| Comment Number: | OL-10507807 |
| Received: | 3/14/2005 3:19:40 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:
Pay and Pay Administration: Subpart C. In response to the proposal affecting pay, I object strongly and have several reservations. As a GS employee of DOD halfway towards retirement, I have a vested interest in preserving the civil service system as we know it. I think the current system works fine - people who do a good job are rewarded with step increases periodically. If however, you take the aggregate amount that is given out in step increases in any given work unit and put into a 'pool' that all employees must compete for, you are opening up the possibility of favoritism, corruption and mistreatment of honest workers. Basically you create a scenario whereby raises will be awarded at the whim of your supervisor. Are all supervisors fair and impartial? Some are, some aren't. Unscrupulous supervisors will only reward raises to those perceived - rightly or wrongly - as deemed worthy of raises. Thereby you open up a virtual 'can of worms' whereby favoritism and preferential treatment can creep into the raise-granting process. If 2 or more workers are competing for the same pool of salary/promotional resources, you foster an environment of competition, not one of cooperation or teamwork. So you in effect defeat the very purpose that NSPS has been set out to accomplish. Workers would be less apt to share knowledge with each other and work harmoniously together. The old adage 'knowledge is power' would become more of a factor than ever. Weak supervisors would be subject to manipulation and coercion by overly aggressive employees seeking to curry favor with their boss while less vocal but equally performing (or worse, higher performing) employees may not get the raises they deserve. In other words, 'the squeaky wheel gets the grease.' Could NSPS result in a fair and equitable distribution of pay raises? It's conceivable, but the likelihood of inequality and injustice is even greater. A more sensible approach - under the current system - would be to deal with underachievers swiftly and in a more timely fashion than to let them languish as deadweight, undisciplined for years and years. I know some supervisors feel hamstrung under the constraints of rules and regulations regarding discipline. Perhaps we should be looking at disciplinary/performance evaluation reform instead of 'throwing out the baby with the bathwater', which is what would happen if the current civil service system were scrapped. Bottom line, why penalize everyone for a few bad apples? For the most part, we all work hard and deserve our periodic step increases. We should be rewarded for our service to our country, not scrutinized and needlessly micromanaged. Disillusioned hardworking employees will flock to private enterprise. It's altogether possible that NSPS will defeat DOD's goal to retain 'the best and brightest', not achieve it. With all due respect I ask that cooler heads prevail and you rethink this sweeping proposal - protect and retain intact the current civil service system. Thank you.