SES
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Does the Senior Executive Service need to be fixed? And if so, how? Federal News Radio is currently examining these questions in a four-part special report, "Fixing the SES." Web Manager Julia Ziegler joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to relay some of your thoughts on it.
February 16, 2015 -
The SES has lost its luster in recent years, in part because of constrained program budgets, increased scrutiny from Congress, and a sense among members that political appointees are assuming more of the leadership responsibilities once reserved for them. In part two of our special report, Fixing the SES, five Senior Executive Service members tell Federal News Radio why they choose to stay in the service, and why they believe the SES may have its faults, but it's not broken.
February 16, 2015 -
After a one year hiatus thanks to tight budgets, the Office of Personnel Management has reinstated the Presidential Rank Awards in all their glory. The program recognizes members of the Senior Executive Service for extraordinary service with cold, hard cash. Steve Shih is a deputy associate director for Senior Executive Services and Performance Management at OPM. He joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin with more on the awards' return.
February 11, 2015 -
Members of the Senior Executives Service take heed: Not all reforms are bad, painful or even likely to occur, says Senior Correspondent Mike Causey.
February 10, 2015 -
Members of the Senior Executive Service have had a rough year or two. Now political leaders from both the White House and Congress offer up ways to improve the SES. There's the mundane, such as the White House is launching a candidate development program. And the punitive — legislation that would make it easier to fire SES members when things go wrong. Today, Federal News Radio launches a special series called "Fixing the SES." We'll bring you the voices of those who know the system best — current and former SES members. We start with former acting IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel. He was an SES member before becoming a political appointee. He's now an outside consultant. On the Federal Drive with Tom Temin, Werfel told reporter Emily Kopp that SES members are older and under more stress than ever before.
February 09, 2015 -
Fewer than half of the Senior Executive Service members who responded to an exclusive Federal News Radio online survey say they would join today. The survey results were even more dim for federal employees at the GS-15 and GS-14 ranks. In the first of our four-part special report, Fixing the SES, we examine how current senior execs feel about the SES, and what they believe is right and wrong with the service.
February 09, 2015 -
Sometimes, the secret to getting things done is as simple as including the word "reform" in your proposal, says Senior Correspondent Mike Causey.
February 05, 2015 -
Respect for federal agency leaders continues to fall. The last few Federal Employee Viewpoint Surveys say rank-and-file employees don't respect their upper level leaders as much as they used to. Executive Core Qualifications are supposed to help senior executives maintain high leadership standards, but they might be too easy to follow. Bob Tobias, professor of Key Executive Leadership Programs at American University, is also a former member of the Internal Revenue Service Oversight Board. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose about ways to improve the Executive Core Qualifications to build better agency leaders.
February 02, 2015 -
A 1.3-percent pay raise, reforms to the Senior Executive Service and increased emphasis on employee feedback are just some of the initiatives proposed in President Barack Obama's 2016 budget.
February 02, 2015 -
House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller wants new ways to punish SES members accused of misconduct, including possible pension reductions, limits on paid leave. He also wants to curtail VA's bonus award system.
January 23, 2015 -
As agencies decide on a two-year plan for structuring their senior executive workforce, one agency head says that the Office of Personnel Management is keeping some of the best and brightest from joining the SES.
December 30, 2014 -
How well do career government executives fulfill their missions? If asked, would you join the SES now? Take our survey.
December 29, 2014 -
The Office of Personnel Management already has some New Year's resolutions for the federal workforce: Set up a governmentwide mentorship program for the Senior Executive Service and establish an employee engagement point person for every agency.
December 24, 2014 -
Some days, it's not easy being a senior career executive in the Federal Government. Ill will reached a peak last summer at the height of scandal in the Veterans Affairs Department. That led to Congress enacting legislation cutting the civil service protection of SESers at the VA. A couple of weeks ago, President Obama gave the SES a pat on the back, promising to make the service into how it was originally envisioned. So what will 2015 bring? David Dye, the director of Federal Human Capital Services at Deloitte and a former official at the Office of Personnel Management, offered some answers on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin.
December 22, 2014 -
Following President Obama's announced reforms to the Senior Executive Service, Doug Criscitello, managing director at Grant Thornton, says SES pay limits have made it difficult to attract top-quality managers across government.
December 22, 2014