The Obama Government is all set to commence within a year and the Office of Personnel management aka OPM has urged all the agencies of the current policies to stop political appointees from borrowing their way in to positions. This was made evident by the Acting Director Beth Cobert.
OPM urges agencies to not borrow:
OPM will, under the contemporary procedure make sure that it considers applications submitted by all the people who have held political positions in the last five years and intend to continue operating as a career appointee. These policies are as old as the Carter administration and OPM revised its policy in 2010 when it opted to conduct some reviews before hiring on a continued basis rather than before a presidential transition only.
Cobert also mentioned to the agencies that the department will also continue to review the applications for all the appointees of a non-career nature who intend to become a part of the SES (Senior Executive service) before the applicant decides to formally appear before the Review Board.
The guidance also emphasized the importance and vitality of holding regular meetings with officers and employees. The purpose of these meetings should not only be restricted to making sure that the employees are well-bonded and happy with their workspaces but they should also ensure that the employee’s performance gets evaluated periodically. This will in the longer run mean that the evaluation results don’t come as a surprise to the employee once the real time comes.
While OPM has been dealing with all sorts of predicaments in the recent times, it’s good to see that their stance in this regard is solid and not shaky.
