A the committee will come to order. Without objection, the chair authorized to declare recess of the committee at any time. In is cultivating diversity, improving retention with Congressional Staff. I recognize myself for five minutes for opening statement. One of the main ways in which we retain staff is by having it be 90 degrees in here. My apologies to each of you. Well be distributing fans to the entire audience. Today were going to talk about whats the backbone of this institution, the Congressional Staff that work here. I think i speak for all of us and those yet to come when i say we couldnt do our jobs without teams of people that work for us. Anytime i get a compliment where someone says nice job on this or that, my response is always i have a good team and i feel lucky for that. Theyre dedicated Public Servants that are here because they want to do meaningful work. They often choose careers on the hill and in the district offices, despite long hours, occasional lack of job security. Since we work on a two year contract. And lower pay compared to what they could make in the executive branch or private sector. We are as an institution very fortunate to attract such talented people and hard working people. However, keeping them here is another story. Turnover rates are high with most positions in member offices turning over every two years or less. Of course, that isnt always a bad thing, a lot of staff leave one job on the hill for a different job on the hill. But even when taking into account the movement between different jobs, typical staffer leaves the hill after 4 or 5 years, and hear they leave after time, desire to do good and serve the public is outweighed by need for a better Work Life Balance and need to make more money, to afford housing, support families, put kids through college. That puts congress as a disadvantage, compared not only to private sector and to the executive branch, and doesnt serve the interest of the American People. Congress needs to do more to not only attract the best talent but keep the best talent, with the best backgrounds and views that exist across the country. How do you create a Work Environment that makes staff want to stay here instead of heading for the off ramp. How do we make sure we have a congress that looks like america. I thought it would be good to bring in the point person that handles Human Resources for house staff, could talk about benefits available to staff. Then i found out that person does not exist. There is not an hr point of contact for house staff. But were going to talk about benefits today, going to hear about Current Trends in Employee Benefits, look at what congress can do better, also going to look at what congress can do to recruit and retain diverse staff that represent america. 116th congress is the most racially, ethnically Diverse Congress in history, and the Congressional Staff should represent diversity of constituents around the country. I look forward to hearing what thoughts and recommendations witnesses and members of the committee have from proving staff retention and inclusion in the house. Thank you for being here. I invite tom graves for opening remarks. Thank you, mr. Chairman, commend you for your leadership and making staff of this institution and diversity were going to discuss a focus of this committee. Modernization doesnt just mean updating technology and improving the legislative process, it ensures the peoples house invest in a dynamic work force that reflects those we represent and does it not only in committees and offices but also on the house floor as well. Those serving on this committee represent unique districts. Northwest washington state, northwest georgia here represented, and our constituents have different backgrounds, and unique experiences. And those that want a career in Public Service are no different. I look forward to hearing from expert Witnesses Today about how we can attract and retain a work force comprised of different voices, characteristics, experiences and skills in congress with unemployment now in our nation at lowest rate in 51 years, im looking forward to discussing how this institution can compete with the private sector in hiring and retaining some of the most talented persons in our country that ultimately help us serve the American People better. Im glad were having this conversation. Building on work this committee has already done, and we could have a conversation now to learn more about best practices from those that have been helping to change the narrative and set new trends to increasing opportunity nationwide. With that, mr. Chairman, i yield back. Thank you. I know representative cleaver has interest in sharing owning remarks. Happy to recognize him for that purpose. Thank you, mr. Chairman, thank the Ranking Member as well. I am extremely fascinated by the diversity of the nation, i am frustrated by the homogenaity in upper ranks of government and to some degree down to where we are now. And because i personally believe that there are at this moment in history only a few people who would intentionally work toward exclusion, but that leaves people who are unconsciously excluding, so thats the area that i think we can impact, and im looking forward to ways in which the panel can present that might help us deal in that realm. Thank you, mr. Chairman. I yield back. Thanks very much. With that, i think we will did anyone else have opening comment to make . With that, we welcome the testimony of three witnesses. First, dr. Alexander alonzo, the study for Human Resource management chief knowledge officer, during his career, dr. Has worked conducting job analysis and served as a columnist analyzing mamger trends. Dr. Alo tsts 12w49sds 9d 9 if sgrou 2349sds remthz secretary general of the council of women World Leaders which is composed of heads of government. Its the only organization dedicated to women heads of state and government. She holds an mba from Harvard Business school. And then dr. Mitchell is principle in consulting and government and Public Services practice with over 15 years of experience. To date, he served over 40 clients across government and commercial practices. Dr. Mitchell is passionate about developing diverse leaders and serves as the diversity and inclusion lead and has championed recruiting through the firstever inclusion hiring blitz. He holds a phd in organic chemistry. Is that right . Inorganic chemistry. Im sorry. Literally dont know what that means. From northwestern university. I really dont know what that means. Without objection your written statements will be made part of the record. You now recognized for five minutes. Good afternoon. As the voice of all things work, workers and the work place, sherman is shaping the way employers and employees strive together by maximizing potential t. Is my job to examine and understand the issues faced by employees, employers. I deeply appreciate congress leading by example and examining how it can improve its own employment practices. An important area that weve studied and that Congress Must closely examine is the use of Strategic Benefits. Hr departments and organizations invest significant resources in designing benefits packages to retain their top talent. In the most recent survey, 92 indicated benefits play a role in insuring their overall job satisfaction. The results also showed a strong correlation between benefits and retention. This under scores the importance of organizations and their need to plan their Strategic Benefits to maximize return on investment and competitive advantage. This is especially true in congress. Congressional employees often face long hours, a high stress environment and lower pay than private sector counter parts. Under these circumstances, benefits play a significant role in Employee Satisfaction and retention. A study found 72 of congressional employees recorded benefits influence their decision to stay in their current positions. In todays labor market, benefits offerings set organizations apart when recruiting top talent. They have not ke79 up with the pace of private sector benefits. They have not met the needs of our diverse and modern workforce. Research Shows Improvement in the economic land scare and increasing diversity are driving organizations. For example, there are currently five with this also shapes perspectives as far as work place benefits leading to restructure. Congress should examine on work and benefits as a result. In a tight labor market, Workforce Development has become a big driver in supporting employees who want to upscale. 87 of employers report Offering Professional Development opportunities as a benefit and 14 of organizations say they increased their investment in professional Development Offerings over the last year. More than 90 of organizations offer paid leave of some type to their employees while 34 offer maternity leave. Teleworking options of all types are on the rise. With heavy work loads, long unpredictable hours and limited time for family and friends, alternative schedules could be an attractive option for Congressional Staff. A growing number och employers have begun to offer Student Loan Repayment benefits to their employees. The survey shows it has doubled since 2018. Some Congressional Offices currently offer Student Loan Repayment however there is room for improvement. Strongly supports Education Assistance including expanding the benefits of Student Loan Repayment. Where you have the best of all talent. In addition, retirement plans and Health Care Coverage remains the cornerstone of employerprovided benefits. While benefits offerings are critical to securing top talent, it is equally important that congress address inclusion and diversity when discussing a modern workforce. The 116th congress is the most racially and ethnically diverse in American History. Capitol hill staff should reflect a Diverse Workforce representing its constituents. The employment process for capitol hill is vastly different than the private sector. Congress should explore the implementation of a centralized Talent Management system while also keeping an eye toward effective people manager development as an important part of the great culture. Mr. Chairman and vice chair graves, thank you again for allowing me to share my experience and views on the importance of benefits as well as inclusion and diversity in the work place. Congress can lead by example by communicating the true value of benefits and inclusion and diversity. What happens in washington, d. C. Will in fact impact other work places and we truly believe that creating better work place policies leads to better work places and in turn a better world. I welcome your questions. Thank you. Thanks very much. You are now recognized for five minutes. Thank you. You may have to hit the button on your microphone. Only worked through that three times with me. Thats all right. Thank you. You may have forgotten because of the i forgot about inorganic chemistry. Its all very challenging. You can restart her clock. And distinguished members of the committee, thank you very much for allowing me to testify. I think we know diversity and inclusion are keys to better decision making, effective policy and innovation. We know also that howorks only with problems are simple, communication is easy and the environment is not changing. You must have heterogineity. And its about the number of people who are duiverse on your staff and tracking the numbers. Its not just about that. Its not about what i call the noahs arc approach to diversity which is if we can only get two of each in the arc well have our diversity. But thats a problem. We do know the value of diversity and inclusion, creativity, innovation, back grounds, talents, ideas, cognitive diversity. Think about your congressional baseball team. You dont want all catchers on your team. Diversity and inclusion also avoids the risk of homogenous thinking also known as group think. It avoids the overreliance on perspectives. It signals trusts and institutions by representing a reflection in america in connecting to communities. Yes it is about race and gender, but also about socio economics, disability, language, sports, religion, education background, family status, military status, language, nationality and you can go on. Diversity and inclusion are strategic tools to ensure better solutions. But what are some of the challenges . I mentioned noahs arc. The problem with that is that if the giraffe in the arc is looking at the zebra and says youre funny looking, how do you do anything with that stupid short neck of yours, thats a problem. Because we have unconscious believes and perspectives and associations and roles and arc types about who people are. We have the challenge of confirmation bias which is whatever it is i believe i will sort the incoming information. We know from research it could have a nonanglo name you have to send out more resumes. If you send the same resume with a male name and female name you get different responses. We know nondomfront groups are assumed to be incompetent until proven to be competent. We have the elephant and mouse theory which is if you are the elephant in the room what do you need to know about the mouse . Not much. If you are the mouse what do you need to know about the elephant . Everything. We also bow that like gravitates to like and like avoids not like. Some organizations that i have worked with dont necessarily have an intake problem, but they all have an upgrade problem. You may be getting Diverse People into the organizations, but they may not be getting into senior staff positions. We also know that homogenous groups dont come to better solutions. They just think they did. Heterogenous groups come to better solutions, but they dont think they did. Diversity seems to be a little more complex. And then there is the challenge of aviding the illusion of inclusion. Just because you have some programs around diversity and inclusion, it doesnt necessarily mean your organization is fair. So some tools that i think are valuable which can help overcome unconscious bias, create consistency in recruiting and development, create office of diversity and inclusion, pay interns to avoid socioeconomic exclusion, get referrals from minority groups, provide clear route to advancement, understand why people leave and stay. Learn about other efforts on diversity through organizations like the interparliamentary union. Think about the rooney rule or the mansfield rule which is law firms committing to considering at least 30 women. Lgbtq and minority lawyers for significant leader positions, creating things like a resume bank and having transparent widely available job postings is very important to attract Different Groups. And understand that certain words when you are attracting people dont necessarily work for others. If you are looking for a highly competitive Ninja Warrior you may be excluding a few people. Make sure voices are heard and understand and use tools to create a level playing field. Understand what i call the power of the mirror. Knowing what you can be by what you see. When i talked to president of iceland, she said after she had been in office for eight years, going around the country and noticed that for the children under eight they all thought only a woman could be president of iceland and the boys had to ask if they can be president of iceland. Obviously, most importantly having a strong and committed leadership. This is the number one requirement on the path to a more diverse and Inclusive Work place. Thank you for letting me testify and i welcome your questions. Thank you. Dr. Mitchell, you are recognized for five minutes. Thank you. I am honored to have the opportunity to share experience today. Im the principal with our government and Public Services practice. Currently i serve as chief inclusion officer. We have been leaders since the early 90s. We think of diversity as different skills, back grounds, attributes and perspectives that we each bring to the table. For example, im one of nine siblings raised by a single mother in a family of factory workers. I was the first member of my family to obtain a phd in inorganic chemistry. Ultimately, these aspects are substantially more complex. Our employees and your Staff Members are similar with different roles, hobbies and affiliations that shape who they are and how they see the world. Inclusion is leveraging all of those things which make each of us unique in a way that encourages us to be authentic and know that we are valued. We know a teams are able to create experiences. And you must extend that to the way that you recruit, as well. What we do internally and one of our most successful efforts was alluded to earlier. And that was our inclusion blitz. And in that particular effort, we had diverse candidates of nontraditional back grounds that were screened with others so that they can obtain a view of their full potential unincumbered by potential bias. We have established the marketleading approach to engaging our people. These counsels are local Office Groups that bring together people from different parts of the business with different back grounds and experience. The result has been a vibrant dialogue