EPA

1
EPAs Workforce Sharing The Responsibility

• Joanne Oxley, Acting Deputy Director
• Office of Human Resources

2
Where We Are and How We Got Here

• Presidents Management Agenda
• Human Capital Agenda
• e-Government Initiatives
• Strategic Workforce Planning

3
Meeting Human Capital Needs

• EPA has designated our Human Capital Strategy to
  ensure that our workforce is high-performing,
  results-oriented, aligned with our strategic
  goals and objectives, and accountable for
  delivering environmental results consistent with
  the PMA. Toward this end, our human capital
  planning will require us to identify the skills
  we will need for future work, attract and retain
  diverse talent, provide continuing opportunities
  for organizational learning, develop leaders, and
  ensure adequate succession planning.
• 2006-2011 EPA Strategic Plan, pg.
  151.

4
2006 Federal Human Capital Survey How EPA
Compares With The Rest Of The Federal Government
5
Federal Human Capital SurveyThings Employees
Really Like About EPA

• They believe their work is important and like the
  kind of work they perform.
• They believe their organization produces high
  quality work.
• They know how their work relates to the agencys
  goals and priorities.
• They feel their supervisor supports their need to
  balance work and family issues.
• The ability to use information technology to
  perform work (intranet, shared networks).

6
Federal Human Capital SurveyAreas Where
Employees Feel EPA Can Improve

• Recognize difference in performance in a
  meaningful way.
• Deal with poor performers who cannot or will not
  improve.
• Provide more opportunities for career
  advancement.
• Find ways to increase motivation and commitment
  in the workforce. (Do not feel that leaders are
  doing this now.)
• Ensure that there are enough resources to do the
  work and improve the skill base of employees.

7
Workforce Realities

• The projected wave of Baby Boom retirements
  will affect EPA, too.
• The leading edge of baby boomers turned sixty
  last year (2006).
• OPM estimates that 60 of the Federal workforce
  will be eligible to retire over the next ten
  years 90 of SES.
• Sudden loss of institutional knowledge.
• Future smaller pool of qualified workers.
• Associated increased demand for the reduced
  supply of qualified workers.

8
EPAs Workforce

• Today, approximately 10,000 of EPAs workforce of
  17,665 (more than half) are older than 45.
• The retirement rate trend for EPA for the last
  few years has started increasing.

9
EPAs Workforce

• EPAs demographic statistics are in line for the
  most part with statistics for the Civilian Labor
  Force. The three significant exceptions are
• Hispanic males (2.39 to 6.20),
• Hispanic females (2.73 to 4.50), and
• Black females (14.59 to 5.80).
• Between 2000 and 2005, there has been less than
  one half of one percent increase in any of the
  special emphasis groups.

10
Number of people eligible to retire across ORD
assuming steady population as of November 21,
2007.
11/2006 11/2007 11/2008 11/2010 11/2011
SES (total 31) 17 (55) 20 (65) 21 (68) 22 (71) 24 (77)
GM/GS (total 1794) 454 (25) 521 (29) 611 (34) 682 (38) 765 (43)
11
Projected Change In EPAs Workforce
12
Workforce Planning

• Attract New Talent
• Develop Existing Talent
• Recognize and Reward Talent
• Determine and Address Future Needs

13
Recruitment Activities

• Find New Ways to Attract Entry-Level Employees
• Greater use of flexible hiring authorities
• Persons with Disabilities
• Federal Career Intern Program
• Presidential Management Fellows Program

14
Recruitment Activities

• Career Patterns Analytic Tool
• New OPM software tool to help analyze job
  requirements, categorize requirements into Career
  Pattern Scenarios, and identify work environment
  features.
• Goal, to attract a broader range of potential
  applicants.

15
Recruitment Activities

• Partnering with other agencies to share
  information, resources, and best practices
  DOL, DOT, NRC, NASA.
• Special emphasis group outreach and MOUs with
  universities in difficult-to-recruit markets.
• Use of Title 42.

16
Developmental Programs

• EPAs Environmental Intern and Presidential
  Management Fellow Programs
• Mid-Level Development Programs
• (Under exploration rotational program for GS 13
  through GS 15s)
• Pre-Supervisory
• Stepping Up to Supervision
• Supervisors and Managers
• Successful Leaders Program
• SES
• SES Mobility Program
• SES Candidate Development Program

(Additional programs can be found on the OHR
website)
17
Successful Leaders Program

• Participation in the SLP is a requirement for
  completion of all newly appointed supervisors and
  managers during their one-year probationary
  period.
• Program costs less than 2,500 per participant
  to be paid by Program Office, Regional Office, or
  Lab.
• Consists of 80 hours of training in human
  resources management, equal employment
  opportunity, diversity, performance management,
  etc.
• Unique blended development approach, consisting
  of traditional classroom, on-line learning,
  mentoring, coaching, assessments, etc.
• During and after the program, participants will
  work with their supervisors, managers and
  Training Officers to identify additional
  learning opportunities for meeting individual
  participants developmental needs.

18
Recognizing and Rewarding Performance EPAs
Performance Culture

• According to the FHCS
• Employees felt our performance culture was equal
  to or slightly better than the government-wide
  average (55 vs. 52).
• Tend to believe their performance appraisal is a
  fair reflection of their performance (Positive
  61.8, Neutral 18.5, Negative 18.3).

19
PARS Enhancements

• CY 2007
• Implement agency-wide uniform benchmark standards
  for all five levels.
• Impact and implementation being negotiated with
  EPAs five unions.

20
PARS Enhancements

• CY 2008
• Begin transition to Fiscal Year cycle beginning
  October 1, 2008.
• Will have a shortened CY 2008 cycle January 1
  through September 30.
• Impact and Implementation being negotiated at the
  national level.

21
PARS Enhancements

• Proposal to link performance and performance
  awards at the end of the CY 2008 cycle.
• Previously awards had been linked prior to the
  PERFORMS Pass/Fail System.
• Proposal still being vetted throughout the
  agency. Once final, will be provided to and
  negotiated with the unions.

22
Awards Linkage Proposal

• Performance Awards -percentage of the employees
  base pay.
• Organizations allocated 1.0 of payroll for all
  awards, but can choose to spend up to an
  additional 0.5 (total up to 1.5).
• Outstanding Up to 3.
• Exceeds Expectations Up to 2.
• Fully Successful Up to 1.

23
Awards Linkage Proposal

• Awards made for Outstanding employees first, then
  those receiving EE, and finally those with FS
  summary ratings. Employees with higher rankings
  should be receiving the higher amount of award.
• Employees who receive an Outstanding may be
  eligible, but not entitled, to receive a Quality
  Step Increase (QSI). Employees who receive a QSI
  are not eligible to receive another rating-based
  award for the same rating cycle.

24
Awards Linkage Proposal

• All employees, regardless of the amount of
  performance award, are eligible to receive other
  monetary recognition awards (e.g., Q-Award,
  S-Award, T-Award, OTS Award, or TO Award) in
  recognition of other special acts. These awards
  may be awarded throughout the year.
• Criteria will change for Q and S awards to
  remove language that includes reference to
  performance.

25
Addressing Future Needs Through Competency
Assessments

• Identified Mission Critical Occupations.
• Identified Competencies needed in these
  occupations.
• To date, IT, Human Resources, and SES employees
  have undergone initial assessment.
• Currently assessing Toxicologists, Contracts and
  Grants Specialists.
• Additional assessments of GS 13-15
  supervisors/managers to occur later this year.

26
Addressing Future Needs Through Competency
Assessments

• Hope to conduct additional assessments in 2008.
• Once identify a competency gap, work to address
  it through recruitment and developmental
  activities.
• Need to re-assess to determine if gaps have been
  closed.

27
Toxicologist Competencies

• Oral Communication
• Collaborating and Fostering Teamwork
• Written Communication
• Partnering
• Problem Solving
• Knowledge of the Agencys Business
• Strategic Thinking
• Research Skills
• Technical Credibility
• Hazard Assessment
• Analytical Reasoning

28
Summary of EPA Competency Assessment Activities

• The IT assessment results showed that while there
  were no proficiency gaps in identified
  competencies, there were new IT activities (e.g.,
  Enterprise Architect) for which no in-house
  competencies existed.
• This alerted senior managers to set a hiring goal
  of two-to-four people with the necessary
  competencies, and to set interim hiring targets.

29
Summary of EPA Competency Assessment Activities

• The HR assessment revealed small gaps in the
  general competencies that are most critical for
  HRM Specialists in supporting the agencys
  mission Customer Service, Problem Solving,
  Knowledge of Agency Business.
• Based on the limited amount of recruitment and
  development resources for addressing competency
  gap closures, the Agency has determined it would
  be most effective to look closer at competency
  gaps from a local level perspective.

30
Summary of EPA Competency Assessment Activities

• The senior Leader (SES) assessment identified two
  competency gaps (Interpersonal Skills, and Oral
  Communications), for which the Agency is
  providing training opportunities.

31
A Role For ORD Managers

• Give meaningful performance input throughout the
  year.
• Recognize difference in performance in meaningful
  ways.
• Deal with poor performers who cannot or will not
  improve.
• Support rotations and other employee
  developmental activities.
• Explore the use of flexible hiring authorities.
• Enroll your new managers in the Successful
  Leaders Program.

32
A Role For ORD Managers

• Embrace strategic workforce planning efforts.
• Dont just think about succession planning, start
  doing something about it.
• Recognize and acknowledge your employees for the
  wonderful contribution they make to your staff,
  ORD, and for accomplishing the mission of the
  Agency.

33
We All Have A Responsibility For EPAs
Workforce..

• and What A Great Workforce It Is!