OPM has issued a guide to how agencies can address under-performing or misbehaving employees, saying that “managers and supervisors may not be making full use of the many options to deal with employees with performance or conduct issues.”
The guidance, sent as an attachment to a memo to human capital officers, represents something of a parting word from the Obama administration on an issue on which it has been heavily criticized for years by conservatives for allegedly being lax in taking action to improve poor performance or to discipline those who cannot or will not improve or who commit misconduct.
“Generally, the objective of discipline is to correct deficiencies in employee conduct and performance, not to punish the employee,” says the document titled Managing Federal Employees’ Performance Issues or Misconduct.
“The best way for managers and supervisors to handle performance and conduct issues is to take action to avoid performance problems or conduct issues before they occur,” it says, through steps including communicating clear performance standards and expectations to employees; providing regular and consistent feedback on performance; recognizing and rewarding good performance; setting a good example by a leader’s own conduct; maintaining a good work atmosphere; and assuring that employees conform to standards of conduct, among others.
