Angela Bailey, chief human capital officer at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has said the department is nearing 100 percent in telework operations and working on initiatives focused on employee wellness.
Bailey told Federal News Network in an interview aired Thursday that her office has launched virtual leadership development initiatives and mindfulness training to support quarantined staff and improve employee skillsets.
She added that her office worked to communicate with employees on a weekly basis to gain feedback on potential policy reforms that DHS could implement moving forward. “We know exactly what their needs are. And we’re addressing those needs on the fly,” noted Bailey.
Speaking on how DHS might cope following the COVID-19 pandemic, Bailey told Federal News Network that she predicts a “hybrid situation” that builds on the department’s experience in prior modernization efforts.
“First of all, as an agency, and we’ve said this from day one, DHS never stopped working. And we’re not alone as a federal agency, right? There’s many federal agencies, but we’re very proud of the fact that not only are we getting the job done, we’re in some cases getting it done even better than we did before,” she said.
