New Idea Ten: Get Rid of Unncessary Positions (Submitted Online)

[New Ideas for Government]

1. Each agency should take a look at themselves and get rid of unnecessary positions. Those people not needed can be transferred to areas that are short of people.

2. Demote individuals not doing the level of work they are supposed to be doing.

[Dawn Holland]

Mark,

I agree with both of your comments. In the corporate world, I know a number of corporations who practice employee rotations in order to achieve the following goals (just to name a few):

1. To expand upon an employee's knowledge of different departments and organizational processes/functions.
2. To encourage an employee to continue being a valuable asset to the company by having the ability to work in various departments and being able to perform various duties. It's the principle of the more you know, the more valuable you are.
3. To make the entire company better by having employees who are knowledgeable about the entire business processes of a given organization or function. The ultimate goal is to have all employees work as a team rather than individual departments and organizations.

[ResultsPronto]

Two problems I observe as a Federal manager that I think are a root problem related to many of the suggestions posted here:

1. Personnel regulations PREVENT employees from moving on or up:
a. The job series 'classification' system. HR will not even consider/review the job application of a current Federal employee if his/her current job classification number isn't the same, or in the same occupational 'family' as the new job being applied for- Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities aside. Now, the same qualifications from a non-Federal employee will be considered. That's how I moved into Federal management, by LEAVING the government and coming back. I would not have had the opportunities to grow and serve in the positions I have for the past 6 years otherwise- I had capped out in my series.
b. The time-in-grade restrictions for advancement don't reflect modern management based on merit, not seniority. This was instituted in the 30's/40's (I think) to slow the advancement of Federal employees. It is doing the job. It demorilizes hangers on, and gives a reason to leave for the most capable Federal employees. We can hope they will come back too...

2. The balance of power between employees and management is too lenient to employees. When serious employee problems with conduct or performance crop up, Agencies usually settle the case and provide the offending employee with a new job, and sometimes monetary benefits- even in clear cut cases of employee poor performance or conduct. Out of an inordinate fear of merely 'seeming' unfair, the Feds extend the benefit of every doubt, and much more in cases where in private industry the person would have been fired almost immediately- or at least within a few months of trying to fix the problem with no success. In government, the problems go on for years. Once a case is settled, it can never be brought up again. Ask any long-time Federal employee, most all can relay a story or two of a 'badmitton birdie' employee they know of (without mentioning names or details), who goes from unit to unit to unit- for whatever reason, causing trouble each time.

The problems they cause, the moral busting they do to co-workers and supervisors who have to deal with them, and the money wasted re-documenting or investigating the repeating issues that cannot be re-told in each unit are a drain on all that is tangible, and intangible. The true workers have to cover for this problem in terms of work load and tension at work, while the problem employees give all Federal workers a bad wrap with the public. THIS bad impression of Federal workers I believe- for some outstanding folks- is another reason to NOT consider a job with the Feds. (Though- it's not ALL bad...I did come back!) But to get back to the question, to 'get rid of' an employee in the Federal sector- it's not as easy as it sounds. And while I believe in fairness for employees (I am one too!), some reform is needed to balance the employee's needs, and the duty we have to taxpayers.

[stellaf]

Hi,


I think it is going to be a revolutionary step and it is very useful for everyone. Thanks for sharing.


Stella

administration jobs

[SteveWonder]

Pare down personnel and expenditures-get rid of CORRUPTION and FRAUD in:
Dept. of Defense, Education, Homeland Security.
That's REAL CHANGE!

[william e. george jr]

AMEN

[william e. george jr]

I think we need to get rid of the corruption first.