A s the year draws to an end, I'd like to say thank you to the legion of readers, in The Post and at Washingtonpost.com, who keep me energized.
Hundreds of you have written this year to share your thoughts about the annual pay raise, pay for performance, contracting out, the Thrift Savings Plan, a lousy boss or the little shop of horrors operating down the hallway. I've read every e-mail and regret that I never seem to find the time to answer all of them.
_____More Federal Diary_____
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OPM Adds Guidelines for Transition Year on Executives' Pay System (The Washington Post, Dec 22, 2004)
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Homeland Security Losing Its No. 2 Executive, Too (The Washington Post, Dec 21, 2004)
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FDIC's Outgoing Inspector General Has Relished Challenges, Changes of Civil Service (The Washington Post, Dec 20, 2004)
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Bush Lauds TSP as Outline Of Future Social Security (The Washington Post, Dec 19, 2004)
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Federal Diary Page
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Your feedback is valuable. There's nothing better than constructive criticism and nothing wrong with a forthright assertion that a column is badly off track and leaving the wrong impression.
Byron D. Cagle, for example, wrote me in October to object to my portrayal of the Bush administration's plans for a new pay and personnel system at the Department of Homeland Security. "Your recent article must have been written by a government supervisor," he began.
When another October column described research showing that federal supervisors typically rate less than 1 percent of their employees as below "fully successful" and rarely deny within-grade pay raises, Gerald Mann protested that blame for grade inflation was being wrongly placed on supervisors.
"As a former federal supervisor, I can tell you that this is because there is no support from upper management or human resources departments to back [lower] ratings. . . . Because it would take tons of paperwork and many hours of time to justify such decisions. . . . It's simply easier to go along with the system," he wrote.
Some readers took umbrage last month at a column that said a "new perk" for federal travelers had been approved by Congress. Being allowed to claim time off for travel on weekends and during off-duty hours is not a perk, readers quickly informed me. They made it clear that they would rather be with their families than on business trips.
Many, of course, send thank-you notes to the Diary. Federal Aviation Administration employees who are bumping up against the top of their "pay band" and feel they are not being treated fairly say they are glad their issues are being aired.
My thanks to congressional aides who help me understand legislation that provides benefits and reorganizes agencies. My thanks to officers of employee groups and unions for helping me understand their concerns about the federal workplace. And a thank you also to agency officials who take my calls or let me know of the good works at their agency.
The Energy Department's office of inspector general, for example, has supported 27 families at the Carpenter's Shelter in Alexandria with gifts of clothing, toys and cash for more than a decade, a spokesman recently pointed out.
This year, with fighting continuing in Iraq, federal employees and agencies have gone the extra mile to sponsor projects that show the nation's appreciation for the troops serving abroad, those wounded in fighting and their families.
On Tuesday, the Energy Department's inspector general office, headed by Gregory H. Friedman, delivered two van loads of gifts for patients at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center. The gifts included compact disc players, cameras, phone cards, luggage and clothing.
Employees at the CIA have collected eight tons of material for their colleagues serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, an agency spokeswoman said. Operation Holiday Express is sending 4,300 pounds of chocolate treats, 4,250 pounds of candy and snacks, 2,900 pounds of coffee, 4,000 pounds of magazines and other donated goods.
More than 1,700 toys were distributed to children of naval personnel serving on the USS Theodore Roosevelt by the staff at the Office of Personnel Management. It's the fourth toy drive organized for the ship by OPM Director Kay Coles James. OPM's headquarters is in the Theodore Roosevelt Federal Building.
My thanks to university professors, nonprofit groups and others who share their research. And to folks such as Dennis H. Murphy, a federal executive who spends long hours in the office and still finds time to write an inspirational novel, and to other federal employees who coach basketball and soccer teams and volunteer for community service.
Best wishes to all for the new year.
A Holiday Break
The Diary is taking a holiday break. We'll be back next Sunday.
E-mail: barrs@washpost.com
