The NRC is an excepted service agency but its hiring process still involves eight distinct steps and averages 148 days. Image: Tada Images/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffThe Nuclear Regulatory Commission is “effective at retaining staff to address critical skills shortfalls,” an IG report has said, long hiring times “mean the NRC has longer vacancies and risks losing applicants to other offers.”
Recruitment and retention are especially important at the agency as it aims to boost staff in light of an anticipated increase in new reactor licensing requests, the report said, even as a third of its employees already are eligible to retire, double the government-wide average.
“Notable retention measures include the NRC’s salary advancement process, flexible work schedule, telework, transit and childcare subsidies, insurance, leave and holidays, training and development opportunities, tuition reimbursement, performance awards, and employee assistance programs,” it said.
Their value is reflected in responses to the annual Federal Employees Viewpoint Survey and in a turnover rate of 7.4 percent, below the government-wide yearly averages of 7-9 percent, it said.
However, even though the NRC is an excepted service agency exempt from the requirements of competitive service hiring, its process involves eight distinct steps and averages 148 days from identifying a position to be filled until an offer is made to an applicant. That is nearly double OPM’s time-to-hire metric for federal agencies and puts it 23rd of 24 mid-sized agencies in OPM’s accounting.
“This can be particularly problematic for offices that are already overburdened or short-staffed, causing adverse impacts on productivity, institutional knowledge, and morale. Additionally, performance gaps may emerge as new employees lack necessary skills to execute the agency’s mission without extensive guidance and support from more experienced staff,” it said.
The report said that management stated “general agreement” with recommendations to speed up the hiring process and to better track staffing needs, although it did not make formal comments.
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