U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Ensuring the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce

OPM Director James Convenes Roundtable
to Brief Federal Unions,
Employee Groups on Workplace Security

Washington , D.C. --  Kay Coles James, Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, and Mike Byrne, Director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Office for National Capital Region Coordination, today briefed federal unions and employee associations on the procedures, protocols and information that can help keep government employees safe at the worksite in the case of terrorist attack.  

“Given the times we live in, we must do everything we can to ensure the safety of our federal employees,” said James, who referred to various emergency publications OPM has produced for employees and managers, as well as memorandum she has sent to agency heads. James praised Byrne for his leadership in coordinating efforts across federal government.

James also was joined in the roundtable discussion by Gilbert Jamieson, Director of the Program Coordination Division at the Federal Emergency Management Agency; Donald Williams, Regional Administrator of the General Services Administration’s National Capital Region; and, Anthony Costa, GSA’s Assistant Regional Administrator (National Capital Region) of the Public Buildings Service.  

Last week, OPM published two separate guides in support of the government’s safety campaign. The Emergency Preparedness Guide for Managers and,  its cousin publication, the Emergency Preparedness Guide for Employees have been distributed widely to 170,000 individuals in federal agencies, unions and other government groups within the last seven days. These publications can be found on the agency’s web site at www.opm.gov.  

Later today, OPM’s web site will contain a Family Emergency Guide for home use by employees.  

Homeland Security’s Byrne noted that OPM’s Emergency Preparedness Guides are “extremely well done” and provide options for securing personal safety.  

Quoting Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge , Byrne said, “We can be afraid, or we can be ready,” noting that Americans overwhelmingly choose the latter option when given useful guidance.  

In addition to OPM’s past and ongoing efforts to stand-up a flexible, human resource management system for the Department of Homeland Security that can respond to national security needs, the agency also has been a major contributor to efforts to develop and market notification and communications plans for federal employees in the Washington , D.C. region.  

The works produced by OPM, in conjunction with Homeland Security andother agencies, on emergency preparedness have been adapted by federal agencies across the country, tailored to their specific needs, or used as a guide and resource as agencies construct their own plans to cover the majority of the 1.8 million federal employee work force.  

James listed several steps OPM has taken to prepare employees for an emergency. She has urged other agencies to consider taking similar steps, which include: conducting threat-assessments of their buildings’ unique characteristics; holding frequent “shelter-in-place” drills; distributing survivor packs that contain water, pre-packaged food, a flashlight and other essentials that could aid in survivability during short-term emergencies; holding town meetings and getting employee unions involved; and, making arrangements for employees with handicaps.            

Organizations sending a representative to today’s meeting were:

American Federation of Government Employees
American Foreign Service Association
Department of Homeland Security
Federal Education Association
Laborers International Union of North America
National Association of Retired Federal Employees
National Association of Hispanic Federal Executives
National Treasury Employees Union
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Organization of Professional Employees of USDA
Patent Office Professional Association

OPM oversees the federal work force and provides the American public with up-to-date employment information. OPM also supports U.S. agencies with personnel services and policy leadership including staffing tools, guidance on labor-management relations and programs to improve work force performance.