| Comment Number: | OL-10502379 |
| Received: | 3/1/2005 8:04:57 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:
If the intent of the NSPS is to spread discord among DOD civilian workers, lower morale, force out older employees, and reduce the overall amount that the Government must shell out to pay its civilian employees, this will most certainly work. From my viewpoint of having over 30 years observing practices and behavior, whenever a senior leader falls short of spending money to support nice to have “developments or pet programs” that were neither approved or funded, and have absolutely nothing to do with warfighting, the money invariably is moved from civilian payroll, SSSC, and infrastructure funding. These are the same guys who will become the “pool managers”. Given a scenario where the money to continue business is running out, or the amount allocated was insufficient to sustain infrastructure, it is entirely feasible that in order to keep costs down and unfunded programs operating, the manager(s) would stiffen the criteria for a “success rating” on a personnel evaluation and deny cost of living raises, let alone pay increases. The purpose, as stated by Congress for the cost of living wage increases, is to ensure that payroll stayed in step with civilian wages to keep the jobs competitive in order to retain the best, trained people possible. It’s difficult to believe Congress is going to sit by and allow this intent to be changed by subordinate departments. Implementation of the NSPS will create havoc with team work since teams are not going to be rewarded, just individuals. This system will be ripe for abuse immediately by the “Good Ole Boy” network. Appraisal and monetary reward based upon the supervisors recommendations alone will not reflect reality in organizations until the mission collapses due to people who actually accomplish the mission, but are not considered politically correct, depart. Each time leadership changes employees are going to run the risk of a new manager/Commander changing an organization to their own desired image of what it should be. Often that means “getting rid” of the senior people who may perceive an imperfection with a new manager/Commander’s “NEW GREAT IDEA’. Often, change can be good; however a unit’s organic infrastructure would be devastated over and over again to the point where you will just have “yes men” who will do whatever is necessary, regardless if it’s right or not, just to keep their positions. Seniority often means that the person a manager/Commander wants to be rid of is the person who knows what they are doing, and what they do is the most cost effective and most importantly, WORKS! NSPS offers many convenient tools that will enable the manager/Commander to be rid of that person effectively and legally. Civil service is in fact, civilian service. Many of us were never in the military, and absolutely will not leave the area we have chosen to live in regardless of the job. We have not signed any contract stating that we would. Many of us are retired military who have spent the last twenty to thirty years globe trotting, envious of our civilian counterparts who were not dragged away with little notice from their families to do service alone for years at an isolated station. We also will give civil service up if someone ever insists that to keep our jobs, we must deploy. Sorry, not going to happen. The current system is not perfect. We are at war, and the needs of the country must come first, and there are a lot of workers that need to either retire now or be terminated; however, the implementation of NSPS is going to create circumstances that will be far worse. It will drive away hard charging people. It will cause discord, and harsh feelings.