UNITED STATES
An association representing top US Federal Public Servants has put its case to Congress over projected reforms to the Public Service.
The Government Managers Coalition (GMC) wrote to the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Government Operations urging lawmakers to avoid “piecemeal” changes to the PS.
“The GMC believes a more holistic approach is necessary and is developing comprehensive proposals to lead this conversation,” the GMC letter said.
“Some of the changes needed are regulatory, while others require cultural shifts in how we manage and identify talent — changes which could be accomplished in the absence of legislation.”
It said, however, several core items required legislation.
The letter marks the first public push by management groups on Public Service reform in several months.
In May, the Federal Managers Association said it was “apprehensive” about three controversial workforce Executive Orders from President, Donald Trump — now subject to a legal challenge by Federal employee unions — citing concerns with a process that “seems to run roughshod over a responsible, deliberate review of the current system”.
Director of the Office of Personnel Management, Jeff Pon (pictured) has indicated that he plans to propose broad Public Service reform legislation before the 2018 mid-term elections.
A major point in the GMC letter involved improving Agency leadership.
It suggested creating a dual-track system for promoting people — one for traditional managers and another for technical and subject matter experts — to more effectively retain high-quality employees.
“Many of the Government’s personnel and performance issues stem from the fact that often, technicians and subject matter experts are promoted into supervisory roles in order to earn promotions, even as many do not actually wish to manage people,” the GMC said.
“Indeed [they] often lack the political, negotiation and interpersonal skills necessary to successfully do so.”
It said the problem was not unique to Government.
The GMC also called for a “comprehensive overhaul of the pay and classification system” — something that would replace what it described as a “Byzantine morass” of dozens of existing pay systems.
Washington, DC, 5 August 2018
