Leaving Halfway: Examining the Loss of the Mid-career Federal Employee Within the Department of the Army

Abstract

The research paper contained takes an in-depth look at the current recognized departure of employees from the Department of the Army civilian work force, at the midway point of their career timelines. This departure has both a large effect on the departing employees who are leaving their progress towards a federal retirement on the table while also causing the federal organization to lose valuable experience which takes years to cultivate. Multiple studies and papers have been previously written on this human resources topic due to its outsized impact on both the federal workforce and the efficiency of the government. These previously completed reviews of the problem will guide this research paper on narrowing down the concerns that cause the mid-career professional to leave. The research examining this captioned problem will be conducted using a targeted and focused survey with specifically constructed questions presented utilizing an online survey provider, (Survey Monkey) to a very active online forum specifically for federal employees of the Department of the Army. A combination of both qualitative and quantitative data from existing research will also be reviewed alongside the survey results in order to determine if my initial theory of change and the assumptions that I have predicted are supported or determined to be unsupported. The results of this research paper could potentially be utilized by senior management at the Department of the Army in order to make their retention and succession planning more efficient, effectively stemming the near-constant loss of seasoned and experienced employees