OPM Offers Reskilling and Workforce Tools to Agency Heads

The Office of Personnel Management wants the federal workforce to maximize the use of emerging technologies to improve citizen service delivery and customer service, but the HR agency is well aware agencies aren’t there yet.

To help bridge the gap between the workforce of today and the workforce of the future, OPM distributed a set of tools and resources to agency heads Thursday. Called Accelerating the Gears of Government, the tools include an executive playbook for workforce reshaping, a reskilling toolkit and guidance for change management in the federal workforce.

“Together, these tools will help guide federal leaders and managers as they make strategic decisions to modernize the way government functions, support HR professionals and managers as they design and implement reshaping and reskilling/upskilling strategy, and provide employees with pathways to progress in their Federal service careers,” according to a memo from OPM Acting Director Margaret Weichert.

Each tool addresses different challenges. The workforce reshaping playbook is geared to helping senior leaders make data-driven decisions, and could increase in importance as agencies hone in on data analytics. The reskilling toolkit is designed for HR professionals and managers, and also applies to employees interested in reskilling and upskilling opportunities. The change management guide is filled with practical advice for agency leaders and managers regarding changes in “culture, values, people and behaviors.”

The tools support the President’s Management Agenda cross-agency priority goal for developing a workforce of the 21st century, Weichert said, adding that technologies like robotic process automation and artificial intelligence require responses from the workforce.

The advent of AI, machine learning and other technologies will eliminate some types of jobs in the future, and employees and managers will have to consider that in their future plans.