NOTE TO ALL EEO OFFICERS AND COUNSELORS FROM (Sanitized) EEO SPECIALIST

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP86B00985R000100140010-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 16
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 24, 2005
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: June 1, 1977
• Content Type: REQ

?
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TO ALL EEO OFFICERS AND COUNSELORS
-1.--?,t_e -7
As part of an expanding effort to keep in touch with
everyone who is performing specific EEO tasks and to help
make the latest information available to you, occasionally
I will send you copies of EEO regulations changes, discrimin-
ination case summaries, articles, and other items related
to management of equal opportunity.
Attached are the four latest issues of The First Line
a new bimonthly newletter for supervisors and midmanagers.
The newsletter grew out of a 1975 recommendation of an
interagency work group. It has two purposes: (1) to keep
readers up to date on important developments in laws,
Executive orders, the FPM, and court decisions that affect
Federal employees; and (2) to provide a series of articles
on the personnel management responsibilities of Federal
supervisors and midmanagers. Frequently it features articles
specifically addressing equal employment opportunity.
The April - May 1977 issue describes the new class-action
regulations. While the CIA version will be different in
some of its detail, this article gives you a good snapshot
of the general concept.
Please give me your comments and suggestions.
EEO Specialist
Office of EEO
ext.
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STAT
STAT
A \ewsletter for Federal Supervisors and V dmanagers
Volume 1, Number 3
Flexitime Can Be A Problem-Solver
Do you have problems with
tardy employees?
Are too many employees using
too much sick leave?
Would you like to expand your
hours of service to the public, or
maintain contact during more of
the business day with other loca-
tions in the U.S. or overseas?
Many supervisors have found
one answer to these and other
problems is flexitime, according
to Barbara L. Fiss, flexible work
hours project officer for the U.S.
Civil Service Commission.
Flexitime programs now affect
more than 60,000 Federal em-
ployees in 50 organizations.
In flexitime, fixedl times of ar-
rival and departure are replaced
by a working day with two dif-
ferent types of time: core time
and flexible time.
Core time is the part of the
work day during which all em-
ployees in the work unit must be
present.
flexible time is the part of the
work day when employees may
hoose the time they arrive and
depart.
The two requirements of flex-
ible work schedules are that (1)
the employee must be present
during the core time, and (2)
Federal employees currently
must work or otherwise account
for eight hours cit duty plus
lunch period for each work day. 7:00 am
Flexitime is not for everyone,
according to Fiss. "In some work
units," she said, ''the type of
work does not permit flexible
work hours. But the concept is
workable for many other organi-
zations."
For those organizations, Fiss
pointed out, flexitime can offer
"Employee morale?I think
flexitime boosted it... I
think all down the line,
everyone becomes a
winner. I'm sold on it."
?Treasury Department
supervisor,
Melvin Viola'
many advantages: carpools,
public transportation, and
child-care arrangements are
often more workable under
flexitime than under fixed-
hours. Many agencies find that
flexitime has reduced tardiness
and use of sick leave.
"Flexitime also has expanded
the hours that customers may do
business with the organization,
and has provided some employ-
ees with more quiet time (when
they arrive ahead of others or
leave late in the day) to accom-
plish work requiring greater
concentration."
October-November 1976
lks emphasized that a suc-
cessful flexible hours program
must be set up so that it sup-
pops an organization's mission
or goals. Further, it must be
based on ground rules that take
the supervisor's needs and con-
cerns into account.
or example, individual
supervisors should retain au-
thority to limit the flexibility
available to a given employee
due to work requirements," Fiss
said.
Additional information on
flekitime is available in
Flexitime, a 16-page booklet that
conrains step-by-step guidance
on -,tarting a flexible hours pro-
gram. The booklet is available
from the Superintendent of
Doc umenis; U.S. Government
Printing Oftice; Washington,
D.( . 20402; at 65V a copy (Stock
No 006-000-00809-7; Catalog
No. CS 1.7/4:F6
Aiso, a 26-minute film, de-
signed for general orientation, is
available for loan in 16-mm mo-
tion picture and 3/4-in, video cas-
sebes. For more information
about the film, write:
S. Civil Service Commission
Pay and Leave Administration
Section
Washington, D.C. 20415
EXAMPLE ONE
Core time at center of day
9:30 am
EXAMPLE TWO
Core time split
7:00 am 9:30 am
11:00 am
CORE
1 00 pm
3:30 pm
6:00 pm
3:30 pm
6:00 pm
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',Fetch as accountant or clerk-
upervi or'sWorkshop
_
On PositIon Classification
Position Classification?Help For Supervisors
It you're like many super-
visors, you spend much of your
lime wrestling with personnel
problems. One way to ease such
problems is to become better
acquainted with that seemingly
formidable process?position
classification.
to find out more about the
pro( ess and how it can help you
in hiring and promoting your
employees, the First Line went
directly to the source the
Standards Division of the Civil
Service Commission's Bureau of
Policies and Standards.
Two documents, according to
Paul A. Katz, chief of the divi-
sion, are the primary basis of
Federal classification proce-
dures: classification standards
imci position descriptions 1 hey
are used by position classifiers
to determine the grade level and
qualification requirements of
every Federal job.
A Position Description lists the
duties, responsibilities and,
usually, the essential qualifica-
tions for a specific job. Before a
position description is clas-
sified, or given a numerical
grade, you, as supervisor, must
sign it, certifying that it is an ac-
curate statement of the work. If
an employee's duties and re-
sponsibilities increase or de-
crease, the position description
should be changed.
Classification Standards de-
scribe the typical duties and re-
sponsibilities at the various
grade levels in the various occu-
pations found in government
?A New Position Classification System
A new system for classifing
positions has been developed
and will be phased-in in more
than mu occupations, CivilServ-
ir ri Commission classircr abort
Jeqp ris report.
system, known as the I ac-
r valuation System or [IS. is
di:-,igned to help hot h super-
visors and employees g,et a
( ei picture ot how non-
supervisory positions in the
General Sc hedule are classified
atdes CS-I through GS-Vi.
I i-sition from the urrent
lastatication system to the EFS
will take several years, because
oi the more than 300 upa-
lions involved and the need to
rcwilte standards to tit specific
aspects cif each one.
I he first live Ff'S classification
standards to be issued will he for
Mail and File Clerks, Nurses, Ac-
counting 1 echnicians, Mechani-
cal I ngineers, and Dental Ther-
apy I echmdans.
This very likely could affect
von directly, whether you
supervise employees in these
job classifications or not.
During the phasing-in of FES,
von may be asked to help your
agency's classification spe-
cialists rewrite position descrip-
tions for your employees in
these and other job categories as
EFS expands to include them.
Linder FES, all position de-
scriptions will be written to in-
clude a short introductory para-
graph covering the job's major
duties, followed by a description
Of the position in terms of the
nine FES job evaluation factors:
Every position has all nine fac-
tors. The position description
typist.
Although the standards are
basic working aids for classifica-
tion specialists, Katz said, they
also can serve as informative
guidelines for you to follow in
analyzing jobs and in writing or
revising !position des( riptions.
"Look over the standards:" he
said. "If you can't understand
them? ask a classification spe-
cialist to help.. He or she also
can point out what should be
emphasit ed in a position de-
scription '
Although being familiar with
classificirtion procedures is
helpful, the real advantages are
gained when you use the knowl-
edge properly, he said.
"Consider hiiing to fill a va-
cancy. If in up-to-date position
descriiptiii)n is used as a guide for
writing the vacancy announce-
ment, applics--ints will have a
good uncterstanding of the job.
After the oersonnel staffing spe-
cialists si c-,en the applications,
they will ;lie able to reter the best
explains how mpoilant each
Iictor a particular job.
FES cla standards
have two parts that i.,re used in
determining the grade of a posi-
tion: fac :or-levet descriptions
and bera hawks.
Factot-ievel descriptions show
levels ot ich ot the nine factors
as they apply to an oc cupation.
Benchr-iarks show the duties
of typiciri positions and the
levels of the ii ne factors for
those positions
Becausr-- hem hmark s are simi-
lar to position descriptions writ-
ten with EIS factors, the classifi-
cation experts point out, it will
be easy to compare one to the
other, fa( for by factor. Hence, it
will be easier and quicker to un-
derstand t ie classification of the
position
For spe, ific answers on how
he FES will change your proce-
dures, talk with a classification
specialist in your personnel of-
fice.
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--No ,nihr 1976
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people to you. By keeping pos mine the proper grade level of e of the best times to up-
non descriptions current, you
simplify and streamline the hir-
ing process."
Classification standards can
help you in other ways, too,
when you have a vacancy to fill,
Katz said. "The standards help
explain how differences in the
work account for differences in
grade. By referring to these
standards you can get a good
idea of how your rearranging
duties and responsibilities can
influence a position's grade. By
efficient rearrangement, you can
control the number of high
grade positions and help keep
the cost of government down."
Understanding classification
procedures also can give you in-
sight into the "how" and "why"
of promotions, he said. This in
turn helps you to better answer
your staff's questions on pro-
motions.
By comparing a position de-
scription to the right classifica-
tion standard, you can deter-
the position. You also can find
out what more difficult duties
might justify promotion to a
higher grade.
"Remember," he said, "pro-
motions are not based on the
amount of work produced by an
employee. Instead, the type of
work assigned and the amount
of responsibility shouldered are
the major factors."
As a supervisor, the work you
assign employees influences
their promotion potential. Be-
fore certifying a position de-
scription, you should be satis-
fied that it accurately states the
major duties of the job. If the
description is out-dated, you
should revise it to show the cur-
rent requirements of the posi-
tion. "Remember, though," he
added, "that most promotions
should be competitive; you
can't just arbitrarily assign
higher grade duties to employ-
ees and thereby give them pro-
motions."
date position descriptions, he
said, is during your agency's an-
nual classification survey. The
main purposes of this survey are
to make sure established posi-
tions are still needed and to see
that position descriptions are
correct. Your classification spe-
cialists should contact you to
verify changes in your staff's
duties.
The annual survey allows you
to bring revisions or corrections
to the attention of your clas-
sifiers. It can also help you to
gain a better insight into classifi-
cation processes and how they
affect you and your employees.
"Although position classifica-
tion is a big job in all govern-
ment personnel offices," Katz
said, "it has many uses for all
supervisors too.
"By taking an active part in re-
lated classification actions," he
said, "you can apply your ideas
and knowledge to influence a
personnel program designed to
help you."
Handbook Answers Counseling Questions
Genuine interest and concern
in their careers is one of the
most valuable things you can
offer your employees.
Your personal encouragement
and help is a major key to suc-
cessful career counseling. With
it, much is possible; without it
little is gained.
But how do you translate your
knowledge of career develop-
ment and your desire to assist an
employee, into a helping, coun-
seling relationship?
The Career Counseling Hand-
book* provides some answers.
Here are excerpts.
You can help most by asking
stimulating questions, providing
relevant information, and help-
ing the employee to think
through the alternatives, but
only the employee can deter-
mine what suits him or her as an
individual.
Setting and Structure
Conduct your counseling in a
private, quiet place. If you can-
not guarantee an uninterrupted
20 or 30 minutes, postpone the
interview until you can.
Opening the interview well is
a good beginning for the coun-
seling relationship. Assuming
the employee ? a woman, for
example ? has come to you, it is
usually best to let her begin by
telling you what she wants to
talk about. Don't try to second
guess her or verbally anticipate
what she will say. Let her take
the lead; you listen. Nor should
you assume she has a problem
by saying, "Tell me what your
problem is." Perhaps she has
simply come for information.
In your first interview, you will
probably find it desirable to
make a few explanatory remarks.
You should clarify your role and
offer your assistance.
Some people will undoubt-
edly come to you in a crisis?
upset, unhappy, disappointed,
or confused. Very often this per-
son's primary need is to "venti-
late" and explain his or her situ-
ation to a sympathetic listener.
Somewhat into the conversation
however, you should clarify your
role. For example:
"I see that you're very upset
about your job and I'd like to
help you find some answers to
See Counseling, p. 4
* More information is available in the
publication, Career Counseling for
Women in the Federal Government, A
Handbook, from which this article was
extracted.
The handbook is useful as a resource
in counseling men and women. It pro-
vides information about women in the
work force, vocational development
needs, and suggested materials and
methods for career counseling.
Copies may be ordered from Superin-
tendent of Documents; U.S. Govern-
ment Printing Office; Washington, D.C.
20402, at $1.65. Stock Number is 006-
000-00894-1.
The First Line PPruv e "" ZUUIUuIU1?LIA 3
October?November 1976
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Counseling Closing the interview can be "Tending him or her on wild
awkward. Usually the counselor goose chases; try to direct the
or the employee feels that there employee to good, reliable
hasn't been enough time. One sources of information. For
guiding principle is to adhere to example:
the interview length which you Counselor: The agency library
had planned. has a collection of college
Supervisor: Well, I see we catalogs for schools in this area.
have only five more minutes. I think you'll be able to find
Would you like to spend them some of the answers there.
summarizing some of the alter- Counselor: Mrs. Smith at-
natives we have talked about? tended that course last month.
Supervisor: (Interrupting) I Perhaps she could give you a
don't like to break in on this but personal opinion.
our time is up. Certainly these Counselor: Let's see, Ann
issues you mentioned are corn- Jones is our personnel spe-
plicated and we can't hope to cialist. Maybe you'd want to call
settle them all today but I feel her for an official answer.
we made a good start. Would Usually you will be able to
you like to come back next refer her or him to someone
week? who can help. But do not bluff.
Supervisor: I can see you're An employee won't mind that
pretty worried about these you are not perfect; he or she
things and I would like to help knows that you are human.
you. Since your time is up today, Good counseling pays off. It
perhaps we could both think helps employees develop to
more about them and get to- their full potential ? to your ad-
gether next week. vantage and theirs. It also assists
you in meeting your equal
Listening employment opportunity re-
sponsibilities.
Third Issue Delayed
continued from p. 3
your problem." Then (because
he or she came to your office
unexpectedly): "I have an ap-
pointment in 20 minutes, but
let's talk now for 10 minutes and
then, if you like, we can sched-
ule a longer meeting later."
This example points to
another condition for career
counselors to decide: time
structure. It is usually a good
idea at the beginning of the
interview to state the time
limits. In this way both you
and the employee know how
much time you have for your
discussion.
Another consideration is tak-
ing notes. If you want to make
notes during the discussion, ex-
plain to the employee why, and
ask if he or she objects. Notes
can be helpful, but don't let
them come between you and the
employee. Some counselors use
note taking to hide from the
employee, writing copiously and
thereby avoiding a direct, open
discussion.
With some employees, the
fact that you are a supervisor
may mean that an effective
counseling relationship cannot
be established. As a supervisor
you must be alert to this possi-
bility and, when you feel it
operating, you should refer the
person to someone else. For
example:
Employee: I know I haven't
been turning out very good
work lately but I just can't tell
you all the reasons why. You
probably wouldn't want to dis-
cuss my problems anyway. I
think they're really caused by
frustrations.
Supervisor: I know how hard
it is to keep your mind on a job
when you're unhappy and I can
see how you'd wonder whether
I'd be interested or whether it's
smart to tell me about your dis-
satisfactions. It's true I'm your
supervisor but I am concerned
about you, not just your work. If
you think it might help to talk
some of these things over, we
can try to do that.
Listening is one of the most
important principles of counsel-
ing. You should let the em-
ployee take the lead and you lis-
ten. Sometimes this is difficult.
For one thing, the urge to give
advice immediately is great. Or,
the employee may ask for an an-
swer, for advice, for your opin-
ion. How can you be quiet?
The crucial thing to remember
is that you are not meeting with
the employee ? a man, for
example ? to give him answers
or solutions. You are meeting
with him to help him find his
own answers and make his own
decisions. Your role is to get him
to do the talking and thinking
and acting. Developing a career
is not unlike learning to drive:
you can help and assist and en-
courage, but you cannot do it
for him. If you take over the
wheel by doing all the talking,
he will never learn how to drive
himself.
Sometimes you will want to di-
rect employees to other sources
of information. This is good, be-
cause it involves the employee
in active exploration. Avoid
Before this third issue was produced, The
First Line learned that nearly half of those
expecting to receive the issue were no
longer on the distribution list. This was
caused by administrative problems be-
yond our control. Production of the third
issue was delayed while we investigated
the problem.
The situation has now been resolved, and
future issues of The First Line will be pub-
lished on a regular bimonthly schedule.
17,113,11M1111111
The First Line is published bimonthly by the
U.S. Civil Service Commission. Editorial in-
quiries should be sent to the U.S. Civil
Service Commission; First Line Editor, Don
Dillin; Office of Public Affairs, Room 5351;
1900 E Street N.W.; Washington, D.C.
20415. Telephone [phone].
U.S. subscriptions available at $4.50 per
year from Superintendent of Documents;
GPO; Washington, D.C. 20402. Single
copies, $.75.
First Line contents are general in nature;
contact your personnel office for more de-
tailed information or specific agency pro-
cedures. No special permission is necessary
to quote or reprint First Line materials un-
less otherwise noted.
Use of funds for printing this publication ap-
proved by the Office of Management and
Budget by letter of February 19, 1976.
U.S. Civil Service
N.4 re4d Commission
4
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October?November 1976
A \ewsletter For Feaeral Suoervisors ana
Vicmanage s
Volume 1, Number 4
Setting Standards to Evaluate Performance
"This past month, Gordon,
the claims processor I've been
supervising for the past two
years, handled about half as
many cases as he usually does. I
wonder what's with him."
"Janet has been doing an out-
standing job with the new as-
signment as division manager.
I'm very happy that I selected
her."
"I know it's rare, but I just do
not feel that it would be correct
to authorize Larry's within-grade
increase when it comes due. His
work is just not up to par."
Performance evaluations,
every one. But not the kind that
you have to sit down and con-
template once a year. These are
day-to-day evaluations. You
make them every time you see a
work product. You make judg-
ments each time you watch an
employee work.
You can store away these im-
pressions and bring them out
when the formal occasion calls
for it. . . when you have to de-
cide on within-grade increases
for white-collar employees,
when you have to assign a per-
formance rating, when you rec-
ommend an employee for an
award.
Each time you make that men-
tal evaluation of an employee's
performance, you are judging
the performance against some
kind of standard.
It may be your general impres-
sion of how the employee has
performed in the past.
Or it may be how you feel you
would perform in the same posi-
tion.
You may have different stand-
ards for different people, based
on their experience and grade
level.
"But there is a real risk," ac-
cording to Frederick Kistler, who
heads the Civil Service Commis-
sion's Bureau of Policies and
Standards, "when you don't
bring these standards out in the
open for your employees to see
and understand.
"You can set up standards of
performance in many different
ways," he said. "The method
you use may depend on how
your agency wants it done or on
your personal style of supervi-
sion.
"But when you don't keep
your employees aware of what
December 1976-January 1977
you expect from them, you may,
at the very least, uncomfortably
surprise them when they see the
formal personnel decisions that
you make. And at worst you can
leave yourself open to com-
plaints, grievances, and lowered
morale.
"It's a fact of life in employee
relations that the employee is
most comfortable when he or
she knows exactly what you ex-
pect," he said. "So tell them."
Setting standards
Setting standards of perform-
ance can be a good opportunity
See Standards, p. 4.
Employee Surveys Reveal Attitudes
Nearly half of a sample group
of Federal employees do not
consider promotions fair.
And half of the same sample
group said they were dissatisfied
with career opportunities.
These are among the opinions
and attitudes revealed in ques-
tionnaires given to nearly 100,000
Federal employees throughout
the country during 1974 and 1975.
Questionnaires are given to em-
ployees when the Civil Service
Commission conducts personnel
management audits in Federal
agencies.
On the positive side, more
than three-quarters of employ-.
ees asked said that they:
? Were able to find out things
about their job.
? Got needed advice on
methods and problems.
? Had a clear idea of the quality
of work they were expected to
perform.
But only half said that they
were kept informed of how they
were doing.
One in every two questioned
said they they received direction
from more than one person.
Half of the employees sur-
veyed said that supervisors did
not solicit their comments or
opinions.
Copies of the questionnaire,
and information on question-
naire processing, are available
from:
U.S. Civil Service Commission
Analysis and Development
Division BPME
Washington, D.C. 20415
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Ford Budget Projects (
Possible Pay Hikes
The budget submitted to Con-
gress by President Ford on
January 17, 1977, contains provi-
sions for possible white-collar
pay increases of 6.5 percent in
October 1977 and 6.25 percent in
October 1978.
These increases are estimates
only.
The estimates are based on in-
forigation about the economy
avaIlable at the time the budget
was2prepared.
AQ-tual increases in October
197 and October 1978 may be
higfier or lower than the per-
cerTages indicated in the budget
pr osai, according to Raymond
W senborn, chief of the Civil
Ser9ice Commission's Pay Policy
Di ion.
rae actual increases will de-
per_? on the findings of the sur-
veyanow being made by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics, he
salt)
Te white-collar pay adjust-
meat process is detailed below.
1:1
S pervisors or s op
on Complaints and Grievances
Fair Treatment Can Reduce Complaints
Successful handling of com-
plaints and grievances can be
one of the strongest building
blocks in good human relations.
The following article, taken from
The Supervisor's Guide to Labor
Relations in the Federal Govern-
ment, provides information on
how you can deal with corn-
r.flaints from your employees.
Reducing Employee Complaints
While there is no magic for-
mula for eliminating complaints
and grievances, fair treatment
and common sense can make
your relationship with your em-
ployees more productive and
cooperative. Here are some
suggestions.
? Be alert to the usual causes of
complaints and grievances. Do
not knowingly violate your agen-
cy's rules or the labor contract.
For example, distributing over-
time unequally in violation of a
contract is an open invitation to
a grievance.
? Keep the workers informed
regarding the quality of their
work.
? Correct minor irritations
promptly.
? Encourage constructive
suggestions.
? Keep promises.
? Assign work impartially to
employees with equal skill and
ability.
? Give reasons for your orders
unless they are obvious.
? Be consistent unless there is
an obvious reason for change.
? Explain change.
? Act as soon as possible on
requests.
? Avoid showing favoritism.
? If corrective action has to be
taken, do not make a public dis-
play of the disciplinary talk or ac-
tion.
CO
How White -Collar Pay is Adjusted
thc?
0
0
\DI-wake lvtdier/
0
0
mpir P
0
P
Bureau of Labor Statistics employees gather data on
Private Sector salary changes.
President's Pay Agent (Chair-
man CSC and Director OMB)
reviews BLS findings and
recommends s.aary Adjustment
to President
Pay Agent also discusses recommendation with
Federal Employees Pay Council (Unions).
iTheir views and recommendations must be part
of the Agent's Report.
In short, use common sense
and, until proven wrong, assume
that fair treatment will pay off in
cooperation.
First Discussion?Get the Story
Many "gripes" are not strictly
"grievances" because they re-
late to a complaint about some
situation not covered by the
negotiated grievance proce-
dure. While it is quite true that
in such a case the grievance
should fail, nevertheless, the
worker or steward should be
heard on the subject. If you take
a "legalistic" attitude at this
stage and dismiss the gripe
you'll encourage irritations and
hard feelings.
Other procedures available to
the employee in addition to
negotiated and agency grievance
procedures include:
Equal Employment Opportu-
nity Complaints
Classification Appeals
Adverse Action Appeals
Listen and get your employ-
ee's story. Let him or her talk
without interruption?then ask
questions. If you don't show
enough interest to define the
problem exactly, you are open
to the charge of pre-judging the
matter. Sometimes hearing the
complaint out is all that is de-
sired.
EDITOR'S NOTE: More than
half of all Federal employees are
covered by "negotiated griev-
ance procedures" contained in
labor contracts. These provide a
formal means to settle employee
complaints.
Don't Guess?Investigate
If you are absolutely certain of
the proper answer and feel that a
quick factual respnnse will r-
?-
solve the matter, make an im-
mediate reply. However, if you
are (a) not sure of the facts,
(b) not sure of the pertinent
contract interpretation or man-
agement policy, or (c) doubtful
that the atmosphere is right for
resolution?then a delay may be
necessary.
A hasty decision under any of
these three conditions can be
disastrous.
In analyzing a grievance, the
key word is investigate. Assum-
ing the complaint is a grievance
under an agreement, review the
PaY Agerris
Retimmendaiions
/ADViScY UfrAOMTTEE
94 FEDERAL C't?X
Advisory Committee on Federal Pay (three
vivate sector pay and labor relations experts)
considers views of Unions and Pay Agent, then
makes separate recommendation to President.
2
The First Line
December 1976?January 1977
rluuiu
pg!t ri
Fl
Using these data and recommendations,
President decides on amount of October
comparablilty adjustment. Then one of
two things happens...
.e limits of the grievance pro-
cedure.
Weigh all the facts and review
any relevant records such as
payroll, attendance, overtime,
sick leave, safety, etc. Review
personnel files of the employees
involved, overtime, sick leave,
safety, etc. Review personnel
files of the employees involved.
Your personnel or labor rela-
tions officer can help in this
phase of your inquiry.
Arbitrators invariably ask for
evidence of what precedents
have been established, hori
similar problems have been
solved, the the practice of th3
supervisor in the past.
Many a supervisor has founda.
to his or her dismay, that a hasT
or careless decision in the pagt
concerning a relatively mini
occurrence comes back to haugt
the supervisor later when a simal-
lar occurrence involves more
serious consequences.
Preparing the Answer?You:s
Decision
Decide on a solution after
analyzing all the facts developeft
in your investigation. Discus
See Complaints, p.
CO
co
CO
CD
co
th
0 President nuts October comoaraOility adiust-
men: into e!fec-,.
or
By August 31. President sends an Alternative
Planto Congress. Congress has 30 days to
reject the Alternative Plan:
-- If either house of Congress rejects
the Alternative Plan, the comparability
adjustment goes into effect in October.
? If Congress does not reject the Alter-
native Plan, the Alternative Plan goes
into effect.
The First Line
December 1976?January 1977
3
Approved Qiii; Releama2k0e05/017v/rOilt pimwegow5p...000i 00140010-6_
Complaints court Leave OK'd For
matter whether the grievance is
denied, granted or settled by Non-Offkial Witnesses
compromise, prepare a com-
plete statement of all that oc-
curred. If the grievance is de-
nied, the statement of facts will
be useful on appeal. If the griev-
ance is granted in whole or in
part, it constitutes precedent or
past practice which will become
important in the future.
The Supervisor's Guide to
Labor Relations is available from
the Superintendent of Docu-
ments, U.S. Government Print-
ing Office, Washington, D.C.
20402, Stock Number 006-000-
00907-7; price, 80 cents each.
continued from p. 3
your answer with others?your
supervisor, your personnel or
labor relations officer, other
supervisors.
Frame your answer carefully.
Policy differs concerning the
most effective answer. Check
your response with the person-
nel or labor relations officer.
If the grievance is to be settled
or granted, do it promptly. If the
decision is that the grievance
has merit, do not detract from
the satisfactory resolution by a
begrudging delay.
Standards
continued from p. 1
to develop common understand-
ing between you and your em-
ployees, Kistler said.
A very basic first question is
"Performance for what?" What
is the purpose of the job? Even
more fundamentally, what is the
purpose of the organization, and
how does an employee's work
tie into that purpose?
Without the big picture, with-
out a clear goal for the work
being done, work can be mean-
ingless. So the first step in set-
ting standards is to define the
objectives of the work: what do
you want accomplished and
why?
Once objectives are clear both
to you and to the employee,
then you can establish the con-
crete things that the employee
needs to do to meet the objec-
tives.
? What specific tasks will help
meet the objectives?
? How much work will be re-
quired in how much time?
? What quality do you expect
in the work?
You will get the most com-
mitment to work objectives from
your employees, according to
Kistler, if you:
? establish concrete standards
that are measurable.
Federal workers are now
granted official, paid court leave "4"Ir
to appear in court as non-official
witnesses on behalf of private
parties?if the United States, the
District of Columbia, or a State
or local government is a party to
the proceeding. Any fees paid a
witness on court leave must be
turned in to the employing
agency.
New Civil Service Commission
instructions on court leave be-
came effective on October 1,
1976, and implement Public Law
94-310.
? set realistic objectives.
? establish formal perform-
ance standards between you and
your subordinates (write them
down!).
? when you can, arrive at
mutual agreement on the stand-
ards (does the employee feel
that they can really be accom-
plished?). Keep communication
lines open.
Evaluating performance is a
continuous process, Kistler said.
I I
The First Line is published bimonthly by the
U.S. Civil Service Commission. Editorial in-
quiries should be sent to the U.S. Civil
Service Commission; First Line Editor, Don
Dillin; Office of Public Affairs, Room 5351;
1900 E Street N.W.; Washington, D.C.
20415. Telephone [phone].
U.S. subscriptions available at $4.50 per
year from Superintendent of Documents;
GPO; Washington, D.C. 20402. Single
copies, 5.75.
First Line contents are general in nature;
contact your personnel office for more de-
tailed information or specific agency pro-
cedures. No special permission is necessary
to quote or reprint First Line materials un-
less otherwise noted.
Use of funds for printing this publication ap-
proved by the Office of Management and
Budget by letter of February 19, 1976.
PtL47
4-rei
U.S. Civil Service Commission
It can also be a c:onstructive
process, if it is based on con-
crete standards that are shared
by you and your employees.
The Commission is now pre-
paring, he added, more detailed
information and guidance on
performance evaluation for use l'aio
by supervisors. Publication is
planned for Spring 1977, and de-
tails will be announced in The
First Line.
Vet Preference Out
The veteran preference bene-
fit has been discontinued for
those now entering into military
service. Anyone who has already
qualified for veteran preference
is unaffected.
A new law restricts those eli-
gible for this benefit to veterans
who have served some part of
their active duty time after
January 31, 1955, and before Oc-
tober 15, 1976. Those who en-
tered active duty after October
14, 1976, will no longer be enti-
tled to veteran preference un-
less they sustain a service-
connected disability or serve in a
future campaign.
4 Approved For Release 2005/07/01 : CIA-RDP86600985R000100140010-6 The First Line
December 1976?January 1977
A \ewsler for Federal Suoervisors ano Mc managers
Volume 1, Number 5
February-March 1977
President Carter Meets with Federal Employees
Shortly after his inauguration,
President Carter met with Fed-
eral employees during visits to
Federal departments. Below are
excerpts from his remarks.
"Presidents, as you know,
come and go. Cabinet secre-
taries come and go. But the pro-
fessional, competent civil ser-
vants are the ones who provide
the stability, the integrity, the
usefulness, and the accom-
plishments to government. And
want every change that is made
to be designed to let your own
professional careers be more ef-
fective, and to let the one life
ihat you and I have to live on
I arth be expended in a
maximum, beneficial way to-
ward others." (Department of
lealth, Education, and Welfare;
February 16, 1977)
"In a democratic government,
we ought to always remember
that we are nobody's boss. We
ale servants. And to the extent
that we can keep that con-
sciousness in our minds, we can
be better servants. . .
"If something is there for the
last 30 or 40 years, and can be
improved, I would like for you to
take the initiative to recommend
ihe improvement, and to the ex-
ient that you aggressively and
enthusiastically involve your-
selves in searching for better
ways to do things, you can be
part of the process of change."
(Department of Commerce, Feb-
ruary 9, 1977)
"We need to have an aggres-
sive, constant search for a better
way to deliver those services and
just because there has been
some policy in effect for the last
live or ten or fifty years is no rea-
son why we should honor it un-
less it is the best policy.
"I want to be sure that there is
always a willingness on your part
to reach out and say I am here to
give you a helping hand, not I
am here to enforce a regulation
that changes your life against
your wishes." (Department of
Labor, February 9, 1977)
CSC Invites Comments on
Federal Health Insurance
For the first time, the Civil
Service Commission is asking for
comments and suggestions from
employees and the public on Fed-
eral employee health insurance
before it begins negotiations with
health insurance carriers for 1978
rates and coverage.
The Commission contracts with
carriers of various health benefit
plans that participate in the Fed-
ora! Employees Health Benefits
Program. Each year, Commission'
and carriers renegotiate benefits,
premiums, and other parts of the
contract.
Before negotiations begin in
May, the Commission wants to
consider the views and sugges-
tions of Federal employees, their
organizations, Federal agencies,
and the general public.
You or your employees or any
other interested person may send
comments to Mr. Thomas A. Tins-
ley, Director, Bureau of Retire-
ment. Insurance, and Occupation-
al Health, U.S. Civil Service Com-
mission, Washington, D.C. 20415.
Send suggestions and comments
before April 25, 1977. Although
all comments will be considered,
they cannot be individually ack-
nowledged.
The following areas, among
others, will be included in the
May 1977 negotiations:
? Holding premiums to lowest
possible level
? Cost control by the carrier
? Benefit changes
? Changes in open season
(such as, extending open sea-
son from two to four weeks;
holding general open seasons
at 2-year or 3-year intervals,
possibly with limited open
seasons during the years in
between; eliminating distri-
bution of completely revised
brochures every year; and re-
vising size, format, and style
of brochures.)
Approved Aglik%1 LCSse---20 05/0 7 .-ebec-REIP8-01300985R0001 001-4001-0=6
Apprqyed - /07/11 :CI A
Supervisor.sWerkshop
-RDP8613009,48X000100140010-6
ontinuous employment in a po-
sition outside the competitive
service.
on Adverse Action Appeals
Appeals Procedures Protect Employee Rights
Although the overwhelming
majority of relationships be-
tween employees and their
supervisors are satisfactory, it
would be unrealistic to assume
that there aren't times when
employees shouldn't be severely
disciplined.
[(Jr those cases? there is
Government-wide policy and
procedures to protect employ-
ees' rights to defend themselves
against arbitrary adverse actions
and to appeal decisions they feel
are unfair.
the extent to which you be-
come involved in adverse action
cases may depend on how au-
thority is delegated in your
Adverse Actions:
agency. But a clear understand-
ing of the process will assist you
should you ever have to take
part in an adverse action.
The general description of ap-
peals procedures in this article
applies to appeals relating to
removals, suspensions for more
than 30 days, reductions in rank
or pay, and furloughs without
pay.
Also, the procedures de-
scribed here apply only to com-
petitive service employees who
have completed their one-year
probationary or trial period, and
to employees who are entitled to
veteran preference and have
completed one year of current
1 in 5 Appeals Reversed For Improper Procedures
More than one out of every
five adverse action appeals de-
cided by the Federal Employee
Appeals Authority (FEAA) re-
versed the agency's original ac-
tion because the agency failed to
follow proper procedures when
executing the action, according
to Paul Mahoney, FEAA's Direc-
tor.
In 1976, the FEAA decided
2,024 Government worker ap-
peals involving firings, demo-
tions, and suspensions in excess
of 30 days. Most of the FEAA de-
cisions which reversed agency
actions were caused by "pro-
cedural error."
Procedural errors, Mahoney
said, include such things as fail-
ure by the agency to give the
employee an opportunity to
reply to the charges, or to con-
sider his or her reply, or a lack of
specific details in the charges.
The most common error is not
giving enough detail in the
notice of proposed adverse ac-
tion as to why the action is being
considered. There must be suffi-
cient detail presented to allow
the employee to answer the
charges and prepare a defense.
For example, there have been
a large number of demotion ac-
tions resulting from applying
new wage-grade job grading
standards, he said. In many
cases, the advance notice merely
told the individual that new
standards were issued by the
Civil Service Commission and
when applied, the result was a
demotion.
If an agency offical (you or
someone else) is considering
serious adverse action against an
employee?tor example, re-
moval. suspension for more
than AO days, or reduction in
rank or in pay?the employee
must be given at least 30 days'
notice in writing before the ac-
tion can be taken. The notice
must state specifically, in detail,
why such action is being consid-
ered, a n d all materials used to
support those reasons must be
made available to the employee
for his or her review.
The employee is entitled to a
reasonable amount of official
time to answer the notice, in
writing or in person or both, to
an official who has the authority
to make a recommendation or
final decision in the matter.
The employee's answer, in-
cluding any affidavits or other
evidence he or she submits, s?wor
But that does not go far
enough, Mahoney said. A spe-
cific explanation is required of
what changes in the standard re-
sulted in a different job grading.
In fact, the regulation itself re-
quires agencies to spell out "any
and all reasons, specifically and
in detail, for the proposed ac-
tion," Mahoney pointed out.
When the FEAA decides an
appeal of an adverse action, it
must first look to see if the
proper procedures have been
followed by the agency in taking
the action. If they have not, the
action is reversed regardless of
the merits of the case.
"We don't look at the merits
of the case," Mahoney said,
"until after the procedural re-'
view is made."
2
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ebruary?March 1977
inust be Approved For Rehrase 2005/07{101 :31/a-RDPet6A399985R00010
considered before any Now tor more t an ay o
- _
?Idverse action is taken. motion. Employees may repre-
At this point, the deciding
ffiticial?who must be at a higher
iovel than the one who originally
proposed action against the
ffritdioyee?can recommend that
the action be withdrawn or that
the agency proceed.
If the decision is to proceed,
Ore employee must receive a
botice stating the action and its
Afective date, and telling the
,,mployee which of the reasons
in the notice ot proposed
Adverse action have been up-
eld which have not. I he
ofnployee must be notified or
to right to appeal from the ad-
-,erse action and ul the time limit
'or tiling an appeal.
Atter receiving a it oi de-
t:Hsion to take adverse act tori, the
r.imployee may appeal to the
I oderal Employee, Appeals Au-
thority iFEAA), an independent
ffrganization within the Civil
Service Commission.
ft'?
Although a hearing is not re-
quired in connection with the
appeal, the employee is entitled
10 d hearing it the appeal con-
t. erns a removal, a suspension
1111111MMINNINIMINNIN
he ifs' Line is published oirnomhly by the
On Service Commission. Editorial in-
quiries should be sent to the U S. Civil
Commissron, First Line tditor, Don
Crillim Off ice of Public. Affairs, Room 5351;
1900 E Street N.VV : Washington, D.C.
,0415 I elephone [phone].
subscriptions available at $4.50 per
yg-ar from Superintencient of Documents;
iP0 Washington, VC 20402. Single
$ 75.
irst Line contents are general in nature;
contact your personnel office for more de-
tailed information or specific agency pro-
eedures. No special permission is necessary
to quote or reprint First Line materials un-
less otherwise noted.
01 funds or printing this pubrication ap-
proved by the Office of Management and
Budget by letter of Fent uary 9, 1976
E)
U.S. Civil Service Commission
mit themselves or they may
have the help of a representative
of their choice.
Filing an appeal does not
postpone the effective date of
the adverse action, and the em-
ployee is responsible for any ex-
penses involved in preparing the
oppeat.
The FFAA will issue a decision,
requiring corrective action by
e agency when appropriate.
he decision is final, except for
cases subsequently reopened by
the Appeals Review Board, an or-
rice of the Civil Service Commk-
sion, in Washington, D.C. If the
employee is not satisfied with
rhe FEAA decision, the employee
may go directly to Federal court.
he employee or agency may
request a reopening of a case by
the Appeals Review Board. The
bases for review, however, are
limited. the Appeals Review
Board will reopen and consider a
case only when it is shown,
writing, (I) that there is new and
material evidence not available
previously, (2) that the decisit in
contains an erroneous interpre-
iation of law or misapplication ;of
established policy, or (3) that
110W Of unsettled policy qucs-
hrms are involved.
Beyond that point, the Civil
Sotrvicc Commissioners, at their
discretion, may reopen and re-
consider any decision of the /\p-
peak Review Board when it is
shown that new or unsettled
questions Of policy of an excep-
tional nature are involved.
A general description of the
appeals system is also contained
in Fed Facts 1-7 on Employee Ap-
peals from Adverse Actions.
Fed Facts 17 is one of 17 Fed
facts pamphlets published by
the Civil Service Commission to
inform Federal employees on a
variety of personnel related top-
ics.
Fed Facts pamphlets are dis-
tributed through many agency
personnel offices.
0010-
PROPOSAL
EIVIPLA LYE: E
REPL Y
F NCY DECISION
'F AL IO CSC
HEARING
It