PART -TIME EMPLOYMENT IN THE FEDERAL SERVICE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90G01353R001500150002-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 24, 2012
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: September 2, 1988
• Content Type: MEMO

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release
;2012/10/24: CIA-RDP90GO1353R001500150002-2
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ROUTING SLIP
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DDA
D/OCA
STATE
Remarks Further dissemination as appropriate,
please.
ER
Y
Executive Secretary
14 Sep 88
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release
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 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/10/24: CIA-RDP90G01353RO01500150002-2
UNITED STATES
OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
I Lw0fin Re ls;fy ..,__..._._-
88-3480X
SEP -2
MEMORANDUM FOR HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES
DIRECTOR
FROM: CONSTANCE HORNER
SUBJECT: PART-TIME EMPLOYMENT IN THE FEDERAL SERVICE
As we continue with new approaches to help you fill jobs, I want to call your attention to a
current alternative, part-time career employment, which gives managers additional
flexibility in accomplishing work and also helps with recruitment and retention.
Recent studies on the demographics of the workplace predict that as many as two-thirds of
new entrants into the work force will be women, many of whom will be in their
childbearing years. The majority of these new workers will undoubtedly do what most of
today's workers do--handle home management responsibilities at the same time they hold
down full-time jobs. Employers are recognizing, however, that some workers want reduced
work schedules to make it easier for them to care for their families or pursue additional
career-enhancing education. Many private sector firms now include part-time employment
among the "family-oriented benefits" designed to attract new workers, particularly in
highly competitive fields.
Part-time employment is not a new idea in the Federal service. This fall will mark the
tenth anniversary of the Federal Employees Part-time Career Employment Act. Over
50,000 career employees are working part-time. The dramatic growth of higher grade part-
time jobs has been particularly beneficial to women who comprise over 75 percent of the
career part-time work force. Since 1978, part-time jobs above GS-9 have increased by 150
percent.
Accommodating an employee's interest in changing from full-time to part-time may allow
an agency to keep a trained employee who would otherwise leave and can also be a
powerful employee motivator. (The attached article about an Air Force civilian employee
makes a poignant statement in this regard.) Offering a part-time schedule to a job
candidate may give an agency the edge in recruiting an employee who may be leaning
toward the private sector.
Governmentwide policy on part-time employment (Federal Personnel Manual chapter 340)
gives agencies the flexibility to decide where part-time positions best fit into the
organization. In some cases, job sharing (filling one position with two part-time employees)
enables management to staff a full-time position and also provide part-time working
arrangements. Further, since each job sharer can routinely work up to 32 hours per week,
this approach allows for the accomplishment of extra work without costly overtime. The
attached reprint describes how several agencies have successfully used job-sharing
employees.
additional details and any assistance you may require.
I urge each of you to take a fresh look at this program to make sure your agency is using
part-time and job sharing as effectively as possible to recruit and retain quality employees.
Staff in our Career Entry Group, [phone], will be happy to provide you with
-T 0
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4 July 8, 1988
SPACEMAkER
Part
-time civilian program helps those in need
by Robert IQien
Sixteen months ago, Kathryn
Markham's life was in turmoil. Her
husband, Monty Montano, an
employee development specialist in
Civilian Personnel, was at home suf-
fering through the advanced stages
of diabetes.
When she wasn't working fulltime
at the Directorate of Distribution,
she was busy giving her husband
kidney. dialysis treatments and
insulin shots. Many times, she had to
perform these procedures during
the middle of the night.
Wth her days stretching into
nights and vice versa, Ms. Markham
knew she had to do something or else
quit her job.
"Because of the physical and emo-
tional strain I was under, there was
no way I could continue working ful-
Itime and still help my husband," she
said.
With her life unravelling, she con-
tacted Civilian. Personnel to see if
there was a, program which would
is The program helped save my sanity
and my life. It literally kept me in. the
workforce. For that I am very grateful.
McClellan now has a motivated worker.
Kathryn Markham
Part-time career employment program participant
enable her to cut back work hours,
allowing her to spend more time at
home. "If they didn't have a program,
i had no other choice than to resign,"
she recalled.
Fortunately for her, McClellan's
Part-time Career Employment Pro-
gram was available.The program,
which allows career and career-
conditional employees to work
between 16 and 32 hours per pay
period, not only eased the burden
she was carrying, but also alows the
base to retain a person whose loyalty
cannot be measured.
"1'he program helped save my san-
ity and my life," she said. "It literally
kept me in the workforce. For that I
am very thankful. McClellan now has
a very motivated worker."
After being accepted for part-time
employment, Ms. Markham decided
on a 20-hour schedule. From 10 am.
to 2 p.m. she works at Civilian Per-
sonnel and then returned home to
administer kidney dialysis treat-
ments every four waking hours to
her husband.
Though blindness, caused by the
disease, finally overcame her hus-
band, his kidneys were still able to
function thanks to the care his wife
provided. In August of last year, her
husband received a kidney trans-
plant. As a result, Ms. Markham has
slowly been able to increase her work
The above scenario is just one
example of how the part-time pro-
gram benefits employer and
employee. During the past month,
more than 150 people on base have
requested part-time work The rea-
sons range from providing child care
to pursuing higher education.
There are no stipulations to apply-
ing for part-time work. However,
individuals who are approved for
part-time work must, in addition to
averaging between 16 to 32 hours a
week, schedule at least one hour of
work during each week of a pay
period. The maximum employees
can work in a pay period is 64 hours.
Leave can also be used in lieu of
scheduled work hours.
I f you have considered working
part-time and would like more
information on the program, call
Mike O'Connor at Ext. 33181.
"I can't say enough about the pro-
gram," said Kathryn Markham. "I
fully support it and I am not hesitant
in recommending it to anyone."
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OMB Job Sharers
Join the Ranks
Job Sharing: filling one position
.with two part-time employees
Working mothers, aspiring stu-
dents, senior employees easing in.
to retirement; many of these indivi-
duals have benefited from the in-
creased availability of part-time
jobs. But what about the Federal
manager faced with pressure to get
the work out and at the same time
reduce costs, improve efficiency
and maintain high performance? As
OMB and other agencies are dis-
covering, job sharing has advanta-
ges for management as well as
employees.
RETAIN HIGH PERFORMERS. A
part-time schedule is often the an-
swer when an agency wants-to re-
tain a high-performing employee
who can no longer work full-time,
but the workload of an OMB budget
examiner often precludes this op-
tion. In January, 1984, OMB approv-
ed Andrea Hoffman's and Carol
Dennis' job-sharing proposal. Each
had an excellent reputation as a
full-time budget analyst and was
seeking a reduced schedule, Ms.
Hoffman because of child care
responsibilities and Ms. Dennis so
as to complete requirements for a
law degree. In supporting the pro-
posal, Ronald N. Landis, Chief of
the Agriculture Branch and the job
sharers' immediate supervisor, an-
ticipated the arrangement would
provide him with "a wider array of
skills and qualities than he could
capture In any single Individual." As
an example, he points to an assign-
ment related to the USDA meat and
poultry inspection program. Each of
the job sharers contributed to the
project from their different perspec-
tives. Ms. Hoffman, with a back-
ground in quantitative analysis,
dealt with the substantive program-
matic issues; Ms. Dennis, with
analytical capabilities as well as
legal training, focused on the tech-
nical and legal aspects of the pro-
ject in conjunction with legal staff
from both OMB and USDA. In addition
to handling special assignments,
each job sharer has primary reson-
sibility for five budget accounts (half
the number assigned to their full-time
counterparts) and is sufficiently well-
informed on the other's five to serve
as back-up. When Ms. Dennis took
several weeks off to study for the bar
exam, Ms. Hoffman worked full-time
to handle their joint workload. Their
supervisor reports, "I can honestly
say the arrangement has never left us
shorthanded."
COST SAVINGS. Job sharing yields
other management advantages. For ex-
ample, filling a full-time (40 hour per
week) position with job sharers allows
management to increase the number of
straight time hours associated with a
position. At the U.S. Marshals Service,
Sharon Palguta and Mary Jo Britt each
work three days a week in the same
GS-12 personnnel management special-
ist position. Their office gets 48 hours of
work from a position which formerly
generated 40- without the extra costs
pf overtime. Kenneth Holecko, Person.
hell Officer at the Marshals Service, is
especially pleased with his staff's job
sharing arrangement because it en-
hances the office's ability to handle
peak workloads. Each January, for ex-
ample, the Service must recruit for over
100 new deputy U.S. Marshals to fill
positions nationwide. Typically, both
Ms. Palguta and Ms. Britt increase their
work schedules to four or five days a
week, depending on the number of ap-
plications to be processed, and return to
their schedule when the surge is over,
thus conserving personnel costs for
their agency.
Cost savings may also be realized
when a full-time job can be restructured
into two job-sharing positions classified
at different grade levels. For example,
the more routine duties of a manage-
ment analyst position could be assign-
ed to a position classified at a lower
grade. Salary costs may also be cut if,
instead of filling two full-time positions,
an agency fills a single position with job
sharers who have different but com-
plementary skills and backgrounds. In
the Treasury Department's Office of the
Comptroller of the Currency, a GS-14
Community Development Specialist
position is shared by Mary Ann Freeman
who specializes in the banking concerns
of small businesses, and Janet Gordon
who works on issues involving banks
and the real estate industry.
Agencies seeking to expand part-time
opportunities are sometimes faced with
limited space and/or equipment. Job
sharing was the solution for Susan Pie
and Robin Peltzman, GS-11 paralegals
at the Federal Communication Commis-
sion (FCC). Both were full-time
employees who requested part-time
schedules (to take care of new babies).
Recognizing the severe space limita-
tions faced by their agency, the two
women got together and developed a
proposal to share the same duties and
responsibilities as well as the same
desk. Their request was approved and
for the past four years they have jointly
done basic legal research for TV and
radio -licensing cases, as well as main-
taining accurate, current information on
all the Division's pending cases. An FCC
management official who has relied on
their joint expertise describes them as
,.not only compatible but almost inter-
changeable" and their supervisor, En-
forcement Division Chief Charles Kelley,
reports that the reaction of manage-
ment has been "extemely positive".
When budgets and/or ceilings ar-
tight or being reduced, job sharing may
be a way for agencies to cut personnnel
costs without adversely affecting
employees. If employees in similar jobs
voluntarily agree to convert to job sha, -
ing, then positions can be abolished
without nec3'tve impact on employees.
COVERAGE. Job sharing is beneficial
in other situations where daily coverage
Is critical. Charged with filling the GS-6
secretary position in the Fish and
Wildlife Service's Office of International
Affairs, staffing specialist Linda
Nicholson remembered two highly-
regarded former. employees of the agen-
cy who had resigned to care for their
families. Both Lynne Overton and Judy
Lundberg were eager to resume their
careers on a part-time basis and were
able to coordinate their schedules to
provide full-time coverage in the posi-
tion. Each fills in for the other so that
the office is never without help. Larry
Mason, Chief of the office, and a strong
supporter of the job-sharing concept,
says "I now get excellent performance
from two responsible and enthusiastic
employees- and they work out the
scheduling; how can you beat that?"
As with any new concept, job sharing
presents management with new oppor-
tunities and new challenges. Locating
qualified and compatible individuals
whose schedules can be meshed is
often the initial hurdle. Generally, job
sharers find each other (although some
agencies maintain registries of those
seeking partners), work out the details
and then present a proposal to manage-
ment. When an agency must recruit to
fill the "other half of a position," an of ier
of 40 hours a pay period usually attracts
more candidates. To equalize the wr.
ing time and stay within a 40-hour ;irn::
an agency can schedule each job sharer
to work three days one week and two
days the next. by Ellen Russell
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/10/24: CIA-RDP90G01353RO01500150002-2