TOPICS
TOPICS
Agencies urged to pitch job flexibilities to attract applicants of all ages
The federal government should expand its use of flexible schedules and promote them more widely if it is to become a model employer for workers of all ages, workforce specialists told the Senate Special Committee on Aging on Thursday.
"Any creative and effective system to engage older workers in the federal government has to include a specific and focused effort on increasing flexibility in the workplace," said Chai Feldblum, a professor at Georgetown University Law Center and co-director of Workplace Flexibility 2010, a research and advocacy group. "Workplace flexibility can't be the tagline; it has to be the headline."
Max Stier, president of the Partnership for Public Service, said the federal government's challenge was less a matter of tailoring policy to older workers than crafting policies and workplaces so that all workers would feel their work was valued and aligned with a strong mission. He noted that in the Partnership's 2007 Best Places to Work survey, agencies that showed satisfaction gaps between workers younger and older than 40 revealed cultural issues, rather than policies or programs that needed to be changed.
Nancy Kichak, associate director of strategic human resources policy at the Office of Personnel Management, said OPM has taken steps to require agencies to consider flexibilities more carefully. Among other things, agencies must evaluate their job postings using the Career Patterns initiative to see whether those jobs can be done by teleworkers or handled part time, and must make those flexibilities clear to applicants.
But Barbara Bovbjerg, director of education, workforce and income security issues at the Government Accountability Office, said OPM could do more to help agencies share best practices for implementing workforce flexibilities such as telework and alternative work schedules.
"Agencies, with OPM's help, must plan better, take advantage of flexibilities already available to them, and share information on promising practices," Bovbjerg said. "These practices can help make the federal government a model employer for all demographic groups."
Feldblum said that while the federal government is ahead of the private sector in implementing certain flexibilities like telework or alternate work schedules, government isn't a model because it has done a poor job advertising its own efforts.
"I don't think you are yet [a model] in a way that the American public understands," Feldblum said. "I don't think it's marketed well. I think there is significant potential, it is not being leveraged yet in the way that it could be."
COMMENTS
- careful what you ask/wish for they are saying "WORK Schedules" not attendance schedules Dan ketter Posted May 8, 2008 4:18 PM
- This article hits the nail on the head! The Department of Energy is experiencing a mass exodus of employees with years of experience and knowledge not attainable at any Unversity. DOE has outstanding Flex-Time and Flexiplace programs that benefit the workers as well as the Agency. This is due in large part to the Union successfully negotiating their inclusion in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). However, as a Union Official, I spend countless hours "reminding" managers of the law and the negotiated CBA upon which these programs are based. Unfortunately, there will always be a few "managers" who, through a lack of knowledge or an overabundance of hostility toward their staff members, specialize in spreading disinformation. A recent example is the high-level manager who introduced his "support" for flexible scheduling and off-site work with the following: "I'm personally not against Flex-Time and Flexiplace but I sure do long for the good old days when everyone worked 9:00 to 5:00 Monday through Friday." So how many of his employees do you think signed up for these programs? To make it even worse, this manager is in charge of the Information Technology (IT) office for the Department! His presentation was focused on the need to have technology in place at DOE to ensure the government keeps functioning even if employees are ordered to NOT report to the job site due to a terrorist attack, natural disaster, or a pandemic flu event. Many of his employees went away from the meeting shaking their heads - "We're supposed to make sure IT infrastructure is in place for Flex-Time and Flexiplace but he doesn't want us to participate." Now that's sad! Department officials are wringing their hands asking how to retain experienced employees and how to attract and retain new talent. Try supporting Flex-Time and Flexiplace instead of undermining it. Barry Clark Posted May 5, 2008 2:08 PM
- The root of the issue is deeper than implementing flexibility. There seems to be a philosophical undercurrent in many organizations that equates youth with the answers to fix DoD problems. We should learn to respect those who have many years in service. We should be introspective and really question our hiring and retension practices. Bernie Simmons Posted May 5, 2008 12:42 PM
