Federal boards are looking to expand their offerings to even more federal employees working outside of the Washington, DC area.

After reporting successful training sessions, recruiting events and cost savings over the past fiscal year, the Office of Personnel Management sees an opportunity to expand the reach of FEBs to more than double the number of federal officials who can access program resources.

Expansion would now be possible, following the restructuring of the FEB program and the recent development of a new financing model, OPM said.

“This transformation is designed to improve the effectiveness of FEBs in promoting interagency collaboration, better serve the 85 percent of federal employees located outside of Washington, D.C., and expand the reach of FEBs to areas with significant federal activity but without the presence of the FEB”, wrote the OPM in this annual report February 2023released earlier this month.

Federal executive councils have been in business for over 60 years. Working in 28 different locations across the country, the Boards of Senior Federal Executives collaborate regularly to discuss federal workforce improvement goals and host various federal workforce events in their region. FEBs also help coordinate plans for state or local emergencies, such as tornadoes, hurricanes and even snow days.

The FEB program has recently moved – it is now hosted within OPM with the aim of centralizing its operations. There is also a new funding model for the program. In the past, FEBs relied solely on voluntary funding from regional agencies. But now that agencies are allowed to contribute more to funding the FEB program, more options open up with resources that are likely more predictable and stable.

“By centralizing FEBs, we make our operations more unified and efficient, which in turn increases collaboration. And that really positions us to stay focused on key objectives,” Kelly DeGraff, OPM deputy associate director for FEBs, said in an interview earlier this year. “Centralized monitoring also makes us more accountable and transparent, which really improves our overall responsiveness to government agencies and the public. »

How FEBs aim to support federal employees

Although the vast majority of the federal workforce is located outside of the Washington, D.C. area, various reports and surveys have found that federal employees located far from agency headquarters are often experience lower engagement and satisfaction in their work. Agencies are also finding it more difficult to recruit and retain employees in remote locations, like Alaska and Hawaii.

For example, in the OPM results on 2024 Federal Employee Viewpoint SurveyFederal employees located in the “East” FEB – or those generally closer to agency headquarters – had higher engagement scores than those working in areas covered by the “West” FEB, which are geographically more distant of the seat.

But OPM, along with the Government Accountability Office, sees the FEB program as an opportunity to close this gap and boost federal recruitment and retention nationwide.

“FEBs play a critical role in connecting Washington’s communication and engagement to the rest of the country and provide an access point for federal public engagement,” said OPM Acting Director Rob Shriver. in the FEB annual report.

FEBs may be able to support field office employees, whose FEVS scores are approximately 10% lower than headquarters employees in terms of satisfaction with the recognition they receive from their agencies. For example, under the FEB program, agencies offer rewards to federal employees. In 2023, the FEB awarded 735 awards to recognize the work of the federal government. If FEBs are able to expand their reach, it could be an opportunity to recognize even more federal governments for their work.

Additionally, the GAO stated in a recent report that FEBs are in a unique position to foster and improve collaboration between regional federal offices and the head offices of many agencies.

Leadership training, fundraising and more

Federal employees from different parts of the country also participated in workshops, trainings and employee development programs organized by the FEB – covering leadership skills, how to apply for retirement, alternative dispute resolution and much more. During the last fiscal year, OPM reported that learning opportunities, mentoring programs, rewards programs and other training sessions through FEBs saved approximately $7.8 million. Training programs have expanded to more than 30,000 federal employees.

For the future, “the FEB program will implement a new regional model to expand the reach of FEB’s mission and more than double the number of federal employees eligible to access FEB programs,” OPM said. “The regional model also increases the number of executives engaged with FEBs. »

Part of today’s training opportunities include leadership development options for early-career workers. For example, FEB in Cleveland, Ohio, sponsored a leadership development program for entry-level employees. Program participants discovered strategies for improving performance, communications, conflict management and time management.

“By leading comprehensive leadership development programs, FEBs demonstrate a deep commitment to cultivating a culture of continuous growth and learning,” OPM said in its report. “These programs equip individuals with essential skills and knowledge and strengthen the value of public service. »

Additionally, OPM reported that the FEB national team hosted several federal retirement sessions, reaching more than 17,000 employees to guide them through the Thrift Savings Plan, Social Security and System of federal employee retirement.

Along with training opportunities, FEBs across the country also regularly conduct emergency exercises and training, including in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security and the General Services Administration. Efforts include coordinating interagency emergency exercises, continuity webinars and active threat training, OPM said.

FEBs are also a major supporter of coordination efforts for the annual Combined Federal Campaign, which allows federal authorities to make donations to charitable organizations around the world. OPM reported that CFC campaigns in areas where FEBs operate collectively raised $30.3 million in donations, nearly 80 percent of total campaign collections last year.

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