PSRA Mission Archive
A great workforce, getting better
Washington state government has a first-class workforce and changes are in the works to make it even better.
Washington Works is the implementation of the Personnel System Reform Act of 2002 legislation that will seize an historic opportunity to create a model state government workforce and system, providing the best results at the right price for Washington State citizens. Washington Work's vision for high-performance government responds to public needs and changing times.
Washington Works is a collaborative effort endorsed by the Governor and sponsored by the Department of Personnel, the Office of Financial Management and the Department of General Administration on behalf of state agencies.
The Office of Financial Management has primary responsibility for collective bargaining. The Department of General Administration will write the rules and administer the competitive contracting process. The Department of Personnel has the lead in development and implementation of the new human resource system. This effort introduces the biggest change to the state workforce in a generation and impacts nearly every state agency and service delivered to Washington's citizens.
Washington Works will improve public services by:
- Streamlining the state's cumbersome classification system through civil service reform to create a human resource system that responds to state government's changing business needs, and treats employees with fairness, dignity and respect.
- Expanding collective bargaining to advance the priorities of a high performance government and its competitive workforce through positive labor relations.
- Providing for competitive contracting through a fair and open process to determine the most effective and efficient manner of delivering government services.
- Enabling and supporting effective human resource management, labor relations and competitive contracting with a modern, flexible human resource management information system.
Civil Service Reform
Vision:
A responsive human resource system that responds to state government's changing business needs, and treats employees with fairness, dignity, and respect.
Goals:
Simplified classification system: A broad job classification structure that provides flexibility in assigning job duties to meet changing needs, facilitates career mobility and advancement for employees, and assists in recruitment and retention.
Other changes required to support a simplified classification system:
- A compensation system that supports specific position needs, recognizes employee performance, supports fair decisions based on clearly understood criteria, and provides incentives for the achievement of executive and legislative policies and goals, defined performance outcomes
- Reduction-in-force and layoff rules and practices that allow agencies to retain a productive workforce
- Flexible recruitment and selection practices that support efficiently hiring and promoting the most qualified, best performing candidates
- Strong, effective performance management system that sets clear expectations, provides feedback and coaching, and recognizes good work. Performance appraisal practices that support new compensation and reduction-in-force rules
- Rules and practices for appeals that are clear, fair to employees, and efficient for all participants
Collective Bargaining
Vision:
Advance the priorities of a high performance government and its competitive workforce through positive labor relations.
Goals:
- Labor agreements result in workplace performance and service delivery improvements.
- Compensation is fair and affordable.
- Labor agreements are consistent and are easy to understand and use.
- The labor relations process and agreements create a flexible system that anticipates and responds to changing needs and requirements.
- Agreements promote the accomplishment of executive and legislatively defined outcomes in the government programs.
Competitive Contracting
Vision:
A fair and open process to determine the most cost effective and efficient manner of delivering government services.
Goals:
- A strategic process that is aligned with similar/complementary processes such as budget and priorities of government efforts and supports collective bargaining, civil service reform and HRMS.
- A fair and consistently applied set of rules and processes that are easily understood by all stakeholders.
- A competitive and informed employee and vendor community.
- A “cost of government services” methodology to support agency assessments of service delivery.
- The development of competitive skills and attitudes in agency work units that promote efficiency whether or not a task is contracted out. Increased “free market” approach within government, not just in external contracts.
- To encourage process improvements that result in cost savings and efficiencies in government activities.
Human Resource Management System
Vision:
Enable and support effective human resource management, labor relations and competitive contracting.
Goals:
- Continue timely and accurate payroll.
- Support implementation of civil service reform and collective bargaining.
- Provide management information required for effective negotiations.
- Improve information for legislative decisions.
- Provide flexibility to implement legal and business improvements.
- Follow planned and reasonable risk management approaches to implementation.
- Consolidation of human resource systems; stem proliferation of separate systems in state agencies.
- Protect against liability, such as allegations of discriminatory practices, by supplying information that can demonstrate an even handed approach.
- Improve timeliness, accuracy, and availability of data.
- Improve morale and productivity of human resource professionals by reducing time spent on transactional activities.
- Maximize resources; eliminate manual processes, support employee and manager self-service, support e-government.
- Support cost-effective outsourcing by providing better information on labor costs associated with services.
- Support human resource practices designed to attract, motivate, retain and reward a competitive workforce.