One of the key points in the federal hiring process that President Obama launched a year ago was a direction to agencies to write job announcements in easy-to-understand language. The obtuse writing in many announcements was a big factor in making that process way more complicated than it needed to be.
Now, the percentage of announcements that are easy to read stands at 61 percent, up from 25 percent, Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry told a conference Wednesday.
That means that almost four in 10 announcements remain too complex and shows just how much work Berry has in front of him. And the fact that it took a presidential directive to get agencies to write in clear language indicates just how bad the problem was.
“We need to make all of our job announcements simple and easy to read,” Berry said in remarks prepared for a Human Capital Management Federal meeting.
Berry said hiring times are down to an average of 105 days, but he acknowledged that it “is still way too long.” The reform effort has eliminated the initial level KSAs, the essays on knowledge, skills and abilities that many applicants hated, he said.
He used the speech to announce the launch of USAJOBSRecruit, a Web site for federal officials involved in the hiring process. “They can find tools and resources for their day-to-day operations,” he said, “and learn from their peers and experts in the field about how to recruit a world-class workforce for the American people.”
Berry also reported progress on the administration initiative to employ more veterans by comparing fiscal year 2009 and 2010 figures. “Overall, government hired over 72,000 vets — roughly 2,000 more — even though we hired roughly 11,000 fewer people total,” he said. “And starting from a smaller base, we hired roughly 2,700 more disabled veterans.”
Berry also said the administration will launch a diversity hiring initiative, though he provided no details. The administration has already set a goal of hiring 100,000 people with disabilities in the next five years.
“It’s this virtually limitless mixture of traits and experiences — within a person, within a team, and throughout the government — that makes America uniquely powerful, uniquely creative, uniquely innovative,” he said. “Our success in the next century, as a government and a nation, will depend on our ability to tap the infinite resource that is the American people.”
Viewpoint Survey
While the administration is working to improve and diversify its recruitment and hiring, it can’t forget about the 2 million people the government already employs. To that end, OPM is conducting its annual Employee Viewpoint Survey through the end of the month.
“Participants answer questions concerning experiences with their work unit and agency, as well as views on their supervisor/manager and agency leaders,” says an OPM news release. “This year’s survey included expanded sections on telework and work/life, two priority areas for the Obama administration.”
Border protection
This is a period when Uncle Sam is trying to do more with less, but a federal employees union says the nation can’t afford not to have more Customs and Border Protection officers.
Colleen M. Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, called for a significant increase in staffing and resources along the United States’s borders in testimony submitted to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Kelley, whose union represents CBP employees, said too little staffing jeopardizes national security and results in increased wait times for people crossing the border. She acknowledged that the administration’s 2012 budget request would fund an increase of 300 slots over the fiscal year 2010 figure but said that would be 108 positions below the 2009 level.
“The American public expects its borders and ports be properly defended, and the hard-working, dedicated employees at CBP are committed to providing that security,” she said. “Congress must provide them with the resources to fulfill the agency’s vital mission.”
Tornado victims’ fund
The death of Osama bin Laden may have pushed the recent slew of devastating tornadoes off front pages, but the storms’ effects will be felt by victims for some time.
To help federal employees who were affected by the severe weather, the Federal Employee Education & Assistance Fund is offering emergency grants and no-interest loans in amounts up to $500. FEEA is supported by a $30,000 grant from the BlueCross BlueShield Association, which is the largest provider of health insurance for federal workers.
“FEEA is already aware of federal employees in the Huntsville-Birmingham-Tuscaloosa area whose homes were completely destroyed,” according to a news release. “Many others lost vehicles and have significant damage to their homes from falling trees and other debris.”
Applications for the funds and information about donating to FEEA can be found at www.feea.org.
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