The federal government is overdue for an upgrade in skills training for its employees and a shift in how they approach work. Part of that shift includes making continuous process improvement part of the mix.
That’s the view of a former NASA HR manager and strategic consultant who spoke about the need to “future proof” the federal workforce. She spoke particularly about how process improvement, as well as better training and modernized software, can help in human resources.
Putting continuous process improvement to work in HR is not a new concept. As with any process, Lean Six Sigma can help make those within HR departments less wasteful and more valuable for the organization they serve. It’s been put to use in HR departments to create better compensation systems and improve talent acquisition.
Dealing With a Large Volume of Resumes
Jeri Buchholz, a strategic advisor to workforce services firm Acendre and the former chief human capital officer at NASA, talked about the issues of HR and skills training with the Federal News Network.
HR is always in focus with the federal government because of the sheer number of applications they deal with for every job posting – typically in the thousands. Finding ways to cull resumes and find the right candidates is key to success.
“The federal government is really overdue for retooling more modern tools that help them manage shocking workload when it comes to hiring people,” said Buchholz. “I don’t think people realize how many people apply for federal government jobs.”
Challenges in Federal Government HR
In addition to the workload inherent in every job advertisement, federal agencies also need better ways to assess job candidates and find those who are “a good mission match for their organization,” Buchholz said.
Some have suggested that AI can take over much of the work of sorting resumes, but Buchholz said that it cannot replace human judgment. Government HR departments need to create systems that allow a mixture of humans and automation that makes hiring processes efficient but does not reduce work quality or impair good decision-making.
Automation is often most effective when it handles handoffs and workflows, all while keeping within the statutory requirements that govern federal hires. “In every efficiency assessment, like Lean Six Sigma, that I ever did, it was always the handoffs between the HR office and the hiring manager that added time to the process,” she said.
Not Waiting Until Skills Get Antiquated
One of key drivers of good process improvement is that it stays ahead of the curve in terms of providing training that people need before their skillset becomes antiquated. Ideally, federal government employees should get trained to meet the challenges of the job two to five years down the road.
This type of reskilling process has also been a part of what other organizations do when they use Six Sigma in HR. It’s been part of a mindset change in the federal government on how HR should operate.
Rather than being a department that simply processes paperwork associated with new hires, benefits, and training, HR now is more of a partnership with other departments.
“We have to figure out what skills each agency needs, and when they need to acquire them, and how to get the right people into the right jobs,” said Traci DiMartini, Chief Human Capital Officer at the federal General Services Administration, in a remote interview with FNN.
That idea goes hand-in-hand with continuous process improvement. It’s also led to a need for those who have process improvement skills and training to work within agencies, helping create better processes within HR.
DiMartini said that federal agencies need people with “critical thinking skills, with resilience, the ability to adapt and figure out how to make things happen” both in a national and global market.
