Report reveals anxiety over new DHS personnel system

Report reveals anxiety over new DHS personnel system

By David McGlinchey
dmcglinchey@govexec.com

Employees at the Homeland Security Department are concerned about fairness and training in the personnel system being implemented at the agency, according to a report released Monday.

The report was produced after a series of focus group meetings with DHS employees between Feb. 24 and March 18. The focus groups were conducted in 10 locations and included 289 agency workers.

When Congress established DHS in 2002, officials were given the power to build their own personnel system. Agency officials are planning to limit the scope of union bargaining, make it easier for managers to discipline poor performers and dismantle the General Schedule pay system in favor of a performance pay framework.

Although the employees were divided into union and nonunion focus groups, they reported the same concerns about the new system.

http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0505/051005d1.htm

:sarcasm: