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

I retired last year from the DHS, USCIS as a GS-12 Adjudications Officer. I have not received any kind of credential identifying me as a former employee and I need one. My grade with the agency allows me to become a member of a military officer's club. As a retired Army veteran, I frequent military installations during my travels and I desire to visit the Officers Club. Is there something I have to do to get a credential?

Good morning: As I read the 2009 Rankings of The Best Places to Work in the Federal Government, the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) has ranked 31 out of 32 among small federal agencies on this list. How will OPM's strategic goal discussed on page 14 help BBG senior leadership significantly improve BBG's ranking in the next two years? Will representatives from OPM conduct on-site visits to determine why these Federal Agencies have received low rankings?

To promote diversity and worklife balances, we need to examine the civilian federal workforce as a whole to understand who we are but also who we want to be. Current work-life programs are not fully adequate, but are improving. And we need to continue to make those changes regardless of the cultural mindset that currently restricts the federal workforce. Majority of the workers are older, more advanced in their careers and have for the most part completed their "family planning" phases. OPM should support paid maternity leave or short-term disability to support younger workers in their family planning. Both parents are working in this new generation and a woman should not have to decide between having a child or working. Female perspective is necessary in the workplace and if you do not provide flexibilities which would allow them to continue to work (and work with their minds focused at the work at hand and not "how am I going to provide for my family on LWOP?") on

While increased telecommuting is overdue, it would be welcome, and the true measure for its implementation is given: number of workers telecommuting. Excellent start. As for hiring, especially Veterans and the disabled, the plan speaks of training, "respect," and attitude surveys. Proper gauges - increasing % of veterans and disabled hired, are noticeably absent, ensuring lack of progress in areas that really count.

Hire the Best Strategic Goal: Recruit and hire the most talented and diverse Federal workforce possible to serve the American people [Hire the Best]. Suggested Change: Consider: “Recruit and hire the most talented and diverse Federal workforce possible to have a positive impact on the delivery of Federal programs and services.” Rational for Suggested Change: This goal should be, as stated, the first OPM strategic goal. The reference “to serve the American people” is clearly the desired outcome of the focus on “recruiting and hiring.” However, what specifically constitutes “serving the American people?” This “service” to the American people can take on many meanings and be defined in several ways and can therefore be hard to measure as an outcome. This suggested change also directly links this goal and strategies/actions supporting this goal to the OPM strategic goal: “Ensure the Federal workforce and its leaders are fully accountable and are fairly appraised while

First, thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback on the OPM Strategic Plan. Making this opportunity available shows respect for the public, for federal workers, and for OPM stakeholders; it demonstrates curiosity and the desire to “get it right” – qualities that will go far in helping OPM reach its vision of becoming America’s Model Employer. I applaud the plan’s focus on accelerating and improving hiring, on respect through supporting federal workers, on clear expectations and performance accountability, and on honoring federal service through appropriate recognition and rewards. These target some of the greatest needs in transforming federal work and federal agencies so that they are the envy of workers and workplaces everywhere. As you move the plan into operations, I encourage you to clarify some of the dynamic tensions that exist for OPM as it assists federal workers and the agencies they work in. These include the tension between managing agency compliance with fed

As a former OPM employee who was actively engaged in a number of offices throughout the Retirement Services Program (RSP), I feel qualified to comment on a number of items in your draft strategic plan. However, I will focus on the development of a new retirement processing system. As you know, last year’s failed Retirement Systems Modernization (RSM) program is the third major attempt to revise the retirement processing at OPM and was a colossal waste of time, energy and tax dollars. I believe that much can be learned from the mistakes of the past. First, I think I should give you some background information. The main vendor selected for RSM, Hewitt Associates, was not equipped from the start with the technology that could adapt to the numerous complicated calculations and changes in law that regularly occur in the Civil Service (CSRS) and Federal Employees (FERS) Retirement Systems. Prior to Hewitt’s selection, an office of federal employees was created to work exclusively o

Regarding the concept of recruiting and hiring the "best". Until the practice of requiring time-in-grade prior to re-hire at a higher grade is eliminated, the govt will never be able to recruit the best. For example, I left govt service in 1984, because of a lack of advancement opportunities as a GS-9. With 25 yrs of experience now, I can only return as a GS-11 - I would never consider anything less than a GS-13/8 or GS-14 (due to the pay scale), but can not be considered for the higher grade since I would not have time-in-grade as a GS-12 . . .

This should be enough attract the best talent to the government. The benefits and opportunities cannot be beat. Thanks for getting the word out. I try to do this myself to anyone who will listen.

OPM's Strategic Plan for 2009-2014 looks good on paper, and sounds good when I read it. However, the devil is in the details, and the details are missing. Sorely lacking is any detailed discussion of how the Federal government will realistically address demographically-driven talent competition with the private and other public sector organizations, both overall, and especially in knowledge-based disciplines and activities. Trying to change governmental organizational cultures gradually over the next six years, as the plan proposes, cannot make the government the "employer of choice" in the time frames needed, in face of Federal retirements. Retention policies need to address generational diversity issues (I do not see much in the plan that would attract the university technical students and graduates I know, nor convince potential retirees to stay in or return to Federal service). Major improvements are badly needed in general implementation and administration of "