United States Office of EPA
Environmental Protection The Administrator April 2001
As'ncy 10020012
Office of Cooperative Environmental Management
NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL
FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND TECHNOLOGY (NACEPT)
REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS
EVALUATION OF EPA'S WORKFORCE ASSESSMENT
PROJECT AND STRATEGY FOR HUMAN CAPITAL
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April 2001
EPA
1007
2001.2
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April 5, 2001
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ROBERT L. RHODES
202-457-5943
Internet Address:
rrhodes@bJdaw.com
Administrator Christine Todd Whitman
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Ariel Eios Building (MC1101A)
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20460
D e ar Administrator Whitman:
On behalf of the National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and
Technology (NACEPT), I am pleased to forward the Council's Final Report and
Recommendations regarding its evaluation of EPA's Workforce Assessment Project and
Strategy for Human Capital The development of this report was led by Ms. Dorothy
Bowers. The NACEPT Council welcomes your review and response to this report.
Last Fall, the Office of Administration and Resources Management (OARM)
requested that NACEPT help the Agency evaluate its human resource planning efforts.
The Deputy Administrator at that time was fully briefed and supported this work.
NACEPT endorses the concept of human resource planning, both as a means for
meeting the internal needs of employees, and in order to fulfill the mission of the
Agency. The report and recommendations can assist EPA in developing and
implementing a comprehensive human resource strategy to ensure that its workforce is
poised to support the Agency's mission in the future.
The Council believes that EPA is facing a human resource crisis of significant
magnitude, yet the documents reviewed did not propose actions necessary to ameliorate
the crisis. Nor do the Agency's current human resource efforts equal those found at
benchmark organizations in the private sector. The EPA Workforce Assessment
document provides a view of where the Agency would like to be in 2020, but is devoid of
a strategy and process to transform today's workforce into the desired workforce of the
future.
Specifically, the Council recommends that EPA'
Give upper management support to this initiative. EPA's priorities should integrate
the human resource plan into its budgetary planning processes, allocate sufficient
resources (dollars and FTE), and provide management support across the Agency.
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Administrator Christine Todd Whitman
April 5, 2001
Page 2
• Fully integrate the human resource plan and processes into the Agency's strategic
planning process.
• Fully fund and continue the human resource planning process that began with the
Workforce Assessment Project and the EPA Strategy for Human Capital which
include the original fasTcg to:
Prepare an integrated, comprehensive workforce strategy with
recommendations for recruiting, developing and maintaining needed
competencies in the current and future workforces.
"Recommend a workforce planning process, with implementation guidelines
that would be integral to the Agency's strategic planning process.
The Council has committed to providing further recommendations on broader
integration issues, and as a part of its ongoing role as a visionary body, will identify
emerging issues and trends facing EPA. The Council and I look forward to receiving
your response and to working with you on your priorities for the Agency.
Sincerely, X?
Eobert L. Rhodes, Jr.
Chair, NACEPT
Enclosure
cc: Eileen McGinnis,. Chief of Staff
Tom Gibson, Associate Administrator, OPEI
David O'Connor, Acting Assistant Administrator/OARM
Jane Moore, Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator/OARM
Daiva Balkus, Director OHROS/OARM
Kerry Weiss, Director EPA Institute Division/OARM
Gordon Schisler, Acting Director/OCEM
David Ziegele, OPAA/OCFO
Mike Hamlin, Sr. Policy Analyst/OARM
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NOTICE
This report and set of recommendations have been written as part of the activities of the National
Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology (NACEPT), a public advisory
committee providing extramural policy advice to the Environmental Protection Agency's
Administrator and other officials of the EPA. The Council is structured to provide balanced and
expert assessment of policy matters related to the effectiveness of the environmental programs of
the United States. This report has not been reviewed for approval by the EPA and, hence, the
contents of this report, and its recommendations, do not necessarily present the views and
policies of the EPA, nor of other agencies in the Executive Branch of the federal government, nor
does the mention of trade names, companies, or commercial products constitute a
recommendation or endorsement for use.
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National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology April 2001
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
I. INTRODUCTION
II. APPROACH
III. OBSERVATIONS
IV. RECOMMENDATIONS
ATTACHMENT A - Schedule of Meetings 11
ATTACHMENT B - NACEPT Workforce Capacity
Workgroup Members 12
ATTACHMENT C - OARM Charge to NACEPT 13
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National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology April 2001
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In the Fall 2000, the Office of Administration and Resources Management (OARM) requested
that the National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology (NACEPT) help
the Agency evaluate its human resource planning efforts. OARM developed a charge with a
specific list of questions for NACEPT to consider while evaluating EPA's human resource
planning efforts.
Specifically, the Agency asked NACEPT to review its human resource planning strategy outlined
hi EPA's Workforce Assessment Project (WAP) and Strategy for Human Capital. The two
documents provide the reader with a clear understanding of EPA's current workforce
demographics and the potential drivers facing the Agency in developing its workforce of the
future.
In response to this request, the NACEPT Workforce Capacity Workgroup which consisted of
NACEPT Council members was established. The Workgroup met several times between
September 2000 and February 2001. The members dialogued with the OARM program
managers on ways that the human resource planning efforts could be evaluated.
The Workgroup's progress was presented to the full NACEPT Council at the November 8-9,
2000 meeting. The Council forwarded interim findings to the Agency in December 2000 and to
the Transition Team in January 2001. The report and recommendations was submitted to the
EPA Administrator and program managers in April 2001. The Council's observations and
recommendations are also found in Section n of this report.
RECOMMENDATIONS
NACEPT strongly endorses the concept of human resource planning, both as a means of meeting
the internal needs of employees, and in order to fulfill the mission of the Agency. Toward these
ends, the following recommendations are made to assist EPA in developing and implementing a
comprehensive human resource plan and continuing planning process, recognizing that both the
plan and the process must be fully integrated into the Agency's strategic planning process.
• EPA should continue the human resource planning process that was started with the
Workforce Assessment Project and the EPA Strategy for Human Capital, and the original
tasks (i.e., Task 5: create a workforce development strategy for recruitment and retention, and
Task 6: integrate human resource planning and EPA's strategic planning) should be funded
and completed.
• The plan should incorporate more quantitative information, with attention devoted to
measures that will allow the Agency to develop and assess progress toward tangible goals. A
"transformation" plan should be developed that defines the specific goals and, more
importantly, the specific actions that the Agency needs to take to reach those goals.
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National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology April 2001
• The Agency is facing a human resource crisis of significant magnitude, and the human
resource plan must address the crisis and include actions necessary to ameliorate the crisis.
• The human resource plan must address career planning and training. As we noted, this
will represent a significant commitment by the Agency to incur short-term costs for longer-
term benefits.
• In support of the human resource plan and planning process, EPA should collect, maintain,
and archive human resource data necessary for trends analysis and program assessment.
This should include use of longitudinal files on individuals, a "mini-control group/panel,"
etc., so that linkages among employee perceptions, career development, and
retention/longevity may be established and understood.
• Many of EPA's human resource goals and challenges center on issues that do not lend
themselves to "hard" or objective measurement. Therefore, EPA should use employee
opinion surveys and similar "soft" measures on a continuing basis to track employee
perceptions, as well as the Agency's progress in meeting the needs and aspirations of its
employees.
• EPA must fully integrate its human resource planning into the Agency's overall
strategic planning process, so that there is full coordination between the funding,
development, and implementation of human resource programs, and the development of the
Agency's strategic goals and objectives. This will require significant support from the
Administrator and the Agency's senior leadership.
• The Agency must design and sustain a career development program that emphasizes
both formal training and broad experiential assignments as a prerequisite to employee
advancement. Commitment to such a program starts with the Administrator as she insists on
the concept of career development as an Agency-wide priority. This involves trade-offs
between short-term costs and longer-term benefits that must be managed at the highest levels
of the organization.
• EPA should be aggressive in all of its programs to attract and retain the required
personnel to achieve its mission. As we noted in our observations, the Agency needs to be
an advocate for competitive salaries that are specific to occupations and geographic locations.
- EPA needs to emphasize and build upon the high calling of public service, the
cause of the environment, and the opportunity for employees to work on "big
problems" and to make a difference.
- EPA needs to catalogue the full range of programs being used by other Federal
agencies. Specifically, the Agency should expand its partnerships with universities,
and be innovative in the use of fellowships, grants, and contracts to expose graduate
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National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology April 2001
students and faculty to issues related to environmental science and policy. Building
awareness of environmental issues should start as early as elementary school.
• EPA should take the lead within the Federal government in managing the upcoming
retirement crisis, so that institutional knowledge is maintained and transferred to more
junior staff.
- EPA should be proactive in developing programs to counter early retirements, such
as a retention bonus for critical personnel.
- EPA should be innovative in creating new ways to engage former employees, such as
phased retirements.
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National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology April 2001
Evaluation of EPA's Human Resource Planning Efforts
Report and Recommendations
of the
National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology
I. INTRODUCTION
The National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology (NACEPT) is a public
advisory committee originally chartered on July 7,1988. The Council provides
recommendations and advice to the Administrator and other EPA officials on ways to improve
the development and implementation of domestic and international environmental management
policies and programs. The NACEPT membership includes senior-level officials and experts
representing federal, state, and local government agencies and tribal organizations,
business/industry, academia, environmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations.
As principal constituents and stakeholders of EPA, these members provide advice and
recommendations on policy issues/questions and serve as a sounding board for new strategies
that the Agency is developing.
In the Fall 2000, the Office of Administration and Resources Management (OARM) requested
that NACEPT help the Agency evaluate it s human resource planning efforts. Specifically
NACEPT was asked to review EPA's human resource planning strategy outlined in EPA's
Workforce Assessment Project (WAP) and Strategy for Human Capital. The two documents
provide a clear understanding of EPA's current workforce demographics and the potential drivers
facing the Agency in developing its workforce of the future. The Council's observations and
recommendations are discussed in Section n of this report.
Not unlike other public sector agencies, EPA will be hard-pressed to attract and retain qualified
staff members hi a competitive job marketplace, while at the same time having to carry out its
mission in an era where the public expects government to do more with less funding.
The federal government is under increasing pressure to be more accountable, more efficient, and
less costly. This is clearly an outgrowth of experiments in privatization and economic efficiency
that began in the mid 1990's in local governments and has now shifted towards several large
state governments.
Many of the current competitive trends in public administration are already being addressed by
private sector businesses. EPA's Workforce Assessment Project and Strategy for Human Capital
show that privatization and outsourcing have not been given a sufficient level of consideration.
While these documents are based on an assumption that EPA staff will be responsible for
completion of all of these goals and objectives, there are numerous examples of agencies and
functions once thought to be staffed and managed by public sector employees that have been
turned over to private sector operators or employee teams working under long-term service
agreements. Based on this trend, in the near future many federal agencies will be asked to
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National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology April 2001
consider radical ideas in order to achieve their overall mission. Clearly, a "business as usual"
attitude toward staffing federal agencies must change dramatically to respond to the imminent
loss of key personnel as about half of the federal work force will be eligible to retire or take
"early out" in the next five years.
Despite policy statements that "people are our most important asset," all too often are the one
asset that is not strategically managed. Comprehensive human resource planning is an important
task that deserves the attention of the Administrator and the senior leadership.
Fundamentally, all personnel systems must:
• Attract, retain and motivate personnel
• Assign and progress (promote) personnel through a series of jobs to ensure that people
gain the experience that is desired to accomplish specific jobs in the future;
• Provide people with the education and training to complement the experiences they get
"on-the-job."
The current model at EPA is to bring employees in straight out of college and move them
through the system until retirement. This model, however, may not be able to deliver the
age/experience profile EPA needs after a decade of reduced hiring opportunities. This report
provides recommendations to help EPA address the management of its human resources to meet
the aspirations of its employees while achieving its mission.
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National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology April 2001
H. APPROACH
Three sources of information were utilized in preparing this report:
1. Discussions with EPA human resource program managers
2. Background documents provided by the EPA, particularly the Workforce Assessment
Project and Strategy for Human Capital.
3. Briefings by the Comptroller General of the United States, the Office of Personnel
Management strategic planning manger, and a representative of the National Academy of
Public Administration regarding trends in human resource management in the Federal
government
Ultimately, the NACEPT Workforce Capacity Workgroup members used their experience in
both the public and private sectors, to develop the observations and recommendations. This
report is being submitted at this time to serve as a record of the Council's "real-time" advice and
recommendations on the Agency's human resource planning efforts.
The Workgroup's progress was reported to the full NACEPT Council at the November 8-9,
2000 meeting. The draft final recommendations were submitted to the NACEPT Council for
review and approval in late February 2001. The Council discussed the recommendations with
the EPA program managers during its March 21,2001 meeting in Washington, D.C.
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National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology April 2001
m. OBSERVATIONS
0ARM's original charge was in the form of a specific list of questions which follow together
with the observations of the Workgroup and NACEPT Council.
How does the Agency's human resource efforts compare with those considered to be
benchmarks in the private/public sector?
• The Agency's human resource efforts do not currently compare very favorably to benchmark
organizations in the private sector. The Workforce Assessment develops a view of where the
Agency would like to be in 2020, but provides neither a strategy nor a process to transform
today's workforce into the desired workforce of the future.
• The Workforce Assessment Project and the EPA: "Strategy for Human Capital" do not
include enough quantitative data, e.g. the age/experience distribution within the Agency, data
on skills assessments, transferability of skills, etc.
The Strategy Document was too general and lacked tangible goals and goal-directed
tangible actions and should include specific direction to the Agency implementation.
The document should include measurements for progress toward goals.
EPA should develop a "transformation" plan that defines the specific goals and, more
importantly, the specific actions that the Agency needs to take to reach those goals.
• NACEPT believes that the Agency is facing a human resource crisis of significant
magnitude, yet the materials reviewed did not propose actions necessary to ameliorate the
crisis.
• One aspect of transformation is career planning and training. The Volcker Commission1
noted mat training was not a strength of the Federal Government. EPA has the opportunity to
use training as a significant tool to enhance the management and development of its
personnel.
However, this transcends a human resource plan. It represents a significant commitment on
the part of the Agency to incur short-term costs and longer-term benefits. Examples of the
commitment to training as a part of career development can be found within the Federal
government (i.e., DoD's programs for professional education of military officers and senior
The Report of the National Commission on the Public Service and the Task Force
Reports to the National Commission on the Public Service. Paul A. Volcker,
Chairman (1989): "Leadership for America, Rebuilding the Public Service."
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National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology April 2001
civilians), as well as in such private firms as Merck and Intel.
• NACEPT benchmarked public and private organizations that have quantitative goals and
support those goals using robust collection, maintenance, and archiving of human resource
data. This data can be used for trends analysis and program assessment.
• NACEPT benchmarked public and private organizations that monitor progress toward goals
via employee opinion surveys and similar "soft" measurement processes. A drawback to
using such feedback as the sole measuring instrument is that the process can be very
subjective and may provide only individual employee perceptions, regardless of whether they
are accurate or true.
As general guidance on conducting organizational surveys NACEPT recommends that the
Agency be prepared to address any questions or issues that arise from the survey. In advance
of conducting a survey, there must be top level commitment to take action on any issues that
a survey identifies as a problem (or a perceived problem).
It will be necessary to find ways to answer the "hard" questions. EPA needs to develop
measures for tracking progress toward goals, e.g., How do people move through the
organization? What are the actual Career Paths? What does it take for an individual to
advance?
• Surveys must provide for immediate feedback and response and acknowledgment of the
issues from high levels of management. Benchmarked organizations also use such measures
to identify issues for deeper examination or "drill-down," and potential strategic planning and
implementation. For example:
Intel: On identifying Management expertise -Intel has 10 years of tracking of their
successful managers to help identify determining factors for success. For example,
the level of education has a huge impact on individual success versus more "political
stuff'.
Intel has identified a number of behavioral elements related to the success of its
employees. To capitalize on these findings, they developed internal opportunities to
enhance the professional growth of their managers. For example, management courses
were developed based on the findings of the "Successful Manager" study. One of the
"behavioral elements" finds that employees who utilized internal training
opportunities were more likely to move up in the organization.
Intel's human resources department has a research budget for collecting and analyzing
data in support of studies such as the one described above. It maintains a substantial
employee data base which helps to identify the qualities, background, and behaviors
which correlate to higher levels of success in the organization.
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National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology April 2001
The Department of Defense stores data to identify how people move through the
system. It has found that changes in compensation correlate with separations, i.e.
people who moved up in the organization and have increased compensation tend to
stay longer. Employees hi lower salary brackets and those in "dead-end" positions are
more likely to leave. Longitudinal files are maintained on individuals which allows
analyses on groups/categories based on the historical numbers (not limited by
employee responses).
Merck employee surveys utilize a mini-control group/panel to provide more frequent
feedback on questions as they arise. This sample group is surveyed by e-mail and
results in effectively a 100% response. This sample group is periodically "calibrated"
against the total population.
• Many organizations in the public and private sectors regularly conduct analyses to link
employee data with other stakeholder and/or organizational performance measures and
outcomes. For example, several organizations benchmarked attempt to link changes in
employee perceptions and satisfaction to changes in employee retention, absenteeism,
productivity, and related measures of employee engagement/effectiveness. This allows
organizations to assess the success or failure of their human resource programs and
initiatives.
How can OARM integrate its strategic planning process with the Agency's strategic plan?
• Human resources strategic planning needs to be an integral part of EPA's overall strategic
plan, and the process by which the strategic plan is developed. This begins within the highest
levels of management within EPA. If human resource planning is viewed as an add-on
process or afterthought, it will not receive the attention or resources necessary to transform
today's workforce to the desired workforce of tomorrow.
• Only when Human Resources is integrated into the strategic planning process will the
Agency be able to truly identify the necessary skills and knowledge needed to fulfill its
objectives and reflect the capabilities of EPA's workforce.
• The new Administration has a unique opportunity to fully integrate human resource planning
with the overall strategic planning of the Agency. To make a successful case for needing an
integrated strategic plan, HR must have data and use statistics to support the issues, e.g.
turnover - people leave when they are unhappy with management, training, career
development, etc.
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National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology April 2001
Is OARM doing enough in human resource planning to identify appropriate priorities and
attain the Agency's human resource goals?
• While the six goals are good concepts, they are general and are applicable to any
organization. It is not clear how these goals specifically address the mission of the Agency
and/or its strategic goals. For example, Goal 3 states that EPA seeks to be innovative,
creative, and risk-taking at all levels of the organization. It is unclear how EPA plans to
measure any of these characteristics or to instill them in the workforce. If EPA cannot
define, measure, or describe these characteristics, it is impossible to identify appropriate
priorities and/or progress towards achieving relevant goals.
• The general concepts and qualities embraced in any goal must be translated into specific
measures and outcomes. For example, the Agency has a general goal of achieving and
maintaining "clean air," but over time, it has developed specific standards and precise
procedures for attaining this goal. Nothing less is required for defining and attaining EPA's
human resource plans and goals.
Has EPA allocated the appropriate level of resources to support its human resource
development goals (i.e., address program administrator resources, as well as, resources that
should be directed toward individual development)?
• It appears that EPA lacks a disciplined human resources planning process, and needs to have
a comprehensive approach to human resource development. For example, development of an
EPA employee should prepare him/her to serve anywhere in the Agency, and not just the
specific program in which he/she is employed. In addition to education, job experience is a
critical factor in career development. This could be accomplished through details,
developmental assignments, IPA's, and open competition for advancement. It is particularly
important to have developmental assignments between and among Regional Offices and
Washington headquarters.
• Career development and developmental programs must be reinforced, both in daily work, and
in the career/progression planning. For example, the Agency should reinforce career
development by requiring broad experience as a prerequisite for advancement to higher
managerial positions.
• The commitment for personnel development has to start at the top, as the Administrator
strives to relieve the burdened organization of the short-term costs of "giving up" an
employee for training or developmental assignments. In other words, trade-off between
short-term costs and longer-term benefits be acknowledged at the highest levels of the
organization.
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National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology April 2001
How can EPA compete effectively in attracting and retaining talented employees in a job
market that offers job seekers multiple choices?
• It is well understood that compensation needs to be competitive, and that EPA needs to be an
advocate within the Federal government for competitive salaries that are specific to
occupations and geographic locations.
• The Federal government in general, and EPA specifically, has more to offer than just
financial remuneration. The Agency needs to emphasize and promote the high calling of
public service, the cause of the environment, and the opportunity to work on "big problems"
and to make a difference. Nonetheless air compensation cannot be minimized.
• It is clear that EPA has not catalogued or implemented the full range of programs being used
by other Federal agencies to attract and retain personnel. Examples of such programs include
repaying of student loans, recruitment bonuses, expedited hiring practices, expanded
internships for new hires, and phased retirement for career employees. Such programs, once
initiated, should be a continuing part of EPA's HR plan.
• EPA should be aggressive in building partnerships with universities, and innovative in the
use of Ph.D. research fellowships, grants, and contracts to expose graduate students and
faculty to issues related to environmental science and policy. This should include not only
financial support, but also access to the Agency, its data, and its resources.
• Creating awareness of and interest in the environment should start early. EPA should
continue to promote environmental awareness and career opportunities as early as elementary
school.
• Given the proj ected crisis of early retirement and loss of institutional knowledge, a target
population for increased retention should be those already employed by the Agency. If, in
years past, it was appropriate to offer "early out" bonuses to trim the workforce, it might be
appropriate to offer retention bonuses to employees who are eligible to retire, but who agree
to continue then* employment. This could be offered on a selective basis.
This does need to be more expensive to the Federal government although it could represent
increased cost to the EPA. This is because pension costs are not borne by the Agency. The
advantage of such a program would be the maintenance of institutional knowledge, as well as
an opportunity to transfer that knowledge to more junior staff, and a more orderly transition
to a future workforce. It would also reduce the requirement for new hires and training in the
immediate future.
NACEPT commends EPA for undertaking the human resource planning effort, and believes that
it is a productive approach for the Agency.
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National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology April 2001
IV. RECOMMENDATIONS
NACEPT endorses the concept of human resource planning, both as a means of meeting the
internal needs of employees, and in order to fulfill the mission of the Agency. The following
recommendations are made to assist EPA in developing and implementing a comprehensive
human resource plan and continuing planning process, recognizing that both the plan and the
process must be fully integrated into the Agency's strategic planning process.
• EPA should continue the human resource planning process that began with the
Workforce Assessment Project and the EPA Strategy for Human Capital, and the original
tasks (i.e., Task 5: create a workforce development strategy for recruitment and retention, and
Task 6: integrate human resource planning and EPA's strategic planning) should be funded
and completed.
• The plan should incorporate more quantitative information, with attention devoted to
measures that will allow the Agency to develop and assess progress toward tangible
goals.
• A "transformation" plan should be developed that defines the specific goals and, more
importantly, the specific actions that the Agency needs to take to reach those goals.
• EPA must address its workforce crisis and identify actions necessary to ameliorate the
crisis.
• EPA must address career planning and training. This will represent a significant
commitment on the part of the Agency to incur short-term costs for longer-term benefits.
• EPA should collect, maintain, and archive human resource data that is used for trends
analysis and program assessment, in support of the human resource plan and planning
process. This should include use of longitudinal files on individuals, a "mini-control
group/panel," etc., so that linkages among employee perceptions, career development, and
retention/longevity may be established and understood.
• EPA should use employee opinion surveys and similar "soft" measures on a continuing
basis to track employee perceptions, as well as the Agency's progress in meeting the needs
and aspirations of its employees. Many of EPA's human resource goals and challenges
center on issues that do not lend themselves to "hard" or objective measurement.
• EPA must fully integrate its human resource planning into the Agency's overall
strategic planning process, so that there is full coordination between the funding,
development, and implementation of human resource programs, and the development of the
Agency's strategic goals and objectives. This will require significant support from the
Administrator and the Agency's senior leadership.
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National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology April 2001
• EPA must design and sustain a career development program that emphasizes both
formal training and broad experiential assignments as a prerequisite to employee
advancement Commitment to such a program starts with the Administrator supporting the
concept of career development as an Agency-wide priority. This entails trade-offs between
short-term costs and longer-term benefits that must be managed at the highest levels of the
organization.
• EPA should be aggressive in aU of its programs to attract and retain the required
personnel to achieve its mission. The Agency needs to be an advocate for competitive
salaries that are specific to occupations and geographic locations.
EPA should emphasize and build upon the high calling of public service, the cause of
the environment, and the opportunity for employees to work on "big problems" and to
make a difference.
EPA should catalogue the full range of programs being used by other Federal
agencies. Specifically, it should expand its partnerships with universities, and be
innovative in the use of fellowships, grants, and contracts to expose graduate students
and faculty to issues related to environmental science and policy. Building awareness
of environmental issues should start as early as elementary school.
• EPA should take the lead within the Federal government in managing the upcoming
retirement crisis, so that institutional knowledge is maintained and transferred to more
junior staff. Rather than being passive, the Agency should be proactive in developing
programs to counter early retirements, such as a retention bonus for critical personnel. EPA
also should be innovative in creating new ways to engage former employees, such as phased
retirements.
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National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology
April 2001
ATTACHMENT A
SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS
Dates & Location
September 2000
(Full Council Planning Meeting)
Washington, DC
November 8-9,2000
(Full Council Meeting)
Alexandria, Virginia
February 21-22, 2001
(Workgroup Planning Meeting)
Tampa, Florida
March 21,2001
(Full Council Meeting)
Washington, DC
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National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology
April 2001
ATTACHMENT B
Members of the NACEPT Workforce Capacity Workgroup
(The following individuals are also members of the NACEPT Council)
Chair: Ms. Dorothy Bowers
Merck & Co., Inc.
One Merck Drive
Whitehouse Station, NJ 08889-0100
Dr. Randall Brandt
Senior Vice President, Integrated Services
Burke, Inc.
805 Central Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Ms. Kirby Dyess
Vice President/Director of Intel Capital
Intel Corporation, JF3-151
2111N.E. 25th Avenue
Hfflsboro, OR 97124-5961
Mr. Grover Hankins
Professor of Law; Director of the Environmental
Justice Clinic
Thurgood Marshall School of Law
Texas Southern University
3100Clebume
Houston, TX 77004
Dr. Charles Kidd
President, York College
The City University of New York
94-20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd.
Jamaica, NY 11451
Dr. Marc Rogoff
Vice President, HDR Engineering, Inc.
2202 North Westshore Blvd., Suite 250
Tampa, FL 33607
Dr. Bernard Rostker
Senior Associate
RAND Corporation
1200 South Hayes St.
Arlington, VA 22202-5050
Ms. Carrolle Rushford
Rushford & Associates
615 South Xenon Court
Lakewood, CO 80228-2820
Mr. Ned Sullivan
Executive Director
Scenic Hudson, Inc.
9 Vassar Street
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Ms. Anita R. Hanson,
Designated Federal Officer, NACEPT Workforce
Capacity Workgroup
Office of Cooperative
Environmental Management
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Washington, D.C.
Ms. Gwendolyn C.L. Whitt
Designated Federal Officer, NACEPT
Office of Cooperative
Environmental Management
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Washington, D.C.
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National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology April 2001
ATTACHMENT C
Charge to the National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology
EPA's Strategic Planning for Meeting Human Resource Needs
The Office of Administration and Resources Management (OARM) has developed EPA's
Strategy for Human Capital: FY 2001 through FY 2003 which provides a fundamental direction
for the management of the Agency's workforce. It serves as the basis for the development of
Agency-wide annual plans and for the allocation of resources to support OARM's overall
priorities, which include:
• Succession planning;
• Attracting and retaining a diverse workforce with the competencies necessary to meet
the changing demands of the Agency's mission;
• Enabling employees to perform to their highest potential to achieve the Agency's
mission;
• Simplifying and streamlining processes to provide superior customer service as well
as to keep up with the challenges facing the Agency in the future; and
• Aligning management and planning systems to support employees in achieving the
Agency's mission.
OARM is in the second year of implementing the Workforce Development Strategy, ensuring
that employees develop and maintain the skills and competencies needed to meet current and
future challenges. It recognizes that different workforce skills will be needed hi the future, as
well as personnel with multiple disciplinary backgrounds and the ability to communicate more
effectively with the public in a multilingual and multi-cultural society.
Therefore, EPA is requesting the NACEPT to assess these efforts and related initiatives, and help
the Agency to focus its strategic planning for human resource development in the right direction.
In particular, EPA is interested hi receiving advice on the following questions:
• How does the Agency's human resource efforts compare to those considered to be
benchmarks in the private sector?
- Using the Workforce Assessment Project and Strategy for Human Capital, workgroup
should look first at what is happening within their own organizations that is similar and
provide examples or resources to explore for benchmarks in private industry.
~13~ US. EPA Headquarters Library
Mail code 3201
1200 Pennsylvania Aveniie W
Washington DC ?043';
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National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology April 2001
• How can OARM integrate its strategic planning process with the Agency's strategic plan?
Process identification for integrating the OARM's and the Agency's strategic
planning processes.
• Is OARM doing enough in human resource planning to identify appropriate priorities and
attain the Agency's human resources goals?
- Based on a review of the Workforce Assessment Project and the Strategy for Human
Resource documents.
• Has EPA allocated the appropriate level of resources to support its human resource
development goals (i.e., address program administration resources, as well as, resources that
should be directed toward individual development)?
Council members should general comparisons of percentage of expenditures dedicated
to human resource development in their current or past organizations.
• How can EPA compete effectively in attracting and retaining talented employees in a job
market that offers job seekers multiple choices?
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