Topics on this page: Goal 4. Objective C | Table of Related Performance Measures | Analysis of Results | Plans for the Future | Objective Progress Update Summary
Goal 4. Objective C: Invest in the HHS workforce to help meet America’s health and human service needs
HHS is engaging in a variety of activities to strengthen its human capital and infrastructure to address challenges in recruitment, retention, workforce diversity, and succession planning. HHS is focusing on human capital development to inspire innovative approaches to training, recruitment, retention, and ongoing development of federal workers. Combined with a focus on opportunities to align multiple training programs supported by HHS and expand surveillance and treatment capacities, the Department will enhance its ability to address current and emerging challenges.
The Nation’s human services workforce serves some of the most vulnerable populations in the United States. These workers can be found in early childhood and afterschool programs, domestic violence and child protection services, teen pregnancy prevention programs, care for older adults, and programs addressing mental illness and substance abuse. Human services workers promote economic and social self-sufficiency and the healthy development of children and youth. In addition to the difficulty of addressing these complex issues, the human services workforce faces challenges of high staff turnover, poorly developed or undefined core competencies, unclear compensation expectations, and career trajectories. As our Nation’s population ages, the percentage of people ages 18 to 64 is expected to decline, shrinking the potential supply of human services workers. In addition, the population is growing more racially and ethnically diverse, reinforcing the need to equip the human services workforce with the necessary cultural and linguistic skills to be responsive to all Americans’ needs.
All HHS agencies work toward the improvement of the workforce to support the mission of the Department. The Office of the Secretary led this Objective’s assessment as a part of the Strategic Review.
Objective 4.C Table of Related Performance Measures
Reduce the average number of days to hire (Lead Agency - ASA; Measure ID - 2.1)
| FY 2011 | FY 2012 | FY 2013 | FY 2014 | FY 2015 | FY 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Target | 80 Days | 61 Days | 60 Days | 60 Days | Discontinued | |
| Result | 61 Days | 65 Days | 68 Days | 91 Days | N/A | |
| Status | Target Exceeded | Target Not Met | Target Not Met | Target Not Met |
Analysis of Results
Within HHS, prompt turnaround for recruitment requests is necessary for hiring highly qualified candidates and is also required under several OPM directives that oblige agencies to streamline processes and decrease timelines. ASA has set goals that exceed the OPM federal targets for hiring timelines. To optimize performance, the Office of Human Resources has implemented a number of process and systems improvements to support hiring managers in their recruitment efforts. In FY 2014, the average days to hire was 91, missing the target of 60 days. This measure is a workload weighted average of the average days to hire from the Indian Health Service (114 days), National Institutes of Health (40 days), and the HHS/OHR Operating Divisions (116 days). Over the past three years, transaction reports have shown an increase in the hiring cycle time as measured from receipt of a complete job requisition package to initial job offer to a qualified candidate. Human resources managers and executives have observed in the past an inverse relationship between the number of hires and the number of days to hire. The fewer the number of hires the greater is the length of time that a hiring manager makes a hiring decision. The budgetary uncertainties, especially in FY 2014 as highlighted by the government shutdown, only exacerbate this delay in making hiring decisions. It is also important to note that there are variables of the hiring process, outside of OHR's control, like whether or not the candidates accept the initial offer, that lengthen this time period. This measure will be discontinued starting in FY 2015, however, OHR will continue to strive for shorter hiring cycle time through strategic planning.
Plans for the Future
The HHS Office of Human Resources (OHR) is leading efforts to improve the recruitment, development, and management of the Department’s workforce. OHR is focusing these activities in three key strategic areas: (1) Workforce Management, (2) Performance Management, and (3) Recruitment Processes, which are aligned to the HHS Strategic Plan, the President’s Management Agenda, OMB and OPM human capital initiatives, as well as unique HHS organizational priorities. Additionally, the Department will track the new performance measures, targeting these areas of emphasis. These measures provide a representative perspective of progress across the three key strategic areas identified above as improvement plans are implemented, and are described below in the Objective Progress Update Summary. Other initiatives in progress or planned will enhance employee engagement, the overall recruitment and hiring process, recruitment and retention in mission critical occupations (including STEMM), workforce diversity, and employee performance. The Department and OHR are committed to implementing improvements that support and enhance the workforce across HHS to help meet the Nation’s health and human service needs.
Objective Progress Update Summary
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Office of Management and Budget, has highlighted this objective as a focus area for improvement. Below is a description of the initiatives HHS plans to undertake to improve performance in this objective.
- Going forward, efforts are underway to frame optimal workforce requirements and conditions that best support employee engagement and foster organizational performance excellence. Continued attention and energy are placed on the refinement of the HHS workforce management architecture to create an agile, innovative, and results focused workforce ready to support the priorities of HHS now and in the future.
- Currently the Department is developing an improvement plan that addresses shortfalls identified in the strategic review process. This plan includes three replacement performance measures for this objective that better capture the Department’s performance in key areas. These measures provide a representative perspective of progress across the three key strategic areas as improvement plans are implemented.
- Annually the Office of Personnel Management surveys more than 74,000 HHS employees on a variety of areas affecting their workplace through the Employee Viewpoint Survey. The employee engagement index includes questions related to leadership, supervisor behaviors, and intrinsic experience. A successful agency fosters an engaged working environment to ensure each employee can reach his or her potential and contribute to the success of their agency and the entire Federal Government. HHS will track performance and set improvement targets for the HHS-wide employee engagement index.
- HHS is committed to recruiting and keeping the best employees to meet America’s health and human service needs. This metric will use the Office of Personnel Management Annual Employee Viewpoint survey of federal employees; specifically looking at the responses of HHS managers and executives to the question “My work unit is able to recruit people with the right skills.” The percentage of positive responses from HHS managers will be tracked and reported annually, setting targets for improvement.
- HHS strives to have a workforce that is reflective of America and of the population that we serve. In addition to using hiring and retention data HHS will look at the most recent results from the Office of Personnel Management’s Employee Viewpoint Survey. In particular HHS will track the percentage of employees who positively report “My supervisor is committed to a workforce representative of all segments of society,” also setting targets for improvement. Using this data as well as applicant and employee churn analysis will enable HHS leadership to drive further success in this area.
- The HHS Office of Human Resources (OHR) is leading efforts to improve the recruitment, development, and management of the Department’s workforce. OHR is focusing these activities in three key strategic areas: (1) Employee Engagement, (2) Workforce Management, and (3) Recruitment Processes, which are aligned to the HHS Strategic Plan, the President’s Management Agenda, OMB and OPM human capital initiatives, as well as unique HHS organizational priorities. The intent of these efforts is:
- To increase the Department’s human resources infrastructure to develop the flexibility to meet the changing requirements of the health care industry and demonstrate that a focus on performance improvement is a way of life for health care professionals.
- Develop an employee base focused on mission requirements, quality, and flexibility which will allow for changes in strategy, structure, and key processes that will enhance the effectiveness of programs.
- Develop efficient, streamlined hiring processes, where the right person is hired for the right job, at the right time.
- Other initiatives in progress or planned will enhance employee engagement, the overall recruitment and hiring process, recruitment and retention in mission critical occupations (including science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medical (STEMM)), workforce diversity and inclusion, and employee performance.
The Department is continuing to support and execute the programs contributing to this objective, monitoring progress, performance, and program integrity while adjusting to any budgetary constraints or changes to programmatic demands.
