Personnel reform at the Defense Department hit another bump last week when officials halted training on the new pay-for-performance system to allow more time to evaluate it and make changes.
In a Dec. 23 letter, a National Security Personnel System official told program managers to stop all content-specific NSPS training for January at least.
"We need more time to focus on simplifying the performance management design, getting performance objectives right, and ensuring the system is simple, clear and understandable," wrote Mary Lacey, program executive officer for NSPS.
The regulations governing the system restrict union bargaining rights, eliminate the decades-old General Schedule in favor of broad paybands and require pay raises to be based on rigorous performance evaluations.
A group of 10 unions filed a lawsuit soon after the regulations were published. That lawsuit focuses on union rights, rather than human resources. The two sides had agreed that the department could continue training its employees on NSPS in the run-up to court proceedings.
Lacey did not provide a specific reason for this latest delay. In preparing for the transition to the new system, the department "received much feedback ... that [led] us to conclude" more time was necessary, she wrote. A spokeswoman for the NSPS said she could not give any further details.
Information about any NSPS design changes will come in early January, Lacey said.
"We want to ensure that our employees, supervisors and leaders fully understand this system and have the tools to succeed in a results-focused, performance-based environment," she wrote.
Lacey encouraged program managers to continue training on soft skills such as communicating with employees about the changes. Earlier this month, the Air Force announced that it had awarded a $24.8 million contract to Centre Consulting of Vienna, Va., to help managers improve those skills.