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Performance Management Topics:

Performance Management Update Performance management continues to play an important role in helping agencies achieve their missions and goals. Come hear about and discuss integrating some of the latest topics, such as strategic rewards, focusing on results, balanced measures, teleworking, and referral bonuses, into your performance management programs. Come learn about where we are and where we're going as we continue into the new millennium. Presentations

The Fine Line Between Performance and Conduct In the workplace, the line between performance and conduct problems is often blurry at best. Kenneth L. Bates, Chief of OPM's Employee Relations Division, will discuss the differences between performance and conduct issues and emphasize how to deal with cases that are performance-based. Mr. Bates will also provide an update on new employee relations initiatives as well as rulings on performance-based decisions from the Merit Systems Protection Board. No handouts provided.

Managing Telecommuter Performance Using Results Telecommuting has become a reality in both the private and public sectors. Learn how supervisors can establish results-based performance management strategies to effectively manage their telecommuters. Throughout AT and T, managers have learned how to increase productivity and improve customer service with a virtual workforce. At IRS, a telecommuting pilot reveals how managers can successfully implement strategies to provide excellent customer service and improve productivity. Presentations

Performance Agreements Several Federal agencies have implemented the use of performance agreements in their efforts to improve organizational performance and accountability. Come hear how these agencies have begun to use performance agreements to align executive performance expectations with organizational goals. Attendees will discover the five common benefits realized from the use of executive performance agreements as described in the GAO report, Managing for Results: Emerging Benefits From Selected Agencies' Use of Performance Agreements. Also, hear first-hand about the lessons learned from the Veterans Health Administration's experience with performance agreements. Presentations

OPM Director's PILLAR Award Recipients: Secrets to Success There are success stories in performance management! Representatives from the Departments of Agriculture and Interior will share the secrets to their award-winning employee performance management programs. Crayton Lankford of the Food and Nutrition Service, Department of Agriculture, will discuss how his agency closely aligns employee performance and development with organizational goals. He will also discuss his organization's method of establishing strategic goals and cascading them through the organization. James Krawchyk of the Department of Interior will discuss the success of the employee performance management program used in the Office of Surface Mining. This program is a trust-based process for achieving results through training, measurement, communication, and recognition. Presentations

Balanced Measures in Performance Management Spurred on by the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, agencies are using the balanced scorecard approach to appraise supervisory and managerial employees based on three balanced measures: business goals, customer satisfaction, and employee involvement. Agencies are striving to perfect their use of this powerful managerial tool to achieve long-term goals and increase productivity. In this session, you will hear how the Internal Revenue Service and the Veterans Benefits Administration use the balanced scorecard approach to monitor, develop, appraise, and reward their supervisors and managers. These agency representatives also will share the challenges and rewards they faced while implementing and administering the balanced scorecard approach. Presentations

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Classification Topics:

Classification Update OPM Classification experts will address the most recent and significant developments on the "hottest" classification issues today. Topics will include newly issued job family standards; new policy proposals; updated implementation guidance for applying classification standards; updates on the current standard studies; what is on the horizon; and more on special Classification Programs Division projects to improve OPM products and services that support position classification work. Presentations

Streamlining Position Classification Processes "On the Job:" Best Practices in the Federal Government Come and hear position classification experts in three different Federal agencies describe the strides they've made and methods they've instituted. These experts learned how to cope with the rising need for human resources (HR) advice and services, despite dwindling staff resources. Learn ways to gain management and employee support for changes in HR policy and procedures; how the Department of Education accelerated the accretion-of-duties review process; how to get the most out of HR contractors; what steps to take to exploit information technology; how to make the classification appeal process work better; and what the U.S. Customs Service and the General Services Administration did to establish nationwide position description libraries. Presentations

21st Century Job Family Position Classification Standards: A Guided Tour Recently, the Classification Programs Division (CPD) has made considerable refinements to job family standards since the adoption of the Factor Evaluation System (FES) format as the "customers' choice." This session will be useful for everyone but especially for those attendees who have limited experience in applying the latest job family standards. Come to this session and learn where, how, and why we use generic language and occupational/specialty-specific language; include illustrations for some factors and not for others; provide enhanced occupational information; treat certain common concepts (e.g., impact of automation); maintain consistency in approach and classification concepts; and provide background on the development of a specific standard and/or family. Presentations

Fair Labor Standards Act/Position Classification Appeals Update Three adjudicative functions...three diverse programs. This session on the Classification Appeals, Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) claims, and compensation and leave claims programs will provide an update on the latest developments in these arenas, including statistics about OPM classification appeals decisions. It will highlight unique and controversial themes that have been addressed in recent Digest of Significant Classification Decisions and Opinions. The ever-changing environment of FLSA claims and the importance of applying exemption criteria correctly to positions within your organization will also be addressed. Presentations

Position Management: Alive and Well in the 21st Century As agencies respond to the President's call for workforce restructuring plans and set succession planning goals, using position management techniques well will become critical. Sound position management is one of the best tools available to human resources professionals and managers to strike the balance between knowledge and skills necessary to perform today's mission-critical work and preparing for budgetary, skill mix, and organizational changes of tomorrow. This session will help you understand the various causes of grade level changes and the appropriate personnel action to take. Learn effective position management techniques to implement and facilitate your agency's workforce restructuring and succession planning. Presentations

Information Technology (IT) Update OPM continues to work closely with the Federal Information Technology (IT) Work Force Committee of the Chief Information Officers (CIO) Council on many issues. In this session you will hear experts discuss the latest events on the IT front as they relate to human resources management functions. A member of the IT Work Force committee will discuss the impact of human resources management pay and classification initiatives on the IT community and what remains to be done from the IT perspective. OPM experts will discuss what OPM has done and the continual challenge to assure the vitality of human resources management in the IT arena. Topics will include classification, qualifications, and pay. Additionally, an OPM expert will discuss competencies, and work-in-progress to apply them in place of traditional qualifications for IT positions. Presentations

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Strategic Compensation Topics:

Strategic Compensation Update Learn the latest on OPM's Strategic Compensation Initiative, an effort to improve Federal compensation in ways that will better support our diverse family of agencies and their missions. Find out about OPM's research on compensation systems in the private sector, non-Federal public sector, and Federal non-title 5 agencies; the work underway with Federal stakeholder groups; and issues related to various components of compensation. Presentations

Pay Banding: It's Here to Stay The number of Federal and State government agencies using pay banding as a compensation tool has continued to grow. Speakers from three different agencies will share their experiences with conference participants through a lively and interactive panel discussion on using pay banding to support strategic goals. You will get a picture of how these agencies use pay banding to deal with workforce and mission challenges. Building on lessons learned by these pioneers in the field, you will also hear about changes they are considering. Presentations

Benefits Reform Update Did you know that long term care services are expensive? The cost of one year in a nursing home can exceed $50,000. The cost of home care for only three 8-hour shifts per week can easily exceed $20,000 a year. Paying for long term care can easily exhaust your savings. Come learn about the who, why, where, what, when, and how of long term care insurance for the Federal family. Frank Titus, a senior representative of OPM's Retirement and Insurance Service, will describe recent, impending, and possible changes to the Federal benefits picture, including updates on long term care insurance and flexible spending accounts. Presentations

Budgeting Compensation As more and more flexibilities have become available, organizations are faced with the need to plan, evaluate, communicate, and defend compensation choices. This session will inform HR specialists about the universe of costs associated with workforce compensation. While the costs of salary and traditional benefits are apparent, other costs, such as awards, fare subsidy, child care subsidy, student loan repayment, recruitment bonuses, relocation expenses, training/education, overtime, lump sum leave, etc., may be overlooked or not considered fully. Speakers will describe the overall budget process and discuss how their respective agencies plan for compensation in today's budgetary environment. Speakers will include perspectives from agencies that budget under annual appropriations and those that budget from fees that cover their expenses. Presentations

Job Evaluation Research How many ways are there to evaluate work? What are the advantages and drawbacks of different methods? How and why did the Federal position classification system evolve along the lines it did? How do agencies evaluate work when they are not required to use the General Schedule? This session will share the results of OPM's research into the world of job and work evaluation, which we undertook as a significant component of the Strategic Compensation Initiative. Presentations

Improving a Compensation System Ever dream about changing how people are paid in your agency? Ever thought about what it would take to make the change? If yes, this session is for you. Compensation specialists from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and a principal of the Hay Group discuss how the agency went about aligning its compensation system to its mission and employee needs. Topics include brief descriptions of compensation as it existed both before and after, but focuses primarily on the strategic decisions and decision-making processes involved in making the change. Learn how you too can improve compensation practices in your agency. Presentations