Federal Daily - May 29, 2009

OPM Director Issues Recruitment, Relocation and Retention Memo

The director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), John Berry, this week issued to the federal Chief Human Capital Officers Council a memo entitled “Effective Use of Recruitment, Relocation, and Retention Incentives.” In it, Berry noted that President Barack Obama has requested that all agencies ensure “this Government is as efficient as possible and that every taxpayer dollar that is spent is being spent wisely.” Berry noted that good pay and benefits are key to producing a federal government that is a “model employer.” But, he added, “discretionary pay should be closely monitored.” In this regard, Berry strongly recommended that agency officials especially review retention incentives—which cost at least $127 million in FY 2007—at least once a year, to make sure they are used efficiently, and when needed. “Agencies invest in recruitment, relocation, and retention incentives (commonly known as the 3Rs) to attract and retain the talent the Government needs to meet the many challenges confronting the country,” Berry wrote. “These are important tools to support the civilian workforce, but we also must ensure this money is being used effectively.” For more, go to: www.chcoc.gov/Transmittals/TransmittalDetails.aspx?
TransmittalId=2273

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New VA Web Site Boosts Counseling For Campus Vets

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) this week kicks off the public launch of a new Web site aimed at bolstering training and communication for college and university mental health professionals—to help them to better assist Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts on campuses. Learning modules available on the site include “Operation SAVE” for suicide prevention, “PTSD 101” and “Helping Students Who Drink Too Much.” “Many of our newest Veterans are beginning their post-service lives by furthering their educations,” said Dr. Gerald M. Cross, VA’s acting under secretary for health. “This initiative is designed to ensure that colleges and universities are able to assist with any special mental health needs they may have.” The site is one a series of online mental health resources the agency has created to help veterans. For more, go to:  www.mentalhealth.va.gov/College.

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NTEU: Use ‘Best Places’ Survey To Improve Workplaces

The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) May 28 announced a campaign to urge federal agencies to “closely examine the findings of the newly-released rankings of the best places to work in the federal government and work with employees to improve workplace satisfaction—a key driver of agency performance.” The union said that particular attention should be paid to one of the lowest-rated departments, the giant Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Partnership for Public Service (PPS) issues the heavily publicized ‘best places’ ratings. The rankings were first reported in 2003, based on scores generated by employee responses to an Office of Personnel Management (OPM) human capital survey. The most recent rankings were calculated from the OPM 2008 Federal Human Capital Survey. More than 212,000 employees at 230 federal agencies and departments participated. NTEU noted that DHS remains among the worst-ranked (28th out of 30)—a situation that should be improved. “This report cuts to the heart of what really matters to employees—issues of leadership, pay and benefits, training and a strong work-life balance,” said NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley. For more, go to www.nteu.org.

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