| Comment Number: | OL-10501764 |
| Received: | 2/27/2005 10:07:56 PM |
| Subject: | Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Request for Comment |
| Title: | National Security Personnel System |
| CFR Citation: | 5 CFR Chapter XCIX and Part 9901 |
| No Attachments |
Comments:
I don't think that NSPS has the employee's best interest in mind. Under the current system we have now, the system does not give minorities a good chance to advance in the job market, because most of our supervisors and managers who do the selecting and making decisions to hire are white males. Therefore they will hire and advance/train only those people who they feel comfortable with. The human psychology tells us that people feel comfortable with familiarity, which reminds them of themselves or their family members, or friends. When people from different cultures come in for jobs with the same qualifications as their white counterparts, they will have less of a chance to get hired, advanced or receive training. However, the National Security Personal System will further alienate employees and cause a wider gap between whites and minorities (not specifically African-American but other ethnic) groups. There are some good and honest people who try to abide by the law and do the right things, but most people will want to help their own kind. NSPS will give all the power to the managers who are already too powerful and leave the little people with nothing but hard time because they won't have the support from the union and no money to pay for a lawyer should they need one. This will be the biggest disadvantage for minorities. Reference: Pay and Pay Administration - Subpart C. DOD should retaing provisions of % U.S.C. Chapter 43 and C.F.R Part 430 as governs performance management and pay. A second point that I wish to make on the NSPS is that by linking all pay raises, bonuses, step increases, and RIF protection to an employees' performance rating will put and end to cooperation in the work place. As a GS worker, I enjoy the ability to give and receive assistance from co-workers. If during the workday, I am presented with a situation that I have never encountered before or one that falls within the 'gray area' of regulations, I can and do ask my fellow workers for their help. Many have been doing the work for 18 years or more and are quite knowledgeable and readily give advice. Bring in this pay for performance, and suddenly each co-worker becomes a potential block to pay increases, or even employment in case of a RIF. The question then becomes why would I ever want to give assistance to a co-worker who by receiving my assistance, is seen by the manager as a better performer than I. Because of my knowledge and freely giving it to co-workers, I may receive a lower performance rating, thus lowering my pay raise, or even being the one that gets the pink slip during a RIF. I foresee the workplace turning into a back-stabbing war zone where it is everybody for themselves and to give any help to another co-worker could be an act of employment suicide. I also fear a 'postal' mentality breaking out in all organizations, and all grade levels. The employee that is not given the pay raise, or step increase, or who is eliminated from the work force because of the performance rating may take revenge on the supervisor, or other co-workers that were rated higher. To place this much power and authority into the hands of one supervisor, who is human, who has prejudices, who may have agendas, or who is weak in managerial skills, is an invitation to workplace disaster. The current system of pay, and pay raises though not perfect, is vastly more fair, and does not form a feeling that helping a co-worker could be detrimental to one's own economic future. There is already an evaluation process in place whereby the supervisor may influence the employee's work ethic by bringing out the employee's deficiencies in the workplace. This however, does not impact the other employees that are doing satisfactory work.