Hiring and Firing: Why Agencies Need To Do Better

The federal government is the largest employer in the world, with roughly 2 million civilian employees all over the globe. While nobody expects a seamless personnel operation on such a scale, the processes for hiring and firing employees are riddled with complex regulations and confusion over how to apply rules designed to preserve fairness and diversity. The system frustrates employees and citizens alike, and makes it hard for agencies to effectively deliver services, provide security and solve the pressing problems we expect government to address. In the January/February issue of Government Executive magazine, we explore the challenges of hiring and firing at federal agencies. Send us your thoughts at discuss@govexec.com or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #hireandfire. 

Read about the government's struggle with hiring here.

Learn why it's so hard to fire federal employees here. 

(Image via Peshkova/Shutterstock.com)