The principles underlying the proposed Department of
Homeland Security personnel system are generally sound but
raise important questions, the General Accounting Office
has said.
In its response to the proposal it recommended that DHS,
the Office of Personnel Management and Congress
collectively ensure that the system is fair and transparent,
and that the provisions supporting those principles be
meaningful and secure.
The adverse actions and appeals process, while it would keep
an avenue open for employees to bring actions to an
independent third party, must be collaborative and
transparent in identifying mandatory removal offenses,
said GAO.
It insisted that core competencies be used to evaluate an
individual’s performance regarding departmental results
and broad transformation efforts to ensure effective
performance management.
GAO also noted that employee bargaining areas have been
reduced and cautioned that meaningful employee involvement
through collective bargaining is critical to the department’s
success. sparklist.com
