Accenture Federal Services
Delivering Public Service for the Future
Bad First Days Can Hurt Good Hires—
and Impact Government Efficiency
Three Must-Dos to Get Onboarding
Right on Day One
There are no second chances to make strong first impressions—especially on an
employee’s first day. Federal agencies welcomed 28,000 new hires in October
2014 alone.1 With budgets tight, agencies must make the most of their hiring
investment for a productive federal workforce that drives government efficiency.
That’s why engaging new hires immediately through effective onboarding is
more important than ever. Employees are putting their best foot forward on
day one—but are their federal employers?
Hiring is happening
Federal agencies must recruit and onboard
an abundance of new hires to fill vacancies
due to retirement and voluntary separation.
In fact, the Partnership for Public Service
reports that 114,000 people left federal
agencies in 2013, most of them through
retirement. That is just over six percent of
the federal workforce, and a 37.3 percent
jump in departures since 2009.2
The will to leave—
or stay
While careers in the federal government
lasting more than 30-years were once
common, today’s workforce is more likely
than ever to seek outside opportunities and
change employment if they are unfulfilled
by their job. Voluntary departures have
grown in federal agencies each year since
2009.3 Not only are employees increasingly
willing to leave an unfulfilling position, they
are often making that decision within days
and months, not years.
The consequences of a
bad first day
The stakes are high when it comes to hiring
in the federal environment. Federal agencies
invest millions of dollars in recruitment,
relocation and retention programs—upwards
of $350 million in 2009 according to the U.S.
Office of Personnel Management (OPM).4
Yet for many agencies, the onboarding of
new hires, both those new to the agency as
well as those transferring into new positions,
is sometimes an afterthought. Rather than
being addressed as a critical component
of the agency’s human capital strategy,
onboarding can be little more than new
hire paperwork or an employee handbook,
leaving the new hire to “sink or swim.”
The reality is that when federal agencies
fail to get onboarding right on day one,
agencies start to put their entire recruitment
investment—and new hires’ productivity
potential to drive government efficiency—
at risk. According the the U.S. Office of
Personnel Management, from January
2006 to October 2011 16 percent of
Senior Executive Service members did
not complete their one-year probation
period. Accenture estimates that this cost
the federal government $200 million.
2
Employees’ early months can be key
indicators of their future with the
organization. This time is the golden window
when employees make critical decisions
about whether to stay or leave, internalize
job responsibilities, and become productive
members of the organization. If things go
wrong on the first day, this can set the tone
for their entire employment.
A Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Job Openings and Labor
Turnover: September 2014,” November 13, 2014, accessed
November 17, 2014 http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/
jolts.pdf
1
2
Partnership for Public Service, “Federal Figures 2014:
Federal Departures,” August 14, 2014, accessed October
23, 2014 http://ourpublicservice.org/OPS/publications/
viewcontentdetails.php?id=247
3
Partnership for Public Service, “Federal Figures 2014:
Federal Departures,” August 14, 2014, accessed October
23, 2014 http://ourpublicservice.org/OPS/publications/
viewcontentdetails.php?id=247
4
U.S. Office of Personnel Management, “Recruitment,
Relocation, and Retention Incentives: Calendar Year 2009:
Report to the Congress,” August 2011, accessed October
23, 2014 http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/
pay-leave/recruitment-relocation-retention-incentives/
reports/2009report.pdf
5
U.S. Office of Personnel Management, “Hit the Ground
Running: Establishing a Model Executive Onboarding
Program,” October 2011, accessed October 23, 2014 http://
www.opm.gov/WIKI/uploads/docs/Wiki/OPM/training/
Hit_the_Ground_Running_Establishing_a_Model_Executive_
Onboarding_Framework_2011.pdf
Three musts-dos for
success on day one
Too many bad first days add up to a real
threat to government efficiency. On the
other hand, if employees’ enthusiasm and
optimism on their first day are matched and
nourished, agencies can reap the benefits
for years.
Agencies can benefit from making program
managers responsible—and accountable in
their performance reviews—for developing
new hires beginning on the first day. As part
of its extensive onboarding program, one
U.S. Department of Justice agency created
an executive onboarding and peer mentoring
program for new executives to help new
hires feel connected from the outset.
There are specific actions that agencies can
take to set employees up for success on
day one. They do not require great expense
or innovation, but demand a focus on
fundamentals that agencies may lose sight
of amid so many responsibilities.
2. Go digital
1. Make it personal
The social aspect of the first day cannot
be undervalued. New employees want
to be greeted by name and made to
feel welcome by their peers. Assigning a
sponsor fosters personal connections early
as does scheduling one-on-one chats with
team members during the first day and
throughout the rest of the first week.
A team lunch to welcome a new hire is an
easy step but often overlooked in the daily
demands of running a busy government
agency. Such seemingly innocuous
oversights can go a long way in damaging
the first impressions of an agency and
leave new hires feeling disillusioned
and unsupported.
Most new hires expect to have digital
tools at their fingertips. Providing access
right away creates a comfort level and
builds confidence that the tools to do their
job well will be available. This starts with
ensuring that employees do not have to go
through hoops to get their computer on the
first day. In addition, providing access to
an employee intranet and other sources of
online information helps new hires feel selfsufficient on day one so they can self-orient
and look up information they may not feel
comfortable asking a supervisor or peer. This
sense of control and independence builds
confidence and sets the tone for an enabled,
engaged employee.
A Department of Justice agency provides
new hires with early access to an online
training portal, an onboarding website and a
team website. This has changed traditional
new employee orientation checklists into a
self-guided interactive learning experience.
3
3. Get to work
New employees are eager to prove
their worth and to make a difference.
Agencies should work to minimize day one
paperwork by staggering administrative
requirements and completing forms before
the first day as possible.
New hires should attend team meetings
and get immediate opportunities to
have their ideas heard and know what
is expected of them. Program managers
or supervisors should be sure to provide
a specific, work-related task that can be
completed on the first day. Not only does
this give the new hires something to share
with their friends or family at the end of
the day, but also it sends the message that
their productivity is valued—and expected.
Delivering public
service for the future
As federal agencies drive government
efficiency, they should think differently
about day one. Immediate strategic
onboarding can help improve retention,
develop speed to productivity and improve
operational performance. There’s no
disputing that first impressions last. Positive
engagement on day one ultimately becomes
confidence in delivering public service for
the future on day 365—and beyond.
For More Information
For more information, please contact:
Kelsey Johnson
[email protected]
Michael Gavin
[email protected]
For more ideas on how to develop your
agency’s overall efficiency strategy, visit:
www.accenture.com/govefficiency.
Follow Accenture Federal Services
on Twitter at @AccentureFed and
join the conversation at #Efficiency.
You can also follow us on LinkedIn.
Copyright © 2015 Accenture
All rights reserved.
Accenture, its logo, and
High Performance Delivered
are trademarks of Accenture.
About Accenture
Federal Services
Accenture Federal Services is a U.S.
company, with offices in Arlington, Va.,
and is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Accenture LLP. Accenture’s federal business
has served every cabinet-level department
and 30 of the largest federal organizations
with clients at defense, intelligence, public
safety and civilian agencies.
About Accenture
Accenture is a global management
consulting, technology services and
outsourcing company, with more than
319,000 people serving clients in more
than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled
experience, comprehensive capabilities
across all industries and business functions,
and extensive research on the world’s
most successful companies, Accenture
collaborates with clients to help them
become high-performance businesses and
governments. The company generated net
revenues of US$30.0 billion for the fiscal
year ended Aug. 31, 2014. Its home page
is www.accenture.com.