FEMA, public, Transformation

FEMA Navigates the Perils of HR Transformation

Imagine starting each year knowing that basically every major variable in workforce planning is entirely random. Volume of work? Random. Timing of work? Random. Place of work? Random.

That's essentially the challenge Tim Cannon, the relatively new head of Human Capital for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), faces every day when he shows up for work. Every year, Tim and his team at FEMA start with a completely blank slate. The number, timing, and place of the disasters they will have to respond to are random. No one can really predict how many, when, or where they will occur. At the same time, the nature of the mission - and the public's perception of that mission - has changed dramatically in the past few years. Since joining the agency just a few months ago, Tim has come to deal with not only the fundamental challenges of HR, but also the profound challenge of HR in an agency with FEMA's unique mission, and of course the political reality that FEMA faces today.

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