The report, however, is not intended to serve as a plan that obligates the human capital community to specific actions, timeframes, and measures of success. Rather, the President’s Management Agenda and Cross-Agency Priority Goals create a process for establishing such government-wide requirements, and when developing human capital goals, the report may be considered as a source for useful strategies.

Agencies are required to engage in activities to support the priorities, while maintaining flexibility and autonomy in how they do so. HCOPs should document supporting agency efforts, including timeframes and performance measures. Evaluation initiatives, such as HRStat and Human Capital Reviews, are intended to help monitor progress, assess effectiveness, and refine strategies. The HCOPs, in turn, may be updated annually, as needed and determined by each agency. Therefore, the priorities should be implemented by agencies within various stages of the human capital management cycle.

2018 Federal Workforce Priorities Report Highlights

Priorities

Six Research-Based Priorities Complementing the Administration’s Initiatives

Key Findings

Results of the Three Primary Research Activities

Promising Practices

Examples of Agency Practices Related to the Priorities

VIEW THE REPORT

Front cover of the 2018 Priorities Report

2018 Federal Workforce Priorities Report

Priorities

In 2018, OPM identified six priorities in areas that, when addressed, should spur productivity and organizational success and that align with and support the Administration’s initiatives to reshape the workforce and maximize employee performance as outlined in the memo issued April 12, 2017, Comprehensive Plan for Reforming the Federal Government and Reducing the Federal Civilian Workforce. For this iteration of the identified priorities, Chief Financial Officers Act agencies are asked to select two priorities that they will continue to support until the issuance of the next report in 2021.

Priorities in the Context of Workforce Reshaping

Agencies have been asked to take immediate action to achieve near-term workforce cost savings and identify long-term staffing plans. When planning and implementing workforce reshaping activities, it is critical to take steps to preserve institutional knowledge, keep organizations nimble enough to respond to evolving demands, and base workforce decisions on sound evidence. The first three priorities were designed to assist agencies with achieving these goals.

Priority 1

Priority 1: Succession Planning and Knowledge Transfer

Conduct succession planning activities to retain and transfer institutional knowledge, as workforce reshaping efforts are undertaken.

Agencies should maintain a multi-faceted succession plan that is designed to capture the valuable knowledge and insights of current employees, convey captured knowledge to new and retained employees, and create and utilize a multi-generational pipeline.

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Priority 2

Priority 2: Deploying Communication Tools

Adopt tools that allow employees to easily connect, communicate, and collaborate with one another regardless of geographic location.

For a geographically dispersed and agile workforce, communication and collaboration should be enabled by technology and fostered by leadership. Enterprise social networks, in particular, can help facilitate organizational fluidity and resilience, by enhancing communication among employees and organizations. Enterprise social networks also help in streamlining knowledge capture and access, while fostering innovation and collaboration.

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Priority 3

Priority 3: Securing Technological Solutions for Human Capital Analysis

OPM will seek to acquire or develop enterprise technological solutions to assist the Federal human capital community with human capital analysis.

OPM will aim to provide tools for agencies that can fill gaps in current analytic capabilities to ultimately facilitate more informed and evidence-based planning and decision-making. This will complement agency reform plans, which call for better leveraging of technology to improve underlying business processes and the streamlining of mission support functions through efforts such as shared information technology (IT).

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Priorities to Help Maximize Employee Performance

Pursuant to the Comprehensive Plan for Reforming the Federal Government and Reducing the Federal Civilian Workforce memo, agencies are establishing plans to maximize employee performance, including a specific set of required actions designed to help address conduct issues and poor performance. As those plans are implemented, agencies should also engage in efforts that may assist productive employees with achieving even greater levels of performance. Therefore, to complement the formal performance management activities included in agency plans, the last three priorities focus on efforts in other workforce management areas that may further spur productivity and encourage and sustain high performance.

Priority 4

Priority 4: Expanding Employee Development Opportunities

Provide employees with ample opportunities for continuous professional growth and skill development.

Training and development are a means to sustain high performance during workforce reshaping. When employees’ duties are modified through reassignment, relocation, or increased workloads, it is imperative that they receive the proper training and development to address new and augmented assignments and acclimate to new environments and modes of operation.

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Priority 5

Priority 5: Bolstering Employee Recognition Programs

Administer robust programs to appropriately recognize and reward employees who demonstrate high levels of performance and significantly contribute to achieving organizational goals.

Employee recognition programs encourage sustained excellence and productivity and help retain top talent, which becomes increasingly important as the workforce is streamlined. Recognizing high performers is highlighted in both the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) agency reform memo and OPM’s workforce reshaping guidance. It is a proactive and accountability-based practice that can help avoid performance problems and conduct issues.

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Priority 6

Priority 6: Enhancing Productivity through a Focus on Employee Health

Encourage employees to engage in physical fitness activities during time spent commuting and being at work.

Increasingly, employers are engaged in helping employees become more active during work hours. People spend a large portion of their day at work, and there are various ways during this time that aspects of physical fitness can be incorporated. The workplace benefits that employee health can provide, especially in light of the relatively low investment costs, can be a valuable tool for organizations that are called upon to do more with less.

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Key Findings

OPM began conducting research in 2015 to identify current and future workforce management challenges and opportunities. Research findings that complemented the Administration’s workforce-related goals were considered in establishing the priorities identified in this report. To serve as a resource for agency planning and decision-making, all major findings are detailed in the report.

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Ico Employee Perception

Employee Perception and Agency Performance Indicators

ico-workforce-management

Workforce Management Contributors to Key Federal Challenges

Ico Major Trends

Major Trends Shaping the Workforce

Employee Perception and Agency Performance Indicators

To explore the relationship between employee perceptions and agency performance, an analysis was conducted of the 2015 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) and the indicators of the Agency Priority Goals (APG) from the FY14–15 cycle. The analysis identified 25 FEVS items where APG status groups with more favorable final statuses had higher survey positive response averages. Of those, four had a statistically significant difference among the averages of each APG status group. Workforce segments that exceeded their targets scored 12 to 18 percentage points more positively on those questions than those that did not meet their targets.

TABLE 1. Differences between APG Status Groups on
FEVS Positive Responses

Q.53. In my organization, senior leaders generate high levels of motivation and commitment in the workforce. Total Difference between Unmet and Exceeded: 18%

Chart comparing average scores on question 53 among the following five groups: unmet group, mixed met-unmet group, met group, mixed met-exceeded group, exceeded group. The unmet group scored 35 percent. The difference between the unmet group and the mixed unmet-met group is less than 1 percentage point. The mixed unmet-met group scored 35 percent. The difference between the mixed unmet-met group and the met group is 4 percentage points. The met group scored 39 percent. The difference between the met group and the mixed met-exceeded group is 1 percentage point. The mixed met-exceeded group scored 40 percent. The difference between the mixed met-exceeded group and the exceeded group is 13 percentage points. The exceeded group scored 53 percent.

Q.31. Employees are recognized for providing high quality products and services. Total Difference between Unmet and Exceeded: 18%

Chart comparing average scores on question 31 among the following five groups: unmet group, mixed met-unmet group, met group, mixed met-exceeded group, exceeded group. The unmet group scored 46 percent. The difference between the unmet group and the mixed unmet-met group is 1 percentage point. The mixed unmet-met group scored 47 percent. The difference between the mixed unmet-met group and the met group is 4 percentage points. The met group scored 51 percent. The difference between the met group and the mixed met-exceeded group is 1 percentage point. The mixed met-exceeded group scored 52 percent. The difference between the mixed met-exceeded group and the exceeded group is 12 percentage points. The exceeded group scored 64 percent.

Q.58. Managers promote communication among different work units (for example, about projects, goals, needed resources). Total Difference between Unmet and Exceeded: 15%

Chart comparing average scores on question 58 among the following five groups: unmet group, mixed met-unmet group, met group, mixed met-exceeded group, exceeded group. The unmet group scored 48 percent. The difference between the unmet group and the mixed unmet-met group is 1 percentage point. The mixed unmet-met group scored 49 percent. The difference between the mixed unmet-met group and the met group is 4 percentage points. The met group scored 53 percent. The difference between the met group and the mixed met-exceeded group is 3 percentage points. The mixed met-exceeded group scored 56 percent. The difference between the mixed met-exceeded group and the exceeded group is 7 percentage points. The exceeded group scored 63 percent.

Q.45. My Supervisor is committed to a workforce representative of all segments of society. Total Difference between Unmet and Exceeded: 12%

Chart comparing average scores on question 58 among the following five groups: unmet group, mixed met-unmet group, met group, mixed met-exceeded group, exceeded group. The unmet group scored 48 percent. The difference between the unmet group and the mixed unmet-met group is 1 percentage point. The mixed unmet-met group scored 49 percent. The difference between the mixed unmet-met group and the met group is 4 percentage points. The met group scored 53 percent. The difference between the met group and the mixed met-exceeded group is 3 percentage points. The mixed met-exceeded group scored 56 percent. The difference between the mixed met-exceeded group and the exceeded group is 7 percentage points. The exceeded group scored 63 percent.

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Workforce Management Contributors to Key Federal Challenges

To explore the relationship between human capital management and key challenges experienced at the agency and government-wide levels, a review was conducted of agencies’ 2015 Inspector General (IG)-identified management challenges and the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) 2015 High Risk List areas. The review found that 38% of IG management challenges and 59% of the High Risk List areas referenced contributing human capital management issues or needs, which were categorized into 28 themes. Collectively, the top six themes were were found in most cases where human capital issues and needs were raised.

TABLE 2. PERCENTAGE OF ITEMS REFERENCING HUMAN CAPITAL
ISSUES AND NEEDS

IG Management Challanges (221) GAO High Risk List Areas (32)
Referenced Human Capital Issues and Needs
38%
59%
Referenced Top Six Human Capital Themes
34%
53%
Training and Development
20%
28%
Staffing Levels
14%
34%
Skills
10%
28%
Hiring and Recruitment
10%
19%
Data and Analysis
4%
25%
Planning
2%
25%

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Major Trends Shaping the Workforce

To proactively identify and understand developing changes in the external environment that will likely impact Federal workforce management, OPM coordinated an interagency environmental scan in 2015. The initiative included two teams that focused on different aspects of the Human Capital Framework. Within the information collected by those teams, four trends were identified that affect the workforce at-large.

Ico Evolving Role

The Evolving Role of Workers Among Automation

Organizations need to prepare for the redefinition of work as the balance of technological and human contributions to mission accomplishment continues to evolve. Automation and robotics will increase in various industries, as technology is made more useful, sophisticated, and economical. They serve as more efficient solutions for production and routine work. However, it should be noted that, historically, technology has been a net creator of jobs. In the near term, most jobs will experience the automation of certain activities rather than the entire occupation. The value workers provide will increasingly shift towards their cognitive abilities, especially those qualities that make them "human."

A CHANGING LANDSCAPE

Potential for Automation based on Technology Available in 2016

5%

Trends Pie 05 

Percentage of occupations that could be automated entirely

60%

Trends Pie 60 

Percentage of occupations that could have 30%+ of their activities automated

45%

Trends Pie 45 

Percentage of total work activities that could be automated

Source: Chui, M., Manyika, J., & Miremadi, M. (2015, November). Four fundamentals of workplace automation. McKinsey Quarterly.

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Ico Digitally Connected

The Digitally Connected Workforce

The internet and social media have powerfully changed the way people communicate and interact with one another and organizations, both at home and at work. They have created a real-time digital lifestyle primarily powered by smartphones. As of 2016, 46% of the world’s population, or 3.4 billion people, used the internet, including the 31% that are active social media users and the 27% that use their phones to access social media. This constitutes a 10% increase in internet and social media use and a 17% increase on mobile social media use from just the previous year. As technology continues to evolve and proliferate, organizations’ online presence and use of public and enterprise social media platforms will play an increasingly significant role in the way that employers recruit talent, encourage collaboration, and manage collective knowledge.

LEVERAGING DIGITAL TOOLS

79%

Trends Pie 79 

Percentage of Americans who used online resources to look for work in the two years prior to 20151

46%

Trends Pie 46 

Percentage of information workers who said that using social tools increased productivity2

Column chart showing the second column being 9 percent taller than the first column. 

Employees who went online for personal reasons were 9% more productive than those who did not3

Sources: (1) Smith, A. (2015). Searching for work in the digital era. (2) Ipsos. (2013, June 7). Nearly half of information workers say that using social tools has increased their productivity. (3) Coker, B. L. S. (2011). Freedom to surf: The positive effects of workplace internet leisure browsing. New Technology, Work and Employment, 26(3), 238–247.

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Ico Impact

Incorporating Employee Health into the Workplace

Time spent in a sedentary manner (i.e., not being physically active) negatively affects a person’s health and wellness. Since much of the workday is spent sitting at a desk, this places employees at risk for negative health outcomes. Employers have increasingly incorporated more physical activity into the daily routine. Helping employees be physically active can not only improve employee heath but also worksite outcomes such as absenteeism, job stress, job satisfaction, and healthcare utilization.

BUSINESS CASE FOR BEING ACTIVE

Cost-benefit column chart. First column is below the axis and represents a one dollar program cost. Second column is above the axis and represents a three dollar and twenty-seven cent medical savings. Third column is above the axis and represents a two dollar and seventy-three cent absenteeism savings. 

For every dollar spent on wellness programs, medical and absenteeism costs fell by $3.27 and $2.73, respectively1

Column chart showing the second column being 53 percent taller than the first column. 

Call center employees with standing desks had 53% more successful calls after six months2

Grid of a calendar month segmented into individual days, of which the first 20 days are highlighted. 

Employees who participated in sports used 20 fewer sick days over four years3

Sources: (1) Baicker, K., Cutler D, & Song Z. (2010). Workplace wellness programs can generate savings. Health Affairs, 29(2), 304–311. (2) Pickens, A. W., Kress, M. M., Benden, M. E., Zhao, H., Wendel, M., & Congleton, J. J. (2016). Stand-capable desk use in a call center: A six-month follow-up pilot study. Public Health, 135, 131–134. (3) van den Heuvel, S. G., Boshuizen, H. C., Hildebrandt, V. H., Blatter, B. M., Ariëns, G. A., & Bongers, P. M. (2005). Effect of sporting activity on absenteeism in a working population. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 39(3), 1–5.

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Ico Shifting Generational

Shifting Generational Demographics

Individuals born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s, also known as “millennials,” became the largest share of the U.S. workforce in 2015 at 53.5 million or 34%. By 2024, they are roughly projected to constitute about 45% of the workforce. Their experiences with employment and the workplace are influenced by major events and related trends, such as the proliferation of technology, the economic downturn of the 2008 recession, slower population growth, an aging workforce, and globalization. These workers are known for frequently transitioning from one job to the next. The good news is even though the days of the company “lifer” have come to an end, organizations can still compete for millennial talent and increase retention rates through:

  • Flexibility and work/life balance
  • Inclusive and ethical leadership
  • Skill development and maximization

When delving into these topics, it should be recognized that every employee is an individual. Although generational trends may exist at a macro level, employers should keep in mind the strengths and preferences of each employee.

SURVEY OF MILLENNIALS

95%

Trends Pie 95 

Percentage of millennials who said that work/life balance is important to them1

56%

Trends Pie 56 

Percentage of millennials who said they would never consider working for certain employers due to their values and standards of conduct2

28%

Trends Pie 28 

Percentage of millennials who felt their current organization was making full use of their skill sets3

Sources: (1) and (2) PricewaterhouseCoopers. (2011). Millennials at work: Reshaping the workplace. (3) Deloitte. (2016). >The 2016 Deloitte Millennial Survey: Winning over the next generation of leaders.

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Promising Agency Practices

The programs and initiatives listed below have been undertaken by Federal agencies in areas that support the priorities listed in this report. They are intended to serve as a sample of examples and help generate ideas for other agencies when planning their own efforts in support of this report.

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Icon Succession Planning

Succession Planning and Knowledge Transfer

Communication Tools Icon

Communication Tools

Technological Solutions Icon

Human Capital Analysis

Employee Development Icon

Employee Development

Employee Recognition icon

Employee Recognition

Employee Health icon

Employee Health

Succession Planning and Knowledge Transfer

DHSLogo

Formal Onboarding Process

The Department of Defense, Defense Security Service (DSS) administers a formal onboarding process as a tool to help minimize attrition and develop and sustain an effective workforce.  DSS recognizes five onboarding keys to success—understanding the process and planning ahead, communication strategies with clear two-way communication, social integration, peer support with a mandatory “sponsor,” and organizational knowledge.  With this in mind, the Human Capital Management Office created three important resources for hiring managers.  The Supervisors' Toolkit for Onboarding outlines best practices, including detailed information about how to manage the first day, first week, first month, first six months, and first year of a new employee's tenure.  The Onboarding Quick Start Guide for the Hiring Manager summarizes the toolkit in an easy-to-read brochure.  Additionally, a refresher onboarding video discusses the key elements of successfully integrating new hires into the agency and provides detailed information about the roles and responsibilities that managers and sponsors play during the formal onboarding process.  The resources are available to DSS employees on the Recruitment Office intranet site and online Security Training, Education and Professionalization Portal.
Promising ED

Pathways to Leadership Program

The Department of Education’s Pathways to Leadership Program is designed for GS-11–13 employees who aspire to move into leadership positions.  Each year, employees are competitively selected by a panel, based upon established criteria.  Since its establishment in 2009, 107 employees have successfully completed the program, and an additional 20 are participating in the 2017 cohort. Participants complete three to four assessments, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Emotional Intelligence Quotient, DiSC, and DiSC 363 for Leaders.  Two weeklong training sessions incorporate the assessments and address several topics, including the psychology of leadership, group identity theory, and team building.  The cohort is also divided into four teams based on their personality assessments, and each team is tasked with developing a high-priority project.  Other program activities include a Leadership Development Plan with the supervisor, a Leadership Application Action Plan (six-week experience reviewing the personal impact, challenges, actions taken, and results of a current work project), 10 hours of individual coaching, an informal mentoring relationship, a collateral detail of at least 20 hours, a one-day shadowing assignment, interviewing four senior managers, a leadership book report, and 40 hours of self-selected leadership training.
Promising SBA

Peer-to-Peer Power Hour

The Small Business Administration’s Peer-to-Peer Power Hour is an initiative designed to foster a continuous learning environment, promote knowledge sharing, and advance professional growth.  The sessions provide an opportunity for employees who consider themselves teaching leaders to share their knowledge, insights, and lessons learned on topics specific to their program office with their peers.  They are held for one hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Eisenhower Conference Center accompanied by live streams for field participants.  A schedule of upcoming sessions and presentation materials for past and current sessions are available on the Peer-to-Peer Share Point page.

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Communication Tools

Promising GSA

Slack

General Services Administration, Technology Transformation Service (TTS) employees use Slack as their primary means of communicating with each other throughout the workday.  Slack is a tool that helps people communicate with their team and other project teams across the organization in real-time.  Since a significant amount of the TTS workforce lives in other cities and works from home, it assists with sustaining the flow of thoughts and ideas and maintaining focus on current challenges.  Every team has at least one channel—a dedicated space containing the conversations among team members on a particular topic.  Some teams have additional channels, depending on how they need to communicate their streams of work across the organization.  For example, the Digital.gov team has the #digitalgov, #digitalgov-platform, and #digitalgov-university channels.  Anyone in the organization can create a channel, and employees may also send direct messages to each other.  To include external partners, individuals outside TTS may be provided access to a specific channel, as single-channel users.  For example, GSA's Strategic Communications Office has access to the #outreach channel but no others.  The expectation is that conversations are carried out in real-time or as close to it as possible.  Unlike email, it is not uncommon to send a message and receive a response within minutes or seconds.  For later reference, all messages and files from public and private channels and direct messages are archived and searchable by those with access to them.  The transparency, speed, usefulness, and enjoyment of the tool are touted by many in TTS.
Promising Powerpedia

Powerpedia

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Powerpedia is a non-public, employee-created encyclopedia of information about the Department. It uses the same technology that powers Wikipedia (Mediawiki) and can be accessed and edited by any DOE employee or contractor. Powerpedia’s mission is to help employees share information on various topics, while improving communication and coordination among DOE organizations, headquarters, and the field. It was partly inspired by Intellipedia, a Wikipedia-like intelligence database created by the Central Intelligence Agency in 2005, which is currently used by the nation’s sixteen intelligence agencies.

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Human Capital Analysis

Promising State

Human Capital Results Oriented Management System (HC‐ROMS)

The Department of State’s HC-ROMS maintains real-time information that enables the Department to measure how well it is strategically managing human capital across organizational outcomes, employee perspectives, program results, and merit compliance findings. It contains a comprehensive list of metrics and measures grouped together by HR Offices and the Foreign Service Institute. Collectively, they provide a holistic perspective for managing the Department’s human capital goals, desired outcomes, and standards and assessing overall performance and success in achieving results. Additionally, they provide managers with meaningful data to make more informed decisions related to human capital investments in areas such as employee development and recognition.
Promising Treasury

Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey Dashboard

The Department of the Treasury deployed a series of dynamic dashboards using Tableau, to provide users with an interactive way to view and analyze human capital data and make data-driven decisions related to the workforce. The dashboards depict Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) data including overviews of key indices, scatter plot charts with trend displays, and the ability to "drill down" or filter the data. Dashboard views include variations related to organization, survey year, question, respondent demographics, and FEVS indices. The tool is used to help improve employee engagement across the Department by raising awareness of employee sentiment, garnering support for Treasury-wide engagement planning, and supporting bureau-specific root cause analysis and FEVS action planning. Moving forward, another dashboard will be deployed to replace the manual diversity dashboards currently in use. The more dynamic dashboard will provide managers with detailed workforce population, hire, and separation data by ethnicity and race indicator, gender, disability, and veteran status across bureaus, grades, and major occupations.

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Employee Development

Promising EPA

Talent Hub and Skills Marketplace

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Talent Hub is a one-stop-shop intranet site that provides information on and allows employees to apply to a range of career development opportunities available across the agency. This includes full-time details, temporary promotions, lateral reassignments, and Skills Marketplace projects. Skills Marketplace projects allow employees, with supervisory approval, to spend up to 20% of their time working on a project in any part of the agency, without leaving their home office. The Talent Hub allows employees to gain skills and broaden the depth of their knowledge and experience. It also enables EPA to identify skills and expertise among the existing workforce and align employees with specific skill requirements to meet temporary, emerging, and permanent needs.
Promising ED

Transition to Supervision

The Department of Education’s (ED) Transition to Supervision program develops new managers, supervisors, and team leaders as they transition to their new role as a Federal supervisor. The objective of the year-long centrally funded program is to build leadership competencies essential for new supervisors to be successful. The program includes developmental training, informal learning activities, coaching, individual assessments, and development planning. Each year, 10 employees are selected to participate on a first-come, first-served basis. Participants are required to engage in a consultation with the program manager, a 360-degree leadership assessment, a Leadership Development Plan (LDP), leadership coaching, 80 hours of training, leadership readings, goal tracking with a coach, and independent learning activities. The training hours consist of ED’s Supervisory Essentials (32 hours), ED Human Capital Essentials (8 hours), Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (1 hour), and electives based on the LDP discussed with a coach (39 hours).

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Employee Recognition

Promising EPA

National Honor Awards and More

EPA’s recognition programs include its National Honor Awards, organizational and personal awards, and major event or major milestone awards. The National Honor Awards are comprised of 17 distinct categories, such as Gold and Silver Medals, leadership and management excellence awards, and functionally-based awards (e.g., human resources, advancing environmental protection, and sustainability). In 2016, EPA awarded National Honor Awards to over 700 deserving employees. The organizational and personal awards include Bronze Medals and customer service, rising star, cash, and time-off awards. Thousands of employees have received these awards. The major event awards include responses to national emergencies such as Deepwater Horizon, Superstorm Sandy, and September 11, 2001. The major milestone awards include recognition for reaching 10, 20, 30, and 40 years of Federal service and the EPA Distinguished Career Service Award. These awards allow the agency to properly recognize its more experienced workforce on a regular and recurring basis.
Promising SBA

Kudos to You Program

The Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Kudos to You Program is a peer-to-peer real-time engagement vehicle that allows employees to recognize the contributions and accomplishments of one another. The program is fully automated and featured on SBA’s intranet Employee Gateway page. Recognition is given to those who have “gone the extra mile” and demonstrated exceptional accomplishments in the areas of customer service, problem solving, team work, and civility. Award recipients receive an electronic certificate that they can print and post, and their supervisors also receive an email notification of the recipient’s Kudos to You recognition. The program was introduced by an Action Planning Committee consisting of employees and managers, as part of an initiative to address SBA’s 2015 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey results. Since its inception in 2015, the program has received 937 nominations.

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Employee Health

Promising Capital Bikeshare

Capital Bikeshare

As part of OPM’s commitment to employee work-life balance and well-being, employees are provided with memberships in the Capital Bikeshare program, upon request. Currently, the program offers 3,700 bikes at 440 stations across Washington, DC; Arlington, VA; Montgomery County, MD; and Fairfax County, VA. Once an employee is a member, they are able to borrow the bicycles for 30 minutes at no cost. For longer rides, employees pay an additional fee for every 30-minute period thereafter. The program is relatively easy to manage, as the agency provides redeemable discount codes that employees apply to their own accounts to cover the membership fee. This way, each employee who signs up is responsible for maintaining his/her own account and paying for applicable rental costs. Employee participation has varied over the years, but it is utilized by employees from across the entire agency, including those in the DC suburbs. Some employees have reported that they use this program to travel to meetings within DC, rather than taking a cab or driving, supporting their health while providing a direct return on the agency’s investment. Biking saves fuel costs, prevents carbon emissions, provides an exercise opportunity for employees, and supports employee commitment.
Promising Census

Census Bureau Welfare and Recreation Association (CBWRA)

Organized in 1950, the CBWRA is an employee resource group that promotes the health and well-being of employees and provides athletic, social, and other events and educational or entertainment programs. The association currently has 16 active clubs under its umbrella, including Green Mountain People (GMP), also known as the Census Outdoor Club; Volleyball League; Tennis Club; Co-Ed Flag Football Club; Soccer Club; Softball Club; Mind Body Spirit Club; and All Around Town and Beyond Club. The group sponsors events for employees during lunch breaks, after work hours, and on weekends. From playing volleyball outside during lunch to renting camp and recreational equipment, there are numerous activities available. For example, GMP hosted a six-mile Raven Rocks Hike on May 20, 2017, and horseback riding at Piscataway Riding Stables in Clinton, MD on June 4, 2017. All Census Bureau and Bureau of Economic Analysis employees as well as contractors at headquarters and the Bowie Computer Center are eligible for membership and participation. As of 2017, CBWRA has approximately 800 members. Members pay annual $3 dues and, at times, an additional cost to participate in special events.

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Control Panel