OPM misses nearly half of FY2011 performance goals

A yearly performance report shows the Office of Personnel Management made “great strides” in increasing strategic use of telework and overhauling hiring processes, but fell short on meeting several other key performance metrics.

Of the 24 performance measures OPM tracked during FY 2011, 13 were met and three remain undetermined, according to the recently released report. Some of the failures were in the areas of human resources compliance, human resources solutions customer satisfaction, and retirement services:

Human Resources Compliance: OPM failed to meet its target of 33 percent of employees covered by certified appraisal systems meeting the agency's standards. To improve the SES performance management and the certification process, OPM worked with agencies, the Senior Executives Association, and the President’s Management Advisory Board to launch a governmentwide appraisal system that is more consistent and promotes equity in developing performance standards.

Human Resources Solutions Customer Satisfaction: The performance of the Human Resources Solutions organization was significantly affected by by a halt to all vendor-managed work that was due to several factors, including an internal reorganization and some policy changes, the report noted.

Retirement Services: In FY 2011, OPM processed retirement claims at an average unit cost of $107.62, which did not meet the target of $101.23 set for FY 2011. Overall satisfaction with retirement services provided by OPM was 76 percent satisfied or very satisfied, falling short of the target of 88 percent.

The report also details the agency’s successes meeting performance goals in areas like telework and hiring reform. During FY 2011, OPM successfully integrated telework activities with the Chief Human Capital Officer Council sessions on emergency preparedness to stress telework as a crucial policy for pandemic preparedness.

The agency also met its goal of crafting a “Guide to Telework in the Federal Government,” which breaks down telework guidance by agency and lays out the fundamentals of remote work.

Another goal highlighted by the report was OPM’s introduction of the concept of unscheduled telework in the “Washington, D.C., Area Dismissal and Closure Procedures,” which promote continuity of operations and safety of government workers and other citizens. 
 
OPM’s hiring reform was another success, the report noted. The agency set out to cut the hiring time by 10 percent per year and improve both manager and applicant satisfaction by 1 percent per quarter. Survey findings showed that applicant satisfaction with the hiring process improved from 69 percent in the first quarter of FY 2011 to 70 percent in the fourth quarter. And manager satisfaction with applicant quality improved from 58 percent in the first quarter of FY 2011 to 63 percent in the last quarter.

However, although progress in adopting the President’s Hiring Reform Initiative “has exceeded expectations,” work remains to be done, the report stated.
An engaged executive-level management and collaboration between HR staffs and hiring managers were cited as factors that led to faster-than-anticipated results.