| Comment Number: | OL-10508844 |
| Received: | 3/15/2005 11:06:17 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:
I am serving as a GS-12 civil servant overseas. You can look me up, but I am not including my address in this public record in order to avoid junk mail. I have worked in uniform as an active duty Air Force officer, an officer in the Air National Guard, and now as a civil servant. I am working harder than ever and still growing in skills after 24 years of Federal service. I have gained my Engineering PE license, and four other certifications, at my own expense, without it being a job requirement. I am motivated. I am concerned that the U.S. Military, and Federal Employment, are becoming too heart-less. Industry has changed since the old IBM model of keeping and developing employees. It is cut-throat. If you don't work weekends you aren't a "team player." It is horrible for families. The military is being changed so that there are not peace-time roles for members to come back to and re-gain normalcy with their families again. If all they have are contingency roles -- are you trying to change this to a single person's army only? I mention this because I sense similar cut-throat or heartless tendencies in the motivation for the NSPS. In the Civil Service, job security is a BIG draw, as are more reasonable hours to live a full life. This counter-balances an often lower salary than in industry. I believe you have a system NOW that will work when you need to get rid of poor performers -- I've seen it done. The problem is in training supervisors to do it. A new "system" will not be the magic answer. I am fearful that the new system will result in unfair and unfortunate firings (along with some valid ones of course). For example, I work with many single individuals, some of which consistently work nights and weekends without overtime, comp, or credit hours. Though I too do that, it is not nearly as often, and their output is higher than mine. I'm not mad at them for it. I used to be that way in my single days also. But now my family benefits from the reasonable hours that allow Daddy to be home more than in other private industry work. And that benefit is HUGE. Personally, and to our society. But it isn't easily measured, especially in the financial statements of my agency. Though I hope to benefit from salary increases due to performance if NSPS takes effect, salary increases are not good motivators for more than a couple weeks. The standard motivational theorists confirm that (e.g. Hertzberg). I guess I've said enough. I haven't dealt with the specifics of the NSPS, but I have dealt with the "strictly business" mindset I see in both the Military and Civil Service changes that are underway or planned. Thank you, Jonathan A. Bach