| Comment Number: | OL-10504424 |
| Received: | 3/9/2005 12:49:16 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:
My concern with NSPS is something I read when I first started hearing about Pay for Performance over a year, or more, ago. My recollection was that Pres Bush was proposing only setting aside Pay-for-Performance money for the top 10%-15% of workers. I believe such a plan would be unfair, as it assumes a bell curve of performance for all government workers, which depending on the organization, may, or may not, be the case. It assumes 85%-90% of workers are only performing average or below average work, which I perceive as an unfair characterization of government employees, at least in my particular organization. But, it seems that even our own high-level government management believes this typical portrayal of government employees, as well. What if within an organization 50%-70% of workers are performing at a high level, but if only 10%-15% can be rewarded, it won't take long before the other 35%-60% of workers get discouraged and de-moralized if they go year after year without pay advancement. The old system wasn't perfect, but at least we knew what to expect, and it wasn't as much of a political system. Perhaps, I have grown cynical as a government employee, but with so much power being in the hands of management to determine who gets raises and who doesn't, it seems that it will become a totally subjective system and that the possibility exists for even an above average performer to languish without a pay raise over an extended time period. Also, with the cost of health care going up at such a fast pace, the 3%-3.5% Cost of Living raise, is barely enough to cover these health care premium increases. Without even this 3%-3.5% increase/year it wouldn't take long for employees to see a negative pay rate in their earnings. For me at least, all these unknowns, factor into a real unease with the future NSPS. Thanks, for your time and allowing my concerns to be made known. I realize there is no perfect system, but my hope is that whatever replaces the existing sysem will be allowed to reward ALL workers that perform at a high level.