| Comment Number: | OL-10507019 |
| Received: | 3/14/2005 7:30:44 AM |
| 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:
The proposed system is touted as being performance based, however; with the advent of a singular reviewing authority for performance increases, this system is destined to become one of relationship based instead. I have known top performers in my career that have had personality conflicts with supervisory staff that is both uneducated and unskilled in interpersonal relations and communication. The new system will punish the workers under such supervisors while reverting back to the days of the highest raises being distributed among those that "Take the boss to lunch". The assumption that this will attract new and talented college graduates is furthest from the truth. The current system provides salary adjustments for tenure and experience through step increases. The end result being a very competitive pay with civilian corporations in today's market. The new system eliminates the guarentee of such increases and vaguely describes potential increases for top performers (which will be limited by an allocated amount of funding annually). The intelligent go-getters coming out of college can make the same (or better) pay going into civilian occupations with a greater expectation for salary advancement than they can under the new system the government is going to adopt. This will NOT attract new talent, but rather it will pursuade them to seek alternative employment with organizations that offer better salary potential but and include vision and dental care plans for their employees. If the government is so proud of their change-over to a system that is similar to the civilian sector, then they need to match the benefits that are being offered in the marketplace. To do this they will need to raise base salary levels to be commensorate with local industry, and expand their benefit package to include dental and vision insurance and a better co-payment of the FEHB plan. Overall, the plan is riddled with holes and misconceptions. It was created due to a mandate to reformulate the system with no sound basis for the suggest changes in pay structuring and grievances. Five years from now the pencil pushers that feel their system is so great and wonderful today will be looking back wondering how to re-invent the wheel once more due to a lack of ability to retain knowledgabe workers and attract the next generation of employees. They say this system will save money and increase efficiency?! How much money will be spent in lost productivity because all the people with the answers are now gone...and the various agencies fall into the abiss of disorientation and lack of productivity because the only people left will be those that cannot gain employment in the civilian sector. Smart move for the government? Sure, if you want to instil chaos, lower morale, and drop the efficiency to next to nothing. Great job folks.....I think NOT.