When you hear the term “under 5”, you automatically think of a child; not employees at a federal agency. Under 5 is a group of employees at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) who has a mission that attracts employees who are talented and committed to making a difference in the lives of all Americans. However, once the honeymoon is over, how do you keep these employees engaged? The Under 5 representatives of HUD shared these tips:
- Recognize that orientation is not a one day event. Continue to learn and continue to grow.
- Build relationships and get to know people.
- Find a champion and let that person(s) rally for you
- Be clear about your plan and highlight accomplishments/results
- Do it WRONG first, then fix it. This is a means of proving yourself
Under 5 is for employees with less than 5 years of federal service; however the group is open to everyone regardless of length of service. The largest demographic at HUD is employees with less than 5 years of service.
http://blog.hud.gov/index.php/2012/12/17/5-engaging-huds-employees/
When I first heard about this group, I got really energized. A group like Under 5 is an important retention tool that agencies can use to keep their top talent engaged and connected. In fact, I know this concept is spreading across government as other agencies learn about the group and try to get something started in their organization. Thanks for the session recap, Christine!
Thanks for clarifying. Someone mentioned “Under 5” and I thought it was a typo for “Under 25.” But the “5” references to the fact that the founders had less than five years of experience working at HUD, so they wanted to create space for newer employees to network and share insights. Great idea!
Thank you Andrew and Kim for your feedback. I agree with you; it’s a fantastic retention tool that I would like to see go government-wide.