Ready for spring? Think again. The (federal) winter has just begun.
Bluebirds of spring may have appeared in your neighborhood but ostriches abound in Washington, DC. Many of the people in the federal supply chain -- the agencies themselves and the myriad contractors that support them -- have their heads stuck in the sand refusing to believe that the long gravy train has come to an end. The implications will reverberate throughout the country.
The federal workforce extends far beyond the people that collect a government paycheck. Depending on the agency, the workers doing the people's business that collect paychecks from private businesses can out-number those paid by Uncle Sam by as many as five to one. When the government workforce catches a cold, the federal contractor workforce catches pneumonia.
Take the Washington, DC Metro Area as an example. As Steven Pearlstein of the Washington Post points out, over the past 10 years, "federal employment increased by 50,000..." driving a lot of the region's growth. "More significantly, federal procurement spending over the decade grew 166 percent, to $80 billion from $30 billion. With less than 5 percent of the nation’s population, the region captures 17 percent of the federal payroll and 21 percent of procurement dollars."
Cutting the national debt means cutting the total federal workforce -- employee and contractor. Right now, though, the federal government looks at its workforce in rather limited terms: employees and contractors. In the private sector, employers deploy a wider variety of engagement terms to reach larger and more skilled talent pools: full time employees, temporary staff, contract workers, contingent workers, teleworkers, and more. Through emergent models like "Managed Service Provider" programs, to name one, companies not only reduce cost, they gain maximum flexibility in managing and leading their workforce. They also expand their ability to reach a younger, more skilled worker looking for greater flexibility.
As Pearlstein puts it, "...when faced with the prospect of big and painful cuts to the government’s operating budget, voters and politicians are going to be mighty insistent we start to get more value out of our money. And any discussion about greater productivity and accountability leads directly to an overhaul of how government hires, fires and compensates its employees." That's why federal Chief Human Capital Officers (CHCOs) and federal Chief Acquisition Officers looking for "smart cuts" should study these private sector models to see what they can adapt. In addition, federal policy makers from the Hill to the Office of Personnel Management need to study them to see what policies, regulations, or laws may need to change to meet these challenges. And finally, anyone that works with the federal government should look at these approaches as a tool for dealing with the impacts of the "federal winter".
To help, we've convened two sessions at the upcoming HRO Today Forum. The first is a closed-door session for heads of public sector HR departments (state, local, and federal) and their colleagues from procurement. Led by the State of Florida's own David DiSalvo, this session will show public sector agencies how to deploy innovative sourcing models to close budget gaps. The second is the Forum's Workforce Congress, a gathering of heads of HR and procurement from both the public and private sectors to share best practices and craft common solutions.
Join us for these important conversations to learn how your organization can insulate itself against the federal winter. Register today at www.hrotodayforum.com
Earlier in the evening a few friends and I had met up for happy hour at a popular downtown DC restaurant. Afterward, my friend Bill and I decided to grab a slice of pizza at the new Fuel Pizza that had opened up next door. Just after we settled in, the assistant manager approached a nearby table where a young man had apparently fallen asleep.
I suddenly realized that everyone else in the restaurant had some connection to the sleeping man. It was like a scene from a prairie dog den. Before the assistant manager walked over everyone was hunkered down staring at their laptops screens, but when he came over they all popped their heads up and many moved as if they might intervene in the discussion.
The back of every laptop had a variety of protest stickers and every one that I could see had an Anonymous sign. As my eyes darted from laptop to laptop I thought to look for the other telltale sign and found it hanging in the corner behind me: "Free Wi-Fi".
Yup. This was occupied territory. I had forgotten that just a few blocks away lay the main OccupyDC encampment. These were all occupiers coming in for a little food, drink, and wi-fi.
I've always been fascinated by the phenomenon of one group using the tools of another to attack that same group. Patton studied Rommel's tank strategies to in turn defeat him. The 9/11 terrorists used cell phones and the Internet to coordinate flying jetliners into skyscrapers -- all invented in America -- to attack the US. Now the occupiers use the laptops, free wi-fi, restaurant-space, and food of the very corporations they profess to oppose.
I'm not the first one to point out these ironies. But a recurring theme of my writing has been the role of HR in generating innovation, so I started wondering: what tools of Occupy could HR adopt to encourage innovation?
I don't profess to have a complete answer to that question. Actually, I'd like to get your thoughts. From what you know about the Occupy movement, what have you seen that HR execs could adapt for use inside of companies?
Share your thoughts and I'll put your ideas and questions along with my own to leadership-guru Jim Quigley, CEO-Emeritus of Deloitte and author of As One his great new book on how to motivate large groups of people to move and act as one. Jim will be a keynote speaker at the upcoming HRO Today Forum in Washington, DC on May 1-2.
About the Author: Richard Crespin is a successful entrepreneur, business and community organizer, and tireless advocate for global trade and corporate responsibility. He currently serves as the President of Member Services for SharedXpertise and the Executive Director of the Corporate Responsibility Officers Association. Click here to read more about Richard or connect with Richard on LinkedIn and Twitter