WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT


A NEW NORMAL


Updated return- to-work guidance is issued but, for Army agencies, embracing new norms is not one-size-fits-all.


by Cheryl Marino


Editor’s Note: Tis article is based on the latest guidance, released in April 2023, from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and the White House Office of Management and Budget.


F


or years, private industry has been luring top talent with starting bonuses, flexible work hours and, more recently, remote work. Te federal government— while promoting job security and hands-on training—has shown hesitancy to accommodate remote, telework or flex-time options unless absolutely neces-


sary and under specific conditions.


Ten the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and most federal employees were sent home to work. Times are changing, and so is workplace policy.


Te U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) got the ball rolling in 2021 with its updated “Guide to Telework and Remote Work in the Federal Government,” encour- aging federal agencies to strategically leverage workplace flexibilities like remote work, telework and flexible work schedules as tools to help attract, recruit and retain the best possible workforce. A memorandum followed in March 2023, outlining a “vision for the future of the workforce that is inclusive, agile and engaged with the right skills to enable mission delivery,” and new remote and telework data elements (codes and data files) for agencies to gather enhanced data on employees to further provide them with insight.


With the global pandemic now in the rearview mirror, and new guidelines for remote work and telework in place, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in April 2023, issued a “consistent plan” for a return to the office.


https://asc.ar my.mil 11


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