This type of strategic innovation is exactly what Senator Akaka and I hoped would result when we created the Chief Human Capital Officers Council 8 years ago.

Well, it seems to me that if you are looking at the programs, that this cost-benefit should be really looked at.

During his confirmation process, I challenged Director John Berry to lead by example and make the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) an employer of choice among Federal agencies.

The Federal Hiring Process Improvement Act, I think, will help agencies and job applicants by eliminating the barriers for applying for Federal employment.

In other words, if we went the route of, say, Safeway or other companies that are out there that are really getting into this, Proctor and Gamble and so forth, that if we wanted to do an experiment, we would have to change the law in…

The wages we pay our Federal employees are not subject to collective bargaining. We set that by the statute and that is what it is.

So we can't do that on kind of a pilot basis?

I think it is important that we examine the extent to which the Federal Government's work-life policies support our need to recruit and retain highly qualified individuals.

The Federal Government spends, on average, $100,571 per employee for salary and benefits.

I look forward to finalizing that bill and to learning about other ways Congress can support work-life programs.

the fiscal situation for the Federal Government is something that we will certainly need to be addressing