Policy & Practice August 2018

from our partners By Libby Bacon, Jeric Huang, Mike Moreno, and Eric Wilson

Charting New Pathways: Navigating the Future of Work in Health and Human Services

H ealth and Human Services (H/HS) leaders know the challenges their more than 2.5 million staff members face: an intense work environment, high turnover, and growing caseloads. This helps explain why workforce and talent management are top concerns for agency leaders. Despite a keen awareness of these issues, only 15 percent of leaders say they have a well-defined strategy for workforce management. 1 The future of work, characterized by a growing work- force ecosystem, increased mobility, demographic shifts, and technological advancements is opening new pos- sibilities to address these lingering challenges. 2 Looking to the future of work uncovers new ways of acquiring, developing, and managing the work- force, enabling H/HS agencies to focus on the core mission of serving citizens in need. Agencies can improve their work- force for the future of work by reexamining three factors: Where: Where can virtual work, distributed work, remote work, or redesigned workplaces be deployed to induce greater productivity? Who: Who can do the work across the workforce eco- system from traditional full-time and part-time employees to contractors, freelancers, gig workers, and crowds? What: What work, presently done by humans, can be complemented by smart machines and automation using advances in cognitive technologies? The Where. We exist in a completely intercon- nected world, which opens up new options for where work gets done. This

n What is your starting point? Does your organization look like the blue triangle: heavily reliant on close,

physical proximity, traditional staffing, and low automation?

n How can you push the boundaries to rely less on physical location,

leverage additional staffing categories, and automate repetitive tasks?

means that work is no longer confined to a physical office location. Leveraging a virtual workforce strategy can allow states to deliver services more effi- ciently on multiple fronts: realizing cost savings from reduced physical office footprints, routing the right work to the right worker at the right time, and providing a better overall experi- ence for customers and employees. Advances in productivity, mobility, and collaboration tools, as well as the next wave of virtual presence technological innovation has acceler- ated the ability to deliver on a flexible workplace. One state that embraced workplace mobility implemented a model that allowed a large majority of their workforce to work from home. Underpinning the advancement

of virtual work is strong employee engagement and a workplace culture that supports digital and agile ways of working. H/HS leaders at the forefront of fostering this culture are positioned to reap the benefits of a more engaged and productive workforce; thus attracting talent more effectively and reducing voluntary turnover rates. The Who. The demographic drivers of the future of work are reshaping the H/HS workforce. The number of career changes in an average life is increasing, as the concept of having a job for life gives way to the next

See Pathways on page 39

Image via Deloitte Consulting, LLP

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Policy&Practice August 2018