Dive Brief:
- Newly hired executives arriving in Washington D.C. to work for the federal government may soon be experiencing an extended, formal onboarding experience for the first time, according to Government Executive.
- Specifically, a recent Office of Personnel Management (OPM) memorandum lists implementation instructions for a provision of a 2015 executive order issued by President Obama, an order that calls on all federal agencies to develop onboarding programs for new senior executives.
- The onboarding period should “ideally” last one year, OPM said, and apply to those coming from inside and outside government, as well as those who previously served in the Senior Executive Service (SES).
Dive Insight:
Tailoring its strategy on some of the more successful private sector onboarding efforts, OPM offers a very specific timeline for new senior leaders, including a detailed checklist for the overall program. For example, OPM says agencies need to be proactive by gathering materials and forms the new employee will need.
A spokesman for the Senior Executives Association was positive about the change, noting that current onboarding efforts within government agencies are inconsistent.
The article notes that while the agencies do have the freedom to continue to offer different programs to meet their specific needs, there are four key objectives for each new executive: understanding the organization's culture, understanding their performance expectations, having access to influential networks and feeling valued and supported by leadership. The interesting aspect is the one-year timeline, which is a chronology some larger private sector employers successfully use in their onboarding programs.
