Disagreement over Schedule F creates an opportunity for lawmakers, executive branch leaders and others in government to tackle substantive management reform. 

Disagreement over Schedule F creates an opportunity for lawmakers, executive branch leaders and others in government to tackle substantive management reform.  Luis Alvarez/Getty Images

Let’s Rethink the Management of Our Civil Service

In this op-ed, the executive vice president of the Partnership for Public Service posits that we should build up public servants and hold them accountable to improve government performance.

With a recent poll showing that nearly 60% of Americans believe our government needs “very major” reform, it is clear that the management and operations of our nation’s civil service—which often attracts little popular attention—is of growing public concern.  

One major call for change in this area has been to revive Schedule F, a job classification created by a since-rescinded 2020 executive order that could make tens of thousands of federal employees who work in policy-related roles at will. 

Schedule F seeks increased accountability over public servants. While the American people, by way of a duly elected president, must be faithfully served by the career civil service (who also swear an oath to uphold the Constitution) Schedule F misses the opportunity for meaningful and long-term reform.  The nonpartisan career workforce is fundamental to our government—a key ingredient to ensuring our federal system has the talent, expertise and capacity to carry out a wide array of duties on behalf of the public—and its work must transcend politics. 

While the order has become the subject of partisan disagreement and presidential politics, it also presents an opening for lawmakers, executive branch leaders and others in government to tackle substantive management reform. The need for this reform and the critical role our nation's civil servants play has been lost in the current discourse.

As a career executive who previously served in four different federal agencies, I view civil servants as central to a well-functioning government and a strong democracy. At the departments of Defense and Homeland Security, I watched analysts and operators defend our national security and forge international partnerships that reaffirmed America’s role in the world.

At the Veterans Affairs Department, I saw health professionals improve patient care and help vulnerable former service members access critical benefits. And at the Government Accountability Office, I witnessed auditors help save billions in taxpayer dollars through diligent reporting and watchdog activities.

These achievements would not have been possible without well-qualified, career experts who serve across administrations and develop the institutional knowledge necessary to ensure a continuity of government.

Still, our government needs greater flexibility in how it hires top talent, retains and recognizes its employees, and removes poor performers. Our nation must invest in its civil service and a more substantive agenda to manage and improve federal employee performance is needed.

First, managers and supervisors should address poor performance head-on and at the earliest possible point. Holding employees accountable, especially during probationary periods, and making better use of progressive discipline and time-limited performance improvement plans would lay the groundwork for necessary removals and increase accountability. Agencies should empower managers through more frequent management training on these issues and by encouraging further support from senior leaders.    

Second, agencies should expand their efforts to reward good performers. In addition to providing financial incentives and internal recognition, agency supervisors, leaders and federal communicators should work together to amplify positive stories about their employees to the public. The Partnership for Public Service’s Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals® program models this strategy, shining a national spotlight on the invaluable accomplishments of career public servants.  

Third, our government needs new and more coherent leadership standards that motivate better leader and employee performance. The Office of Personnel Management should refresh the Executive Core Qualifications, which outline leadership competencies for members of the Senior Executive Service, while Congress should codify a single leadership standard that holds leaders accountable for impactful work.  

Finally, Congress and the executive branch should fill major federal talent gaps by creating a simpler and more accessible job application process, implementing skills-based hiring practices, recruiting from more diverse locations and sources, ensuring mobility of executives across agencies and job functions, and updating the antiquated pay system. At the other end of the spectrum, Congress should convert some Senate-confirmed positions to nonpolitical roles, enabling long-tenured and highly qualified career leaders to fill critical management positions.   

No matter who occupies the Oval Office or holds majorities in Congress, now is the time to embrace long overdue changes to the management of our civil service and ensure that we have a federal workforce that can best meet the needs of our country today and in the future.

James-Christian Blockwood is executive vice president of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service.

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.