Meredith Owen_The ppl factor

What is THE PEOPLE FACTOR? http://brookingspress.typepad.com/peoplefactor/

None of us will be as good as we can be

or as free as we can be without a very strong, highly-functioning federal work force to run the government.


In the time it will take to watch this video….

Federal government agencies will have solved multiple crimes

Supervised the safe take-offs and landings of hundreds of airplanes

And processed some $50 million in banking transactions

Issued a national weather forecast

Monitored the skies for any sign of enemy attacks

Rescued struggling ships at sea

Paid food stamps to hungry citizens


But after a century of neglect, the cracks are beginning to show.

U.S. found no evidence WMD moved from IraqNo signs that weapons were smuggled, intelligence officials say

Katrina victims blame racism for slow aid

Emotions flare as black survivors testify before special House panel

April 29, 2009: Federal Oversight of Lenders and Guarantors

'Needs Improvement,' Says Inspector GeneralWhat is THE PEOPLE FACTOR? http://brookingspress.typepad.com/peoplefactor/

Due to rapid globalization

business has changed

and adapted in order to survive. By contrast, the government systems and structures that

served an earlier age are

still in place.


“something like the hardening of the arteries in the current system”

-Admiral James Loy


of current federal workers say that they rarely, or only sometimes, have enough employees to complete their jobs properly.

59%

Ratio of federal workers to the population has fallen from

1 per 68 Americans

to

1 per 112 Americans


The Veteran’s Administration’s backlog of unprocessed claims has risen to 400,000U.S. Patent and Trademark Office now faces a backlog of close to 1 million patent applications


Number of Toys China exports to U.S. each year: 3 billion

Number of inspectors for toys from China the FDA employs: 1.


The amount of contracting done by the federal government has more than

doubled in the past five years to $500 billionFederal workers have not been trained to manage the performance of these contracts.

Army Criminal Investigation Command has 90 investigations under way related to alleged contract fraud in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait


The system is failing, despite the good people in it.


But why do something right now?


we are in the midst of a

human capital crisis


1.9 million people work for the federal government.

Almost half of them will be eligible for retirement within the next five years.

(including almost 90 percent of senior level employees)

Which means that if all of those who were eligible to retire decided to do so,

6,100 of the 7,000 most senior managers and technical experts could walk out the door tomorrow.

Within four years that includes:

97% of administrative law judges

87% of social security examiners

40% of Homeland Security analysts


The average age in the federal workforce is increasing at twice the rate of the private sector.

Under 3517 percent

35-4423 percent

Over 4560 percent


So who will replace the retirees?


Only 19% of federal employees

say their agencies do a good job of

hiring “qualified” applicants.


2/3 of college students agree with the statement:

“It is difficult to locate and apply for a job with the federal government”


Average length of time a college grad can afford to wait for

a government job before taking another offer:

Average length of time the government takes to make a

hiring decision:

4 weeks

three months or more.


The federal government spends only about 1.9 percent of salaries per year per person on annual training.

(The private sector spends 4 percent on average)


Put simply, the United States is not managing its enormous investment in human capital strategically to deliver the highest possible quality of government for everyone.


It’s time to in those men and women

who serve our country everyday. re-invest


By investing 10 million in human capital the government the government could

reap 300 billion to 600 billion in productivity gains.

This is THE PEOPLE FACTOR.

Want to know more?

Buy the book. http://brookingspress.typepad.com/peoplefactor/buy-the-book.html

Meredith Owen_The ppl factor

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