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THREAD: In the last few months, employees nationwide have held conversations across various job sectors on the topic of workplace environment and how employers can cultivate a better work/life balance.
The Modernization Committee wanted to share what we’re doing on behalf of congressional staff, the backbone of the People’s House, to ensure their work on behalf of the American people is supported, and is not dwarfed by Executive Branch influence and lobbyist interests.
Staff have a wealth of institutional knowledge and policy expertise that Members utilize to make decisions that impact the lives of Americans from coast-to-coast.
However, high staff turnover puts Congress at a big disadvantage to work #ForThePeople.
However, high staff turnover puts Congress at a big disadvantage to work #ForThePeople.
During a hearing last year, Chair @RepDerekKilmer and Vice Chair @RepTomGraves stated, “Congress should be leading by example when it comes to diversity, inclusion and staff support, and there is a lot of catching up to do.”
There's no central HR department for congressional staff, which creates confusion and inefficiencies.
That’s 1 of the reasons why we unanimously passed recs to streamline & reorganize House HR to better serve congressional staff and reflect a 21st century workplace environment.
That’s 1 of the reasons why we unanimously passed recs to streamline & reorganize House HR to better serve congressional staff and reflect a 21st century workplace environment.
These recommendations to streamline and reorganize House Human Resources were passed as legislation when the House voted in March to approve H. Res. 756, the MODCOM resolution. https://modernizecongress.house.gov/news/press-releases/modernization-committee-introducing-bipartisan-legislation-reform-congress
June 2019: Held a hearing titled, "Cultivating Diversity and Improving Retention Among Congressional Staff."
June 2020: Continuing the conversation & held a virtual member discussion on congressional staffing reforms featuring @CaseyBurgat & @ProfKPearson
June 2020: Continuing the conversation & held a virtual member discussion on congressional staffing reforms featuring @CaseyBurgat & @ProfKPearson
Chair @RepDerekKilmer:
“The bottom line is this: until Congress can offer competitive pay and benefits, Congress will continue to lose talented and smart staff. And rather than view them as replaceable, we should create an environment that encourages the best staffers to stay.”
“The bottom line is this: until Congress can offer competitive pay and benefits, Congress will continue to lose talented and smart staff. And rather than view them as replaceable, we should create an environment that encourages the best staffers to stay.”
Vice Chair @RepTomGraves: "It’s important we attract & retain a workforce comprised of different voices, backgrounds & skills. There’s more work to do when it comes to supporting [staff] who help us draft legislation + serve as the first line of communication w our constituents."
![Vice Chair @RepTomGraves: "It’s important we attract & retain a workforce comprised of different voices, backgrounds & skills. There’s more work to do when it comes to supporting [staff] who help us draft legislation + serve as the first line of communication w our constituents."](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ecghj22WkAYnoP4.png "Vice Chair @RepTomGraves: \"It’s important we attract & retain a workforce comprised of different voices, backgrounds & skills. There’s more work to do when it comes to supporting [staff] who help us draft legislation + serve as the first line of communication w our constituents.\"")
Chair Kilmer, Vice Chair Graves, and the committee members recognize and understand the importance of a diverse workforce, retaining and recruiting staff, and discussions pertaining to staff are ongoing and will continue to shape the work that lies ahead.
