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Return to Article: HR leaders have transition on their minds

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  For those of us desperate for a change to responsive leadership this article (when combined with the imbedding of Shrub minions in ever lower and wider positions prior to the upcoming administration turnover) appears to document a last ditched effort to continue an abusive system designed to assert ever more dominance over a population of workers in a system designed and intended to weather the changing storms and the vagaries of politically inconsistent administrations

  We are rapidly moving from a meritocracy to a plutocracy; from a system whose goals are based on worthy aspirations "... ask what you can do for your country!" to one based on the bottom line "Ask [...] what your country can do for you...". The population shift from dedicated civilian professionals, trained with principles that adhere to Constitutional mandates, to feather merchant contractors providing services, adhering to the profit margin and the contract, and losing sight of the intent of the law for the strict adherence to the letter of the law will eliminate all gains the merit pay system has made since Boss Tweed.

  Such is in opposition to the system of government desired for and establish by our forefathers to support and aid our country in noble pursuits; but allows the fiscal raping of the population and treasury based on contracts that allow overcharges and payments based on expenses and political connections rather than bids, value-added, competition, and service to the people.

  Tip off Posted July 23, 2008 8:45 AM
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  For those of us that truly care about the federal workforce, including caring about issues that are beyond self, and caring enough to research and expose systemic and obvious abuses of decades-long federal hiring regulations and public laws, including the bedrock of the entire public service - The Merit Systems Principles - expressing that care via a varity of mechanisms to to expose these dregs of public administrative management practices that ought NOT be tolerated in any public sector organization, these expressions of caring are NOT 'whines.' But yes, unfortunately, there are legions and legions and legions of people, and there are huge populations of them within the highly insular Department of Defense organizations, who prefer to keep their mouths shut, to not "rock the boat," to keep their head in the sand, and to traverse on that very well traveled road in order to "go-along-to-get-along." Most of those who fall into this mindlessness are un or undereducated onea agec ny careerists who at the end of the day care only about self and self-interest and self-financial benefitting issues.

  Michael J. Smith, M.P.A. Posted July 22, 2008 10:57 AM
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  Diana its nice to know there are still a few of us out here that feel the same way you do about working for the Govt. How refreshing not to read the usual whine. I've seen things in the last 25+ years that have not been "fair" but its that way in and out of the Govt. People need to get over it.

  RED58 Posted July 22, 2008 6:28 AM
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  I have been at both ends of the spectrum; where management was inconsistent and only cared about their own huge bonuses/promotions to belonging to an agency where management actually manages, the people have money for training but most of all, all of the people are allowed and encouraged and it is expected that people will think about what they are doing in order to improve. We still have to follow many regulations. I can now say I'm proud to be a federal government employee working for my agency. Yet, I know many federal agencies in which this is not so. The people are miserable but many would rather stay with what they are familiar with in order not to change.

  Another Civil Servant Posted July 21, 2008 1:11 PM
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  I've said it before and I'll say it again. The impediment to the federal government' ability to hire the truly best and the brightest is not process or procedure-driven. It is of organizational culture. And the unfortunate and unvarnished truth of the matter is that largest of all federal employers - the Department of Defense - even when it purportedly recruits for the best and the brightest outside of the DoD (via federal-wide and/or all sources recruitments in the general and administrative management fields in the mid to upper salary ranges) hires almost exlusively (nearly 100% of the time) only and merely prior DoD staffers of some sort - DoD GS or recently retired activy duty or DoD contractors. Unless and until this underlying and preposterously insular "we take care of our own (at the US taxpayer's expense via sham surmised external recruitments)" organizational culture is faced and changed, adopting new processes or practices, including this well-intentioned initiative, to attract non-DOD applicants to apply for DOD vacancies (in the identified series and grades) will not mean a thing. The rampant near 100% levels of self-serving and self-financial driven inbreeding within DOD will continue unabated.

  Michael J. Smith, M.P.A. Posted July 21, 2008 12:48 PM
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  As the government tries to become more joint, between services, (Army vs Navy) and more particularly between Agencies/ Departments (Defense and State) eg Africom having separate and distinct personnel systems is counter productive. NSPS is an expensive and very bad idea. It provides nothing for manager's that they didn't have previously if they were good conscientious managers. It is particularly difficult to operate in and environment where you have some employee's remaining in the old GS system sitting next to employee's in the NSPS system simply because of bargaining unit status. Next time we try to find a better way of doing business, (and there is always room for improvement) don't ask the people at the top of the ivory tower in DC to design it. Find out from the people who actually DO the work out in the field. And just because we went down this road so far now do not be afraid to admit it is a mistake and back out of it before we dump more time and money into it. Get out of NSPS now!

  Margaret Posted July 21, 2008 11:09 AM
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  I think one of the first steps should be the Human Resources personnel turning the mirror upon themselves. GS, NSPS, or any other personnel system requires a rudimentary understanding, interpretation and ability to apply the provisions. If those individuals do not understand how to operate the system, we'll all end up with another broken system. Think of it as the philisophical math theory. A room with an infinite number of monkeys and an infinite number of typwriters and an infininte amount of time would be able to produce the complete works of Shakespere. How many of us think that could happen? Now, think if you gave the monkeys a new tool, like a computer. You'd still have a room full of monkeys slinging crap at each other. Give the same old HR a new tool and you still have the same results.

  Bryan B. Posted July 21, 2008 10:32 AM
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  Demings approach has been tried over and over again and it doesn't work in the states. If you look at the car companies Toyota has a totally different production philosophy in the US than it does in Japan. Until metrics are adopted government wide and people's performance and pay are tied to them government service will always be criticized by the public, when you have a job for life the public has 0 respect for those that they are supposed to provide services for

  Dan ketter Posted July 21, 2008 10:26 AM
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  agree with the comments, i'm 25+ years as a fed, my parents were federal workers/retiree's. BUT when the system is so messed up, always begging for money, not getting raises, bad managers, how can you go skipping thru town signing about how happy you are working for Uncle Sam?

  paul Posted July 21, 2008 10:22 AM
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  All the rats that screwed this personnel system up are now jumping ship.

  NEIL Posted July 21, 2008 9:05 AM
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  Has anyone heard of Deming? Process is the key. Pay for performance is the antithesis of process. The Japanese and others who adopted this idea improved their product immensely. Pay for performance will reward those who seek the glory at the expensse of their team. We have been there and it did not work in government.

  Richard Black Posted July 21, 2008 8:45 AM
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  I have been a Federal Employee for 20+ years. I also served in the Military for 6 1/2 years. I could not think of a better way to spend my life. Government service has been both rewarding and challenging. In private sector many promotions are based on the good old boy system. Government (from my perspective) has generally promoted based on what you bring to the position. I am proud to be a Federal Employee and tell as many people I can how rewarding it is to work for the Federal Government. I believe in JFK "It's not what can your country do for you, what can you do for your country". The men and women serving our country today need us!

  Diana Posted July 21, 2008 8:06 AM