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III. ACHIEVE RESULTS WITH A CUSTOMER-FOCUSED, PERFORMANCE-BASED CULTURE

Postal Service employees are the organization's most important asset. As one of the nation's largest employers, the Postal Service is ultimately dependent upon the quality and commitment of its employees to meet its objectives. Since the initial 2002 Transformation Plan, the Postal Service achieved great results improving both safety and the workplace environment, while better focusing employee development and compensation programs on achieving objectives. The Postal Service will build on this foundation in the years ahead, and continue the transition from an internally-focused workplace culture to one focused squarely on postal customers and business results.

STRATEGY: ENGAGE AND MOTIVATE THE WORKFORCE

The Postal Service will focus on four critical human resources strategies — engaging employees, developing and managing talent, establishing and maintaining market-based compensation, and managing complement to assure flexibility.

A. STRATEGIC CHALLENGES AND TRENDS

Significant shifts in the workplace are being driven by changes in the environment, workforce, and operating requirements:

• Sixty-eight percent of the current Postal Career Executive Service (PCES) will be eligible to retire by 2010. Retirement rates are similar for other critical management and professional staff. Over 240,000 craft employees are eligible to retire during the same timeframe. Recruitment, career development, and succession planning are key issues.
• Younger employees have different attitudes, behaviors, and expectations for their careers and the workplace. Overall, they are more flexible and likely to move, and therefore are expected to change employers and jobs several times. They are also looking for more flexibility from employers and greater support at work.
• As postal operations become more information-driven, the workplace will need to become more flexible to balance changing workload, evolving networks, productivity improvements, and the need to engage all employees in support of revenue generation activities.