| Comment Number: | OL-10509154 |
| Received: | 3/15/2005 1:23:23 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:
Performance Management—Subpart D, Setting and Communicating Performance Expectations. Supervisors will involve employees in the planning process to the maximum extent practicable. In so doing employees will better understand the goals of the organization, what needs to be done, why it needs to be done, and how well it should be done. Final determinations in setting expectations, however, are within the authority of the supervisor. COMMENT: Should the supervisor and employee disagree on a performance expectation, and the employee feels the expectation unfair, will there be an appeal process? Example: I have certain medical conditions, specifically: type II diabetes, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, fibromyalgia and anxiety and occasional depression. These conditions are doctor comfirmed. About once every two weeks they combine to make me feel badly enough to stay home from work. Since none of these conditions, alone or in combination, is covered under discriminatory or other laws or regs, my boss wants to say my absences are unexcused, and my missing work so often reduces the morale of the Branch. I am otherwise a good employee, working harder and producing more than most others on my Branch. How can someone like me protect him/herself under the new system? Example: My workload is heavier than others in my Branch. My boss assigns workload according to ability, not evenly. He says he assigns workload as he sees fit, and considers the distribution fair. How can I bring this issue to a fair resolution under the new system? Also, since my boss does not recognize my workload is heavier than others, how can I trust him to be fair when assessing performance? He first said I was behind in my work due to my absences. When I got a little better for a period and didn't miss much, he then said I was behind because I wasn't managing my time sufficiently, efficiently. How can I redress this under the new system? Example: My supervisor has said I need to increase my leave levels, since some of them are quite low. He's written this on my performance review. Again, how to redress under the new system? Comment: I think civilian management in the Corps of Engineers (other than HQ) is usually quite deficient in some manner or other. I believe it is due to making engineers into managers - they have insufficient training and, in the end, ability to manage people. If what I say is true, how will the new system reveal such deficient managers and deal with them? What's to stop a 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours' attitude? What's to make the next level supervisor aware of the deficiencies of his charges and force him to take action? In today's system, they just smooth right over it. How will the new system change the culture of longevity to one of performance among higher managers who choose to not embrace performance effectively enough to change, or even oust, their long-time friends?