OPM has the authority to reassess and make changes to  its existing regulations and guidance to supply agencies with additional  flexibilities. OPM sees that it has an important leadership role in  identifying, developing, and applying human capital flexibilities across the  federal government. OPM has also committed the assistance of its various experts to help  agencies with human capital issues and challenges, including use of the  various flexibilities available to agencies. In addition, OPM has realigned its own organizational structure and  workforce. OPM Also Has Some Initiatives to Assist in Identifying Additional Flexibilities

OPM has furthermore initiated some efforts to assist agencies in identifying  additional flexibilities that might be effective in helping the agencies  manage their workforces. OPM has taken other actions to assist agencies in identifying additional  flexibilities that they could use to manage their workforces. Agencies’ Human Resources Directors Gave Mixed Views on OPM’s Role Related to Flexibilities

Although federal agencies have the primary responsibility to maximize  their use of human capital flexibilities, OPM also plays a key role in  facilitating agencies’ use of existing flexibilities as well as identifying new  personnel authorities that agencies might need in managing their  workforces. The views of agencies’ human resources directors can help to  provide indications of the progress that OPM has made in its important role  related to human capital flexibilities. Directors’ Views Varied on OPM’s Role Related to Using Available Flexibilities

In the surveys we conducted in the fall of 2001 and again in the fall of 2002,  the human resources directors for the largest departments and agencies  gave mixed views on their satisfaction with OPM’s role in assisting their  agencies in using available human capital flexibilities. However, the directors’ extent of satisfaction on this issue, as measured in  our survey, was greater in 2002 than in 2001. Additional OPM Actions Could Further Facilitate Agencies’ Use of Flexibilities

Assisting federal agencies in using available flexibilities and in identifying  additional flexibilities is an important part of OPM’s overall goal of aiding  agencies in adopting human resources management systems that improve  their ability to build successful, high-performance organizations. The first was in  reviewing existing OPM regulations and guidance to determine their  continued relevance and utility by asking whether they provide agencies  with the flexibilities they need while incorporating protections for  employees. Greater attention to these areas could  allow OPM to more fully fulfill its leadership role to assist agencies in  identifying, developing, and applying human capital flexibilities across the  federal government. OPM has not, however, fully maximized its efforts to make human capital  flexibilities and effective practices more widely known to agencies. OPM could  continue to support such legislation and identify  additional personnel flexibilities that are needed. Work with and through the new Chief Human Capital Officers Council to  more thoroughly research, compile, and analyze information on the  effective and innovative use of human capital flexibilities and more fully  serve as a clearinghouse in sharing and distributing information about  when, where, and how the broad range of flexibilities are being used,  and should be used, to help agencies meet their human capital  management needs. The  objectives of this report were to provide information on actions that the  Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has taken to facilitate the effective  use of human capital flexibilities throughout the federal government as  well as what additional actions OPM might take in this regard.
Why GAO Did This Study

Congressional requesters asked GAO to provide information on actions that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has taken to facilitate the effective use of human capital flexibilities throughout the federal government and what additional actions OPM might take in this regard. These flexibilities represent the policies and practices that an agency has the authority to implement in managing its workforce.

What GAO Found

OPM Has Taken Several Actions to Assist Agencies: OPM has an important leadership role in identifying, developing, applying, and overseeing human capital flexibilities across the federal government. OPM has taken several actions to assist federal agencies in effectively using the human capital flexibilities that are currently available to agencies. For example, OPM has issued a handbook for agencies that identifies the various flexibilities available to help manage their human capital. Also, OPM has initiated some efforts to assist agencies in identifying additional flexibilities that might be helpful to agencies in managing their workforces. Human Resources Directors Gave Mixed Views on OPM's Role: To yield indications of the progress that OPM has made in its important role related to assisting agencies in the use of human capital flexibilities, GAO surveyed the human resources directors of the federal government's 24 largest departments and agencies in fall of 2001 and again in the fall of 2002. There was little change in the directors' level of satisfaction with OPM's role in assisting agencies in using available flexibilities, which remained mixed. For example, one director said OPM had effectively facilitated the use of work-life flexibilities, but others thought that OPM had placed its own restrictive interpretation on the use of other personnel flexibilities. The level of satisfaction with OPM's role in identifying additional flexibilities was greater in 2002 than in 2001, but still remained below the satisfaction level for assistance with existing flexibilities. Several directors said that OPM had not worked diligently enough in supporting authorization of governmentwide use of new flexibilities that have been sufficiently tested and deemed successful. Additional OPM Actions Could Further Facilitate Use of Flexibilities: Although OPM has recently taken numerous actions, OPM could more fully meet its leadership role to assist agencies in identifying, developing, and applying human capital flexibilities across the federal government. In its ongoing internal review of its existing regulations and guidance, OPM could more directly focus on determining the continued relevance and utility of its regulations and guidance by asking whether they provide the flexibility that agencies need in managing their workforces while also incorporating protections for employees. In addition, OPM can maximize its efforts to make human capital flexibilities and effective practices more widely known to agencies by compiling, analyzing, and sharing information about when, where, and how the broad range of flexibilities are being used, and should be used, to help agencies meet their human capital management needs. OPM also needs to more vigorously identify new flexibilities that would help agencies better manage their human capital and then work to build consensus for the legislative action needed.