SITE HISTORIAN LOG
Site Historians in each of the participating Demonstration Group and Comparison Group organizations were given the opportunity to document events that occurred during the time frame of April 1, 2006 to March 31, 2007 and that provide context for the Demonstration Project.
Issue | Description of Event and Potential Impact on Demonstration Project | Reporting Organization |
---|---|---|
Environment | ||
Expansion | Employee participation increased through a second major expansion approved by OPM. The Demonstration Project now comprises over 50 percent of NOAA’s participating employees. For the first time, this performance cycle included approximately 600 bargaining unit employees assigned to the Southeast, Northwest, and Alaska Fisheries Science Centers, and represented by three national bargaining unit organizations in Miami, FL, Panama City, FL, and Seattle, WA. The expansion also included the Office of Law Enforcement, reportedly the first fully accredited federal law enforcement organization to participate in a pay for performance Demonstration Project. | NOAA – NMFS |
Realignment | In January 2007,there was a vacancy in the Client Service Division at the Director level. The Workforce Management Director evaluated the current WFMO structure, and consolidated five Client Services Divisions into three by streamlining positions. This resulted in more efficient use of staff and generated savings in labor costs. | NOAA – WFMO |
Restructuring | The ESA Office of the CIO was eliminated and the function and staff were transferred to the Department’s CIO. With the exception of the webmaster, the CIO’s staff members were reassigned in the spring of 2007. The webmaster remained in ESA Headquarters and was reassigned under the Associate Under Secretary for Management. | ESA – HQ |
Leadership Change | In November 2006, the Assistant Administrator for NESDIS stepped down; the position was filled in the same month. A new Deputy Assistant Administrator was hired in March 2007. The CFO/CAO position became vacant in March 2007. | NOAA – NESDIS |
In October 2006, the position of Under Secretary for Economic Affairs was filled, after a 14 month vacancy. In December 2006, the position of Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Affairs was filled. This position had been vacant for several years. In November 2006, the position of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) was filled, after an 11 month vacancy. During the vacancy, the duties were performed jointly by the Budget Officer and the Associate Under Secretary for Management. | ESA – HQ | |
Procedural | ||
Recruitment and Hiring | BEA expanded its recruitment efforts and broadened its pool of candidates at the entry-level by targeting non-Luevano covered occupations such as statisticians and math statisticians, and by returning to the Administrative Careers with America (ACWA) assessment for economists. | ESA – BEA |
BEA continued its use of recruitment bonuses to attract highly-qualified candidates into Ph.D. research economist positions. | ESA – BEA | |
NESDIS continued the “Hiring and Reassignment” process for all ZA and ZP- IV and V positions, all of which require the approval of the Deputy Assistant Administrator before they can be sent to the Workforce Management Office. New security procedures continued to decelerate the hiring process. | NOAA – NESDIS | |
The staffing of two program offices took priority in the hiring process; NESDIS also continued to prioritize other recruitment actions. | NOAA – NESDIS | |
Budgetary constraints limited recruitment efforts during this time frame. | ESA – HQ | |
Appraisal and Payouts | The formal employee evaluation process associated with Demonstration Project pay for performance decisions has experienced no remarkable issues since its implementation in NOAA Fisheries Service in 1998. For example, there were no disruptions in the equitable treatment of Demonstration Project employees impacted by Hurricane Katrina and related adverse weather situations. This required a rapid response by agency management officials and close coordination in the processing of performance pay actions with NOAA’s restructured Workforce Management staff. As of October 2006, all NOAA Fisheries Service employees are in performance-based systems, including over 92 percent of those employees who participate in the pay for performance Demonstration Project. | NOAA – NMFS |
Comparison Group – Appraisal | The first rating cycle under the new General Workforce five-level evaluation system, which ties performance to the annual performance award, was completed in September 2006. The special achievement award was eliminated and replaced as an incentive award by the special act award. | ESA – HQ |
Increase Percentages | NESDIS changed the percentages for the increase pools a year earlier, which seems to have improved the pools. | NOAA – NESDIS |
Historical Performance Data | BEA confirmed the maintenance of appropriate budget levels by analyzing its historical performance data from 1998 through 2005 and comparing performance costs for each year. | ESA – BEA |
Grievance Procedures | Only 1 formal grievance was filed during this time period. | NOAA – NESDIS |
Outreach efforts | Discussions continued with non-participating employees and their bargaining unit representatives to address ongoing concerns. Refresher training sessions were conducted for managers, supervisors, and employees stationed in over 30 widely dispersed locations throughout the country. | NOAA – NMFS |
Training was conducted to fill knowledge gaps due to staff changes. It is expected that this training will continue to have a positive effect on staff. | NOAA – WFMO |