OPM: Hire Us to Improve Your Agency

The Office of Personnel Management wants to save your agency.

In a memorandum to all federal offices, OPM offered to help agencies use the 2013 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey to improve morale and workplace conditions. OPM said its Human Resources Solutions office “has the expertise to help your agency achieve measureable improvement on important metrics.”

Scores on the most recent Employee Viewpoint Survey plummeted across government last year, OPM noted, pointing to sequestration, furloughs, pay freezes and budget reductions as contributing factors. Uncle Sam’s human resources agency said it “must do what we can do address these issues,” adding the viewpoint survey provides a “proven strategy” to effect sustained organizational change.

“HRS can help you realize the benefits of that opportunity by helping you quickly identify and address issues revealed by your agency’s FEVS results, and focusing those improvement efforts on the right level of your organization,” OPM’s Associate Director Joseph Kennedy wrote in the memo.

The business solicitation comes just days after OPM made significant cuts to its consulting arm. The Human Resources Solutions office laid off more than half its workforce last week, citing a diminished need for its services due to a reduction in overall federal hiring.

Most agencies could stand to benefit from some internal improvements; in 53 of 55 categories measured in last year’s Employee Viewpoint Survey, the percentage of workers giving positive marks decreased since 2012. OPM pointed to the U.S. Coast Guard as an example of its success, which improved its survey results significantly after hiring the HR Solutions office.

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