MSPB research has found that the PPP employees most consistently perceive is the manipulation of recruitment actions to favor an individual. Image: Andrii Yalanskyi/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffAn MSPB publication provides a list of steps for federal supervisors to not only prevent “prohibited personnel practices”—barred actions such as discrimination, manipulating recruitment actions to favor an individual and retaliation–but also to prevent misperceptions in the workplace that such actions have occurred when they haven’t.
These include that supervisors should: model ethical behavior to set cultural expectations; to the extent possible, explain decisions and how they support the interests of the organization; involve others as suitable in decision making. Further, agencies should: ensure that supervisors and others are knowledgeable about the “PPPs” and how to avoid them; establish clear behavioral expectations; and counsel or discipline supervisors and other employees as appropriate.
“To ensure that their actions are in line with these core principles, supervisors may benefit from conducting self-examinations by regularly asking themselves evaluative questions: Am I being clear on my ethical expectations? What steps have I taken to create a safe environment for employees to express their concerns?” the article says. “This deliberate pause is important because there is a difference between knowing that something matters and being mindful of it.”
It adds that MSPB research has found that the PPP employees most consistently perceive is the manipulation of recruitment actions to favor an individual. It suggests that a way to prevent that from happening, or the misperception that it is happening, is to use subject matter experts to design the recruitment announcement, develop the assessment plan, and apply the assessments.
“By empowering existing employees to provide this kind of input, the supervisor can demonstrate a commitment to merit-based hiring and transparency, use the collective wisdom of the group to further communality, and set clear expectations that hiring decisions will be free from prohibited actions,” it says.
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