I’m excited to share with you today the details of OPM’s comprehensive strategy to help the Federal government attract, develop, and retain a talented, engaged, and diverse workforce. We call this effort our REDI Roadmap – our roadmap to better Recruitment, Engagement, Diversity, and Inclusion.
When I started as OPM Director 16 months ago, I knew that to fully understand the needs of our Federal workforce, I needed to get outside of Washington, D.C. So I travelled across the country, visiting with Federal employees, veterans, job applicants, business and community leaders, and students and career counselors. These conversations gave me incredible insights into what our customers want from us and how we can better support our own employees. And those insights helped provide the foundation for the REDI Roadmap.
REDI is a data-driven, forward-looking human capital management strategy that reflects our work on behalf of the People and Culture pillar of the President’s Management Agenda. The roadmap will help agencies drive other key presidential initiatives in areas such as diversity and inclusion, closing skills gaps, building the Federal leaders of tomorrow, and fulfilling our commitment to our veterans and people with disabilities. Underlying all of REDI’s initiatives to enhance recruitment and engagement is the importance of diversity and inclusion.
When it comes to recruitment, our roadmap outlines efforts to improve the way the Federal government attracts, recruits, and hires new talent. We also want to help agencies eliminate barriers to recruiting and hiring the diverse talent they need. By making data-driven decisions, we will improve and tackle key areas, including:
- Untying hiring knots.
- Revitalizing USAJOBS.gov.
- Improving the effectiveness of the Pathways Program.
- Expanding the use of social media tools for strategic recruitment.
- Enhancing OPM’s role as a premier source for innovative recruitment and hiring tools and services.
- Expanding partnerships with stakeholders, including colleges and universities.
- Eliminating barriers to attracting diverse talent to the Senior Executive Service.
Engagement is another key element of REDI. Research in the public and private sectors tells us that the more engaged an employee is, the more productive and effective that worker will be. Research also shows that engagement is tied to service, quality, safety, and retention. The roadmap’s engagement strategy includes:
- Promoting and expanding the use of the Unlocktalent.gov, an interactive data visualization tool.
- Using social media tools to honor and recognize the Federal workforce.
- Working with the Chief Learning Officers Council to build a government-wide mentoring hub.
- Training employees in the New Inclusion Quotient, which expands understanding of how employee engagement and inclusion drives organizational performance.
- Collaborating with Federal affinity and employee resource groups.
- Offering customized training solutions.
- Launching GovConnect, which allows employees to share knowledge, collaborate, and apply their skills to solve agency problems.
You can find the entire REDI report and more information at www.opm.gov/REDI. To learn more, as well as to get a preview of some enhancements planned for USAJOBS, watch today’s announcement.
