| Comment Number: | OL-10511860 |
| Received: | 3/16/2005 5:52:53 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:
Section7562 Setting and Communicating Performance Expectations “Performance expectations will be communicated to the employee prior to holding the employee accountable and promptly adjusted as changes occur.” Some people do not have just one supervisor but could have several due to special projects being assigned. Personal experience indicates this needs mentioned on the employees job description as “other duties as assigned”. First, keep in mind DoD employees perform a variety of duties that cannot be quickly communicated nor measured. In my specific agency this was attempted once and failed miserably and we do not speak of it any longer. Second, note the environment that DoD employees work in is constantly changing and rarely does anything stay the same from my own experience. DoD employees do not work like an assembly line producing a standard product in a specified time frame. Thirdly, the way reorganizations are done every year or two NSPS would be a nightmare for the supervisor to administer and stay informed let alone know what an employee should or should not be doing to meet a pay for performance based system. Fourth, DoD employees are professionals who do what needs to be done taking into account the good of the whole DoD. We all must work together to achieve the goals we are given. An environment of support and trust is necessary to perform our jobs to the best of our ability and instill that cooperation with others. Creating NSPS does not create unity but creates division, fear, separation, and distrust. The DoD atmosphere will become one such that “each person is out there for himself or herself”. Let me share an example…. in our environment of replacing legacy accounting systems with new systems it is vital to get everyone communicating, working together to resolve issues as they surface, and foster a spirit of teamwork and cooperation. I can see NSPS sabotaging efforts in several areas. In conclusion, introducing NSPS as a means to solve perceived issues within DoD is not an ultimate solution – it does not address the root of the problem but only a symptom and appears to create an undue burden on supervisors, management, the legal offices, and creates a negative connotation in being a DoD employee. I would like to see more details of the NSPS instead of hypothetical generalizations. It is crucial that wise decisions are made for all of DoD and not a decision based on someone of higher authority saying so. Additionally, there must be consideration of proper checks and balances. With greater authority comes the likelihood of misuse and abuse. If NSPS is too general and not applied consistently and in a standard manner it may become a history lesson in waste or abuse and become educational reading material for our children's children. I wish the decision-makers godly wisdom and discernment in how to proceed with NSPS. Thank you,