Apr 6, 2020
Payroll Clerks Will Be the Unsung Heroes of the Coronavirus Response
By Commissioner Steven Barney
As our nation faces the COVID-19 threat and resulting pandemic, we should recognize those selfless public servants at the federal, state, tribal, and local level who make this urgent whole-of-government response possible.
Yes, I’m referring to the payroll clerks. And the procurement specialists. The materials handlers. And of course, the health care professionals who tirelessly deliver direct care to those who are ill with effects of Coronavirus.
It is ironic that just over a year ago we saw the end of the longest federal government shutdown in history. For 35 days, tens of thousands of federal government employees were sent home, without pay. Some proclaimed these furloughed employees “non-essential” and even speculated why our government needed them in the first place. Others remained on the job, without pay, without a promise that they would ever be paid for their continued service. Those of us who continued to travel during the shutdown will not forget the quiet dignity of the TSA agents at the airport who, during the best of times, receive faint praise for their work but who remained on the job throughout that shutdown, without pay.
As a Commissioner on the Congressionally established National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service, I had the privilege to meet with public sector employees around the country and hear their stories. That’s why I begin in praise of the payroll clerks. During my visit to Denver, I met with a woman who worked in payroll for the Department of Interior. When we asked her about her contribution to our nation, she told me that she took pride in processing the payroll vouchers for wildland firefighters who jump into rugged, backcountry areas to put out fires.
“I just feel that by doing my job I am helping them do their job,” she said. With great modesty.
She may not jump into fires but, thanks to people like her, others can and do. We owe public sector employees like her more than just appreciation. We owe them a stable, predictable career in public service where they can confidently serve others while providing a good living for themselves and their families.
At a time when we marvel at the incredible work done by government experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the U.S. Public Health Service and other agencies on the front line of COVID-19 response, it is easy to overlook other public servants. These are essential employees who create the necessary conditions for lifesaving services to be delivered to those who need it most, and for vital research to continue. Today, we see these efforts by public sector employees at every level of government from county health departments from the halls of U.S. Congress.
All over our nation we are seeing public servants tackle this new challenge. They team with others at every level of the government. They reach out to the private sector, nonprofit organizations, and national service members and volunteers to implement needed and relevant crisis response.
Yet, we are in another kind of a crisis that threatens our ability to energize at all levels of government. We have seen significant reductions in public service jobs throughout the country. Moreover, at the federal level, we have seen significant barriers to entering public service, due to a lack of awareness of the opportunities, a lack of aspiration, and a lack of access — especially by younger workers. Americans under the age of 35 constitute about 18 percent of the federal civilian workforce, as compared to 36 percent for the broader economy. More ominously, just six percent of federal civilian employees are under the age of 30 and more than a third of federal civilian employees are eligible to retire in the next five years. If the dire predictions are correct and individuals over age 50 are at increased risk of serious effects of coronavirus infection, it is clear we may soon feel the effect of the loss of the services of these dedicated public servants just when our Nation needs them most. The federal government has reached a critical juncture and broad changes to personnel policy are needed to prevent systemic failures and meet national needs.
The Commission released its final report to Congress, to the President, and the American people on March 25th. Our report recommends bold steps to create new pathways to public service and engage a new generation of public servants. I hope you will share our vision and sense of urgency of how we must build on our nation’s long legacy of service — and embrace those who serve — including the payroll clerks — who are also heroes of this crisis response.
