Federal agencies need to hire 200,000 employees in the next two years. But workforce experts say agencies now have the hiring flexibility to meet that challenge.

Carl DeMaio, president and founder of the Performance Institute, a nonpartisan think tank that focuses on government accountability, said agencies must still overcome self-imposed bureaucratic rules to take advantage of the hiring flexibilities and market-based tools that are available.

Federal agencies can reduce the number of steps for reviewing and evaluating candidates, make quicker hiring decisions, offer bonuses and relocation packages, and set performance-based pay scales. "All of these things are effective in not just filling seats but getting the right person for the job," DeMaio said.

"Agencies have everything that they need," he added. "But now it's come down to implementation, and that's a tougher challenge."

DeMaio suggested several change management strategies that agencies can use to encourage employees to accept and even embrace new hiring practices. Several workforce experts echoed DeMaio's recommendations and offered some of their own.

Communicate changes

Before introducing a major change in hiring practices, everyone involved deserves to know why change is necessary, DeMaio said. The reasons for changing hiring practices now are, first, a large wave of upcoming federal retirements and, second, growing gaps in skills. "That's the reality," DeMaio said. "The old way of hiring federal employees will no longer suffice. And if hiring managers truly understand that, they'll get on board."

Managers should communicate the reasons for change often, said Miguel Torrado, associate director of human resources at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. "Otherwise, the message isn't going to get out."

The FDIC has institutionalized communication through its Human Resources Committee. Composed of senior-level executives from every division in the organization, the committee meets Friday mornings for three hours to discuss organizational issues and the role of HR employees in resolving them.

The committee has helped transform the agency's hiring practices, Torrado said. "The biggest benefit of the [committee] is the integration that exists between HR and the business side of the corporation," he said. "Nothing happens in the corporation without the involvement of HR, and nothing happens in HR without the involvement of the rest of the corporation."