ICF’s Jeff Neal: Federal Agencies Should Update HR Practices to Create ’21st Century Workforce’

Jeff Neal, a senior vice president of ICF, has said the federal government needs to reform its human resources processes in order to address the “21st century workforce” objective stated in the President’s Management Agenda.

He wrote in an article published Friday on Government Executive that the Office of Personnel Management should review and update federal hiring approaches "with an eye toward simplification, flexibility and modernization."

Neal urged Congress to give OPM the authority to simplify current veteran preference rules and allow the expansion of “demonstration project” authority for agencies to apply human capital practices used in the private and non-federal government sectors.

He added that federal HR practitioners also need modern systems, adequate funds and proper training to transition from a transaction processor to a strategic adviser.

"Modernization of the government’s human capital legal and regulatory frameworks are essential underpinnings of a 21st century workforce," he noted.

Neal previously served as chief HR officer at the Defense Logistics Agency and chief human capital officer at the Department of Homeland Security.