Force Review of Staffing Needs
As a first level supervisor, I am always amazed at how there is more incentive to create new positions (build an empire) than there is to review and maintain an appropriate level of staff. FEMA is a classical example - hiring excessively following Katrina and now no one is looking back to see if there is a real need to maintain our current number of positions. In the FEMA Radiological Preparedness Program and in the ...more »
As a first level supervisor, I am always amazed at how there is more incentive to create new positions (build an empire) than there is to review and maintain an appropriate level of staff. FEMA is a classical example - hiring excessively following Katrina and now no one is looking back to see if there is a real need to maintain our current number of positions. In the FEMA Radiological Preparedness Program and in the NRC, there has been a significant increase in new positions (where costs are passed on to the licensees) in anticipation of an increase in building new reactors. Now nothing is happening and there are a large number of employees with not enough to do to keep them from just being bored. As a first level supervisor, I am sick of it. There is pressure to find or create work that just doesn't exist. My thought - change the hiring of new employees such that no position is made permanent until the employee has been in the position for over three years. Require a mandatory review of need for that position to be made permanent. If the workload no longer justifies the need - separate the employee. Provide incentives for mid and upper level managers to maintain a "correct sized" workforce instead of the current system that encourages the empire builder mentality. I know this may not resonate with other federal employees, but I firmly believe that people actually want to have something to do when they come to work (that is meaningful) rather than sit on their hands trying to figure out how to fill the day.
« less full details »