The public sector can’t go back to the old normal

The COVID-19 pandemic has pulled back the curtain on the lagging technological investment by governments all over the world. Even before the pandemic, the world was changing at a speed never before seen in history. The wholesale transformation of nearly every aspect of our lives to digital was well underway, and public-sector agencies were already late to the party. All signs point to the current crisis as a catalyst to accelerate that transformation even further. At the same time, citizens are looking to government to guide them through a period of prolonged uncertainty, right at a time when the pressure to do more with less is at its highest. Going back to the “old normal” is not an option. Public-sector organizations should take this opportunity to accelerate digital transformation in order to meet the needs of citizens in the post-COVID-19 era. They can do so by prioritizing three key areas. First, they can improve operational efficiency through technology. While it might be tempting for leaders to shelve technology upgrades at a time when high stimulus spending is already straining budgets, ignoring the need for digital transformation puts public-sector organizations at risk of not being able to deliver the level of service needed. It’s not about avoiding the spend for the sake of austerity; rather, it’s about ensuring real return on investment for every dollar spent. For example, taking a data-driven approach to workforce management will help leaders identify wasted time, money, and resource allocation. This means managers can better manage labour costs in real time, and match resources to demand for services in a more efficient way. It’s about helping managers understand the costs associated with overtime and absenteeism, as well as the causes, so that these issues can be addressed. These insights help organizations refocus the workforce onto higher-value outcomes for citizens, instead of lower-value tasks. The right technology can help to automate manual processes to reduce the administrative burden on managers, so they can focus on developing and engaging the workforce to improve service delivery. Second, the public sector can expand business continuity planning for the long haul. The public sector has a blend of front-line workers and back-office employees, posing a variety of different challenges to business continuity during a crisis. Technology can support business continuity in several ways. It creates an opportunity for better knowledge management—digitally capturing information so employees can more easily cover each other’s roles. Not only is there a risk of employees getting sick or being quarantined right now, the so-called “Silver Tsunami” of retiring baby boomers was already creating a labour shortage in the sector and will continue to do so. Organizations will need to be able to rapidly transition knowledge to the next generation of workers to ensure business continuity long after the pandemic ends. The public sector will also need to consider how to ensure business continuity for future disruptions, as well as how the nature of work may change permanently. The pandemic may lead to a more geographically distributed workforce, with more people working from home. This will change how public-sector leaders manage teams, and technology will play a key role in creating a unified culture and ensuring efficiency. The pandemic has accelerated the need to usher in the next generation of the workforce. There will be a new emphasis on adaptability and resilience. At the same time, the increased role of technology in society, along with the move toward automating lower-value tasks for operational efficiency, is increasing the level of technology skills needed in the public sector workforce. While the public sector struggled to attract younger talent due to high competition from the private sector prior to the pandemic, there is an opportunity to embrace technology, transition to more flexible working models (location, hours), and inspire younger workers to serve their communities. Building a truly tech-driven workplace would give employees the best of all worlds—job security, good salaries, deep value, and flexibility—greatly strengthening the public sector’s appeal and ability to compete for top talent. I have spent most of my career in the public sector, and I firmly believe this pandemic has underscored how essential it is in the eyes of all citizens. However, more disruption awaits on the horizon, and uncertainty has become our new normal. As such, the importance of modernizing the public sector to enable faster crisis response delivered by the best talent available—whether in an office or from their homes—has never been more apparent. Gianluca Cairo is industry principal, public sector, at Ceridian. Previously, he was chief of staff to the federal minister of innovation, science, and economic development, and to the minister of public services and procurement. The Hill Times