Re: A step in the right direction.....

...or those slackers might now get promoted much quicker!

Re: A step in the right direction.....

May I suggest that you move to TSA or DOD? That will change your mind.
I am one of the stellar performers and I have been financially rewarded for it but the system is a problem. It is highly subjective, dependent upon the assignments that you receive, your supv's mood..... And you had better keep all that in the forefront or your pay will fall behind the annual adjustment given for GS employees. If you raise an alternative or object to the course your supv has outlined you had better hope that it isn't remembered at appraisal time.
I am hoping that Obama takes us back to the GS system as he has threatened. I have a strong preference for performing well simply because it is who I am, not always running like a rabbit to ensure that I make my supv happy. Plus if a system is going to improve you have to be willing to take chances and this system does not reward innovation; it rewards obedience.
And we don't get rid of the poor performers either.

Re: A step in the right direction.....

While this will eliminate time in grade it will not eliminate one year of specialized experience. Therefore, unless you have extensive experience OUTSIDE of the govt service that would be equivalent in complexity etc to the GS level that you currently occupy, the elimination of time in grade won't get you promoted any faster.

Poor performance makes you ineligible for a higher grade and subject to removal; exemplory performance makes you eligible for an award; acceptable performance plus one year of specialized experience will make you eligible for promotion.

Presumably, most people are brought into the govt service at the highest grade that they qualify for.

Re: Faster Promotions

Are you sure you don't work for VA. Seems to be their policy as well.

Re: Faster Promotions

USDA, by definition, lower-graded employees are on the payroll to assist higher-graded employees in some manner; their positions do not exist in a vacuum. It doesn't matter whether those higher-graded people are hired from the outside or are promoted up thru the ranks. "Unhigh on the Food Chain", this is not specific to VA, but characteristic of every agency & most likely, most large organizations outside the federal government. The work is either core to the purpose of the organization or it supports the core function; otherwise, it is not necessary & should not be on the payroll.

Re: Faster Promotions

Based on the on going scandals at the VA, it doesn't appear that anyone working there deserves a promotion

Re: Faster Promotions

You are right about that..... It is kinda sick in away...

Re: Faster Promotions

In reference to the comment about USDA and how they promote, I always wondered if it was specific department that treated their employees so poorly. They are so stingy when it comes to promoting, they always say, we have no money. But then, 2 people down the hall in IT get their 13's. Working in a field where the decline of Contract Specialists are on the rise, you would think USDA would be interested in retaining their specialists, but instead they prefer kicking them when they are already down. Needless to say, if anyone has any job openings for C.S., I am here! :)

Re: Faster Promotions

"HR from VA":

We understand how the hierarchy works. The point that "USDA Rural Development" makes is that some offices will bring in outsiders for higher grades rather than promote some qualified individuals from within, regardless of what rules are added, removed, or changed. It's another facet of the "buddy system."

Re: Faster Promotions

DOI Clerk, what difference does it make whether someone is brought in from the outside or promoted from within? Each has a right to compete for the vacancy & an agency should take advantage of the capabilities of BOTH kinds of candidates. The internal hire has the advantage of knowing the organization & the "way things are done here". However, it's often better to go outside for someone who can bring in fresh perspective, "new blood" etc. Your reasoning is specious; if anything, you'd expect a "buddy system" if & where it exists, to favor those "buddies" of the hiring official who are already in the fold, to the detriment of people from the outside. Like some other respondents to this piece, you seem to think that a promotion is something owed by an agency to any and all employees
who've been around awhile. Nothing could be further from the truth. Visit your DOI HR function & get some basic info about your merit promotion program, qual standards & related staffing matters.

Re: Faster Promotions

Speaking as a "combat" (it sure felt like combat at times) veteran of the USDA, with tours in two agencies (APHIS and ARS) I can say that I have seen this so often it's not even funny. A GS-12,13, or 14 scientist who surfs the net all day, attends budget meetings and gets themsselves invited to conferences, with a GS-5,7, or 9 technician who does their scientific works, documents the entire experiment, and writes the paper. The 12/13/14 edits the paper, submits it for puplication, and doesn't even have the decency to list their technician's name or give them any credit. Then this same GS-12/13/14 get's themselves an award for all their valuable research. What does the tech get, a paycheck and they should be happy to get what they have. In fact certain regions of the Agricultural Research Service forbid publication by techs.
Maybe someday they will make rules that allow the people who actually DO the work to get the credit and pay they deserve.

Re: PROMOTIONS

You state that you have been a GS-05 since 1989. Have you pursued necessary training or advanced education that you would help you qualify for higher-graded positions? With all due respect to our veterans, promotions are not solely based upon veteran status - other factors enter into this as well.

Re: PROMOTIONS

retiree I agree, in the GS world the door to employment says dogs and vet's need not apply. if we hire more vets then we'll need fewer union workers because they used to working.
That's why NSPS is so needed to stop this inbreeding and cronyism.

Re: PROMOTIONS

Support positions are really hard to be promoted within. No degree = no promotion. It doesn't matter how well you do the job, or how much of the senior person's job you actually do. You are also the first one to be gotten rid of through a variety of means should they wish to chop the budget.

Some of us are very good at what we do but do not and cannot get degrees. I may have to sit at a computer every night and click buttons to get an online degree, (worthless in practice.) Money and time are the problem.

It used to be that a few years of on-the-job training or in-house training would count for a "shirt-sleeve" degree and qualify you for promotion. Now it seems that kids with no experience and a nice, shiny BA from the same schools that trained the people in charge of our financial system, are the ones the government wants.

Of course, these young-uns are easy to sell on surface ideology rather than in rubber-meets-the-road practicality.

Re: PROMOTIONS

Nameless, Faceless - if you get stuck in certain series just to "get your foot in the door," all the degrees in the world won't help you. So people should be sure it will make a difference before making an investment in further education, unless they view it as a hobby.