Shouldn’t it be easier to fire federal workers caught viewing porn all day, or to sack folks who “forget’ to file their federal income taxes? Why put a deadbeat on paid administrative leave? Why keep paying a perv caught red- handed (no pun intended) while the separation process grinds on? And on?

Why does the government have to go through such a complicated (some say crippling) system of proving misconduct, malfeasance or beastly poor performance, in order to get rid of an obviously very bad apple?

Or is it not quit that simple? Is there a reason for the high- level of due-process in the civil service disciplinary code?

All of the above are questions increasingly being asked in Congress as agencies — from the Department of Veterans Affairs to the Secret Service and the Internal Revenue Service make the nightly news in the worst way.

One of the most oft-repeated complaints about the federal civil service is how tough it is to fire somebody. So how true is it?

Key members of Congress are looking at ways to streamline the federal firing process called “at will employment,” or AWE. AWE is the way they do it in the private sector, the politicians argue, so why continue to make federal civil servants fireproof? It started with the VA, but more people in power are saying it should be easier to fire, transfer or discipline problem employees, starting at the top with career members of the Senior Executive Service. The SES has 7,014 members. Their pay ranges from $121,956 to $183,300.

SES members are represented by the Senior Executives Association. The SEA today will release a detailed report outlining members’ concerns about the quickie firing programs being debated on Capitol Hill.

SEA President Carol Bonosaro says a survey of senior executives shows that the quick-firing plan is “overwhelming considered a bad idea.”

Bonosaro said enactment of any such plan in any agency would shatter morale and could keep top-people at the GS 14 and 15 levels from moving up into the SES. Bonosaro said many of her members say if the AWE becomes law many members had said they would retire or seek jobs, often better paying, in the private sector.

For an explanation of the situation and a first-look at the SEA report, tune in to Your Turn today at 10 a.m. here on Federal News Radio. Bonosaro will be our guest and we’ll talk about the proposed quick-fire plans and how things work in the private sector. Listen if you can, call in if you like or e-mail questions (before the show starts) to me at mcausey@federalnewsradio.com.

Nearly Useless Factoid by Michael O’Connell

An apple turns brown when a compound in the fruit called ortho-quinone reacts to oxygen. The ortho-quinone produces melanin, the same brown-colored compound that causes a person’s skin to tan when exposed to sunlight.

(Source: Quick and Dirty Tips)

MORE FROM FEDERAL NEWS RADIO:

SES members troubled by prospect of at-will employment
A new survey shows just how jittery Senior Executive Service members are following a landmark law targeting SES members in the Veterans Affairs Department. When asked about at-will employment, SES members questioned their choice of careers and said they would not recommend it to others.

Congress to feds: Do union work on your own time
The federal government’s longstanding policy of letting workers conduct union matters during the workday has come under fire from two Georgia lawmakers. Rep. Jody Hice (R-Ga.) and Sen. Johnny Isakson (R- Ga.) both introduced bills that would end official time, the right for federal employees to carry out union-related work while on the job. Official time has been the law of the land since the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978.

Outgoing FDA Commissioner confident in agency’s future
As she steps down after nearly six years as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Margaret Hamburg said she feels good about where the agency stands, and where it’s going in the future.

Copyright © 2024 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.