The Washington Post recently featured an article on continued morale problems at DHS.  These problems are nothing new and largely stem around the organization being so large and unwieldy and falling in midst of the political battlefield that is homeland security and all if its related functions, such as the ongoing debate over immigration – something enforced by DHS.

In speaking through the years with friends and colleagues who work in various departments of DHS, there is a great deal of frustration with constant changes in policy and procedure, failure to backfill positions emptied by attrition, and a lack of leadership simply listening to their experienced professional staff.

Certainly given the variety of responsibilities DHS has, they need to remain fluid and responsive but they can’t do this at the expense of stability.  This loss of morale and stability will inevitably impact the effectiveness of the department and its component agencies.  So far the good employees of DHS have held steadfast, but these issues can’t continue to be ignored.  They don’t require millions of dollars in studies – they simply require good leadership and HR practices.

– TR