Audit outlines challenges addressing Oregon’s government workforce crisis

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – An audit released by the Oregon Secretary of State’s office on Thursday highlights issues addressing the state’s government workforce crisis — urging leaders to create staffing plans over concerns for employee well-being and how efficiently agencies can serve the public.

Auditors assessed the role of the Department of Administrative Services in guiding state agencies through workforce planning.

“Decades of staffing shortages, an imminent wave of retirements, and significant societal disruptions highlight a workforce in crisis, and the lack of a coherent approach to workforce planning undercuts state efforts to address the current situation,” according to the audit.

Oregon’s government workforce includes over 45,000 people across nearly 80 agencies and spans a variety of sectors including public safety, education, and health care.

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The state is Oregon’s largest employer and faces several concerns outlined by the audit. These concerns include: an aging workforce, and frequent reports of staffing shortages, increased workloads, and employee burnout.

While Oregon has taken steps to address these concerns, auditors said the state could take “a more strategic role,” to address gaps.

The first concern listed in the audit is Oregon’s lack of a statewide workforce planning process.

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Workforce planning includes succession plans and auditors warn that one in four state workers are eligible for retirement but say there is a lack of planning for filling those roles.

Other workforce planning concerns include chronic staffing shortages, increased workloads, burnout, and job turnover.

Even though DAS provides guidance for state agencies for workforce planning, auditors said this role varies depending on how agencies choose to engage.

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“Oregon does not have a clear, consistent, or comprehensive approach to identify what state government needs to do to support its workforce,” the audit says.

According to DHS paralegal Andrea Kennedy-Smith, the Local 200 president for SEIU Local 503, the situation is leading to a lot of burnout.

“Not just with the workload, but we aren’t getting that time with our families. We’re not getting time for self care or wellness,” she said. “We’re not making it to doctor’s appointments, dental appointments, vision appointments, counseling, appointments, all of the things because we are prioritizing our work.”

Auditors recommend DAS to develop a statewide workforce plan that should be adopted by the Oregon legislature.

The second concern listed in the audit is that Workday — a platform that provides human resources and employee management services — does not include employee competency data, which makes it difficult to understand workforce supply, and skills needed for certain jobs.

Those issues were exacerbated by the pandemic but could get worse, as 1-4 current state workers are already eligible for retirement.

Oregon AFSCME Executive Director Joe Baessler supported the audit’s findings, adding that these workers are working more than 1,000 hours annually.

“With a quarter of current workers already eligible for retirement, there is no question that our state needs a plan to address the existing and oncoming staffing shortages,” Baessler said. “We look forward to partnering with DAS and other agencies to create this plan, as nobody knows the needs better than the people doing the work.”

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As a remedy, auditors recommend DAS to incorporate competency data into the workforce planning process.

Next, auditors voiced concern about Oregon statutes for personnel administration because they do not detail agency versus statewide roles.

Auditors say DAS should implement a process to ensure cycles of workforce planning statewide and within agencies.

Lastly, auditors pointed out that Oregon has taken steps to optimize workforce planning — including lawmakers approving resources to boost staffing responsible for human resources management; however, DAS should take steps to fill gaps.

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Auditors recommend DAS to implement an oversight agency to monitor workforce planning within agencies.

“This audit was really looking at redundancies and gaps in governance and we’ve given DAS some important tools so they can assert a more balanced and deliberately planned role,” said Audits Director Kip Memmott. “Tone at the top is really important in determining how an agency will function and I’m very encouraged by how DAS has responded to this audit.”

In response to the audit, Oregon Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade shared the following response:

“Oregon should model best practices in workforce management because that will improve our public services. I know other elected officials and agency leaders will be interested in the findings in this audit, as they can be broadly applied across state government. I want to thank DAS leadership and staff for their cooperation with the audit team and for agreeing to implement all of the report’s recommendations.”

But as this is the latest of nearly a dozen reports to highlight these challenges, workers told KOIN 6 the audit is appreciated, but they want action and accountability.

“We can only work so many hours in a day, and we’re at a breaking point,” Andrea-Kennedy-Smith said.

The SEIU Local 503 union said the state “needs a holistic, comprehensive approach that meets the demands of today’s – and tomorrow’s – hybrid workforce” in order to combat these ongoing problems.

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