Losing the Best and Brightest

I was struck by this reader comment on Emily Long's story today about the new Partnership for Public Service report, Keeping Talent in Government:

The only Federal employees who will actually leave public service are those who have outside prospects; those who actually perform; those who actually EARN their salaries. The BEST and the BRIGHTEST public servants are already updating their resumes, especially now that a threat of a 2-week furlough has been added to the rhetoric.

I know this, because I'm one of those who's already begun "casting my net," looking for the NEXT progression in my career. I'll likely end up as a Federal CONTRACTOR, making 20-30% MORE than I do today, and therefore still ultimately being paid - MORE - by this nation's taxpayers.

I think this is a genuine concern. In times of uncertainty at an employer and in the economy as a whole, it's typically not the people who you can afford to lose who go. Their prospects are limited, so they tend to stay put. It's the talented people with portable skills who move on. And they're the ones government can least afford to lose.

Luckily, research suggests that the decision about whether to stay in a job is often based on a lot more than pay. So agencies have an opportunity to pull other levels in terms of growth opportunities, working conditions and mission focus to motivate top performers to stay. But at the same time, members of Congress could seriously undercut all of these efforts if they insist on sowing new seeds of uncertainty about federal employment every week.