The Obama administration's efforts to increase the diversity of the Senior Executive Service are starting to pay off. A new report from the Office of Personnel Management shows that in 2012 there were slight increases among women and racial categories.
A new report says a law requiring the online posting of senior federal executives' financial information would likely impinge on employees' privacy and wouldn't do much to deter conflicts of interest. The National Academy of Public Administration was tasked by Congress with studying the STOCK Act — short for "Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge" — in response to concerns about privacy and identify theft.
The Office of Personnel Management wants more information on why members of the Senior Executive Service are leaving their jobs. It's hoping a new exit survey being distributed to departing SES employees will help agencies improve their retention, recruitment and succession planning efforts. OPM said it wants employees to be as candid as possible with their answers to the anonymous survey.
The agency issued the Federal Supervisory Training Framework that details three levels of competencies for new or existing managers. The guidance is one of several initiatives OPM put forward over the past few years to improve employee leadership skills.
The Federal Salary Council will submit to the Federal Pay Agent in the coming weeks a recommendation to increase the number of localities that get special pay rates. OPM also will release the annual report on how much time federal employees spend on union activities during working hours. CHCO Council will also consider certification process for HR employees.
The controversial provision to an insider trading law that would require the online posting of senior federal employees' financial disclosure forms has twice been delayed by Congress and even put on hold by a district court judge. But now, Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) says he's already planning for another delay when Congress comes back in session after the election - and possibly even a bill nixing the measure altogether.
NASA announced several leadership changes including two promotions among its top administrators this week.
Eduardo Ribas, the chief human capital officer of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, discusses whether reforms to the Senior Executive Service have stuck and what remains to be done. The interview is part of Federal News Radio's special report, The Obama Impact: Evaluating the Last Four Years.
Labor groups hoped to see more progress by now. But the administration has failed to live up to expectations about pay, benefits and government service.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has announced new Senior Executive Service assignments.
Congress has delayed the online financial disclosure requirement of the STOCK Act for a month. But already this provision that affects 28,000 senior members of the executive branch is deterring high-level feds from joining the ranks of senior executives, according to the Senior Executives Association.
Acting Administrator Dan Tangherlini said GSA has at least 15 different bonus structures and there are questions about the agency's award rates. He said 85 percent of all SES performance awards are on hold in through 2013. GSA also will not hire new employees until a top-to-bottom review of the agency's organization is completed.
Stephen Shih, deputy associate director of Executive Resources & Employee Development at the Office of Personnel Management, was nominated for designing a new performance appraisal system for the Senior Executive Service.
Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) said a realistic approach is needed to reform the Senior Executive Service. His bill would automatically increase pay for highly rated SESers. However, the bill leaves out controversial provisions requiring mandatory agency rotations for SES members. The pragmatic approach is necessary to "rescue" the program which has struggled with recruiting new members.
Andrew S. Haeuptle will be director for business integration in the Office of the Deputy Chief Management Officer. Mary M. Gillam will be director for technology and innovation in the Office of the Deputy Chief Management Officer.