The Week in Comments: The Census, KSAs and stinky coworkers

A roundup of some of the comments received this week in the GovExec.com Mailbag. All comments are presented in their original, unedited form.

On Census is counting on ad campaign

If this column was intended to rationalize the Census Bureau's ad campaign, it failed equally. What I think should be divulged is that this campaign is targeting teenagers, who are then supposed to goad their parents into civic obedience. A page from Mao's little red book.
JDV

mailed mine back today with the required info # of people in the house hold the rest of the info they requested was left blank. Why do they need my birth date? There was no place to check American as a race
dan ketter

While "teabaggers" will ahve a problem with any federal effort and the paranoid are afraid to report themselves as part of America, the ads/commercials for the census have proven to save tax-payer dollars. For every census questionnaire mailed back completed, there is one less task for a census taker - who must follw up in person for every household that does not cooperate via the mail-in form. It can get hugely expensive for us taxpayers.
Don

I would agree with the bill if a private employer were also required, BY LAW, to fire any of their employees whom also were delinquent. What's good for the goose is good for the gander.
N. E. Melendez

I agree with the proposed rule. If we don't hold politicians accountable then who can be? Federal employees like myself should be terminated for non-payment of income taxes. Zero Tolerance.
Kent

Until Congress and the executive staff is included in this, kill it. Are they not government employees, too? If you're going to pass this law, pass it with no exceptions.
One of Us

On KSAs could be kaput by April

While the overall principle of requiring a candidate to "write an essay" about his/her qualifications, the practical side of the task is that it gives the reviewing official an insight into how well a candidate can communicate in writing. If a prospective employee cannot form a cohesive sentence or use proper grammar and spelling, he or she might not be the best choice for a position that requires effective communication skills. There may be candidates who are technically proficient in the advertised field. But if they cannot adequately display their proficiency orally or in writing, that aspect of their jobs will fall upon another employee creating an additional burden.
Whitey

No matter how easy it is to get rid of unproductive or otherwise unsatisfactory employees, there will still be supervisors who won't take the appropriate actions. Most supervisors won't even reprimand or counsel employees when necessary, and many won't even speak up about less than satisfactory performance. Too many supervisors want to be "buds" with their employees and vice versa. Unless the system allows for the HR Office to take all the action against an employee (as opposed to the supervisor) and it can be done very quickly, nothing will be done when it comes to performance and discipline problems. Supervisors don't want to be accountable for doing bad things to their employees, expecially long-time employees. How many employees actually receive less than successful/satisfactory performance ratings? Wait until we convert back to GS from NSPS; it will only get worse. We will go back to the vast majority of employees being rated as top performers! "Yay" for those who aren't and "Too bad" for those who are.
C. King

Messrs Barry and Parker are out of touch. They seem to put a lot of faith in the SES's, however, my experience is they are the ones that keep supervisors from getting rid of poor employees. This seems mainly due to they are afraid a Congressional, initiated by the employee or a letter to the Commissioner, will affect their career. Resumes are nice, but normally general in scope. Eliminating the KSA can water down the workforce. We seem to be going to generic job descriptions and performance plans, when in reality many of the jobs require specific experience. The purpose of the KSAs is to address the necessary knowledge and skills. Potential is nice, but it doesn't replace experienced performers. As for the rule of three, it at times eliminates the preferential treatment we see running rampant lately. Why would anyone want to hire someone that cannot take the time to follow guidance and submit a complete package required by the current rules. Shortcuts can be useful at times, but they can also run you over a cliff.
Dan Yeager

I wonder if John Berry would agree to participate in "Undercover Boss". He might learn that government processes were put in place to provide a structured system to keep business flowing for the American citizen amidst the continual turmoil of political appointees and limit the impact of prejudiced partisans interested only in pragmatic, often exaggerated results to gain political favor. Do we need change -- absolutely, but our efforts have to be focused on more than image. We need knowledgeable leaders to guide a continuous and strategic effort to truly improve efficiency and effectiveness, not wholesale criticism and elimination of principles and practices that have supported order and classification thus far. If we blindly eliminate the ordered methods of government, we basically put professional, tenured government employees at the mercy of fast-talking, self-promoting sycophants who have very little knowledge of or concern for the internal workings of the systems they manage. At that point we all might as well turn to Bernie Madhoff to resolve our national deficit issues.
Don Ada

Uh oh, be careful about being aggressive with non-productive dead wood employees. These people keep the AFGE in business.
Jimbo

I'm amazed at Berry's grasp of the problems, and his candor. Of course, the federal labor unions will come after him for daring to suggest that all the children aren't above average and for proposing what they will call a "quota" on above-average ratings. We will see if he can withstand the onslaught of these champions of mediocrity.
Ron

I agree with comments on both sides of the fence - YES, KSAs are antiquated and often poorly executed, however, we MUST have a STANDARDIZED way of OBJECTIVELY evaluating candidates beyond the resume. As a career federal employee and senior human capital specialist, I have reviewed my fair share of resumes and KSAs. If someone is unable to coherently demonstrate, in writing, their level of proficiency in a required area of the job - that is a very telling sign. I applaud Mr. Barry for championing change but I also hope that he has a plan beyond the "resume" to answer the need to fairly and objectively weight and rank applicants. Thank you.
Joellen M. Jarrett

On Lawmakers: Facilities shouldn't set their own security standards

Good luck on making that horse drink after you get him to the watering hole. Each agnecy has there own stnadard for everyting form buiyng toilet paper to how you wipe with it.
grunt

Why not require that all funds recouped from the financial bailout be used to reduce the national debt? This would include all funds returned by banks as they work through their bail out as well as the funds that might come later from unwinding the government involvement with GM. This, coupled with tighter controls on non-defense spending would make a difference. Suppose, for instance, that any non-defense appropriations bill that exceeded its FY 2010 counterpart required a 60% super majority in the House and could not be passed in the Senate under the budget reconciliation rules. We could also go over the stimulus bill and rescind funds not already spent or obligated - if the economy is starting to recover, as some indicators suggest, then perhaps that stimulus spending wasn't needed. These measures would bring into play a lot of partisan infighting, but we've got that already - why not frame the knife-throwing around points that will ensure an overwhelming majority of the voting public will be on board if we're to compromise our future by taking on excessive debt?
Jeff

Cuts good. Spending bad.
Ray

Nothing like closing the barn door after the animals are out.
Fred

It should say, of course, cutting nonsecurity discretionary spending is not a significant step toward balancing our budget and restoring fiscal responsibility. The politicians can no longer dance around the outlines of the annual budget deficit. The significant areas in the budget that must be addressed are the entitlements and military spending. Discretionary spending is where the bulk of government service is to the nation. It is relatively lean after decades of constraint and represents s small percentage of the budget and the therefore the deficit. Before our dollar and our international reputation wither, we must demand our representatives make the tough spending decisions.
Ned Ward

On Lawmakers to unveil leave investment bill for TSP

Just use your leave and enjoy the time off. Spend some time with the family or time on a hobby you enjoy.
al

Putting unused annual leave in the TSP will generate more funding for the plan since all participants pay a percentage for administrative cost. I would rather have it in a lump sum after I retire. If the TSP acquire the Roth IRA then I think unused annual leave should be transfered to the TSP. I think employees should be allowed to accummulate more than 240 hours of annual leave after the end of the year without loose them. Executives and some directors do.
Cathy Chambers

Vacation time is meant to be used. Those not using their vacation time have deluded themselves to think that government cannot get along without them. We only live life once. Having a fistful of dollars as you die in your cubical is not wise. You are much better off spending time with your spouse, kids, family and activities than burn out serving the public. Loyality is God, Country, Family in that order but even soldiers take some time off.
jlb

On Senate approves FAA rider to return unspent earmarks

Congressmen are like drug addicts--they can't stop themselves from spending, especially money for their State/districts. So treat them like addicts and get them away from the source--two terms and they're out of office! Need to break the cycle! Follow George Washington's example and do your duty and then go home!
sid

On Senator holds up bill compensating furloughed Transportation workers

LOL thanks for the finacial manifesto Tom. I'm sure the families of those furloughed are behind you 100%.
Mark Atha

Go fot it Senator. Get their attention if at all possible. You are doing the right thing. Maybe this will get their bussiness in order. They need to quit blowing our money. They can not manage what they have now and just want more.
quartercircle

Why is it that Congress always attempts to solve problems on a subset of citizen's backs? They want to pay Civil Servants for the furlough (furloughs are part of their employment agreement)but they have not mentioned paying the contractor employees who were also abused. Why do the taxpayers have to be abused by spending dollars that the employment agreements say they do not get paid during furloughs? The taxpayers are not a piggy bank that Congress can steal from any time they have a whim. If a Congressman has violated an oath of office they should be removed and required to pay all damages like would happen to any citizen. There is no greater crime by a congressman than violating their oath of office other than treason agains the United States. When do we hold these people accountable for their transgressions? If they commited no transgression, then we should not be coming up with ways of stealing the peoples money.
Clem Munno

Senator Coburn is my hero! Makes me want to move to Oklahoma so he can represent me. Unfortunately, he is just one vote and the majority of the rest (including my representative) will just ignore his stand.... They are much too worried about their next round of earmarks.....
MJCPosted

On Burning Question: How much perfume is too much?

Little known to many folks is that some people are allergic to fragranes. And, in some cases that allergy can trigger asthma episodes, dermatitis, and a variety of other unpleasant symptoms - some of which can be serious.
Tracy

This is a health issue just like peanut allergies, second hand smoke, etc. Many people have moderate to severe allergic reactions to strong perfumes, my mom included. Today it is easy to find low odor or perfume free deodarant, anti-perspirant, hair products, soaps, detergents, and on and on. The $100K should be just about enough to cover the medications, dr appts, etc that was spent out of pocket after the initial complaint was made but not acted upon. If you need to put on so much cologne that people can smell it long after you leave the room then perhaps you have other issues!
ph

The agency dropped the ball initally, when they didn't accomodate the employee who was complaining. If an employee is causing a disruption in the workplace because of conduct (too much smelly perfume) then they need to be counseled. However, to mandate folks don't use perfumes, deoderant, etc., will get the agency in bigger trouble; not to mention more complaints of bad body odor!!
walter dickerson

Telling someone they "smell awful" is a bit harsh. I made someone at work angry because I used bathroom spray to cover up the offensive odor, attempting to make it fresher smelling in the bathroom, in my opinion! She didn't find it refreshing, only irritating to her sense of smell and she made it her life's work for the next 3-months to harass me every way she could! If she would have shared it with me like a reasonable person, I would have understood and discontinued using the spray, but no, she acted like a loon, and made snide remarks to other people while I was there, spread untrue rumors, and attempted to make my life at work unbearable! So, just speak up. If the scent bothers you, tell them in a nice way that you are sensitive to it.
Mary

As a member of the pro-fragrance community, I am appalled and offended that such a travesty of justice could be allowed to take place in a free country such as ours. I suffer from chronic depression, and fragrance therapy is my one ray of hope in overcoming this terrible affliction. I have been emotionally traumatized by the comments of some of the people posting here, and I will be seeking a legal settlement from each and every one of you who has posted anti-fragrance hate speech. Fragrance is a personal choice, and no one should be allowed to tell me what I use on my own body. In addition, I request the Govexec publish an apology to the pro-fragrance community, and finance a public service ad campaign to increase the awareness of fragrance discrimination. Finally, I will be seeking monetary settlements from the EPA, PETA, the New Orleans Saints, Benny Hill, the UCMJ, Unilever Corp, Mr. Peanut, Jay Leno, Howard Cosell, and my dental hygenist....why? Because!
noman

I bet those of you who are alergic to fragrances are lazy, obese, degenerates who have more health problems than fragrance allergies. Come one, come all. Sheeple of the United States!
Sick&Tired