By now, most of us have received our end-of-year performance appraisal. AFGE is aware that many employee are not content with their appraisals. Management in many offices has advised employees that no one will receive a Level 5 rating in any critical element. Level 5 should be achievable, and in most offices there should always be one or more employees whose performance stands out. [Note: If you received any Level 1 ratings, you should be worried about your job and should contact your AFGE union representative immediately. The more you delay in addressing (with union representation) this assessment of your work, the more likely you will be demoted or fired from your position]. For those of you who feel Level 3 is not an accurate portrayal of your performance, you may challenge your rating by filing a grievance or an EEO complaint.
By law, performance must be accurately evaluated using objective criteria to the maximum extent feasible. Was your appraisal fair, accurate, objective & based on facts? Employees report that, throughout the appraisal year, management has been vague, and has made unsupported negative performance comments. Obviously, not every employee can be rated Level 5 in every critical element, but we believe that many employees have been rated below their actual proven level of performance. We believe management officials will be rewarded with many more Level 5s than they give their employees who actually do the work.
A SUGGESTED APPROACH TO ANALYZING YOUR APPRAISAL RATINGS
Isolate the critical element(s) that you believe you were rated too low on. Compare the language in the “Performance Discussion” given mid-term and the “Final Rating Discussion” just issued, to the language of the Level 5 standard in that critical element. Be focused. For example, if the Level 5 standard states: “Contributes to developing trust, respect and cooperation among unit members” (see “Interpersonal Skills”), look for words in the description of your performance that suggest you developed trust/respect/cooperation in your unit. Disregard comments about other aspects of your work for now. If you met Level 3 you have proved you met those aspects of your performance. Level 5 only measures what it says in the Level 5 narrative (e.g., only your relationship with your unit in this example).
If there is no language that indicates you meet that Level 5 standard, what else did you do during the appraisal year that promoted trust/respect/ cooperation that you can prove? Do you have any supporting documentation? Did you place documentation in your 7B file during the appraisal year that was disregarded? If you believe yourself to be a unifying force in your unit, you will need to have some basis for arguing that. This is a very subjective area.
If you believe Level 5 is deserved for “Achieves Business Results”: did you, per the Level 5 standard, complete extra work assignments, use your time effectively, point out barriers to completing work timely or develop better uses of the technology? If you can’t say that you did, you may not be able to argue for a higher rating. Level 5 in this critical element measures things that management should do: improve the work processing and use of technology.
Are the standards fair, achievable, measure what we actually do all day? If not, blame management: they developed the appraisal system and performance standards. By law, this is their call exclusively. Management is responsible for any wrong-minded system or warped performance standards. As employees, you can grieve or file an EEO complaint if you feel the performance standards were not applied fairly and equitably to you (your performance was not accurately measured, actions and performance measured by the standard were not taken into consideration, etc…).
THIS NEW APPRAISAL SYSTEM IS A BIG CHANGE FROM THE PRIOR SYSTEM
We used to have a pass/fail system where everybody was rated the same. Management’s new system, I believe, was intended to promote divisiveness, competition, and may have the effect of lowering morale. It is up to each of us individually how to respond. If you decide to challenge your rating, either because you feel it is wrong or you seek an award, stay focused on what you can prove and what evidence you can prove it with. There is language in the Article 21 of the contract that can be used in grievances to support higher appraisal ratings:
Section 6B: “Supervisory conclusions based upon observations of an employee by management will be timely communicated to the employee during informal discussions and/or the progress review. If the employee disagrees with the supervisory conclusions on individual cases or overall performance to date, he/she may provide management with written rebuttals that will be placed in the SF-7B file”. “An employee may inform his/her appraising official in writing, which includes Email, of factors beyond his/her control that have affected his/her performance. The appraising official will consider such factors when evaluating performance for the appraisal period. The written documentation will be placed in the employee’s SF-7B Extension File”.
Section 6C: “To ensure that all performance related activities are identified and documented, employees should provide feedback about their contributions to managers”.
Section 6G1: “The agency, when assessing performance, will consider factors which affect performance that are beyond the control of the employee”.
Section 6G2: “When numerical goals, guidelines, indicators and pars are factors in appraising an employee in a given critical element, management will consider the employee’s other job assignments and the actual amount of time available to perform the job function being appraised under that critical element”.
Section 6G3: “Management will also consider the approved use of official time when evaluating employee performance”.
Section 6G4: “In the performance of and accounting for agency work, statistical measures and their application will be reliable”.
Section 6G5: “The procedures that are used to gather information in order to evaluate employee performance must reasonably ensure the accurate evaluation of performance”.
Section 6G6: “Management will timely disclose to each employee all records that relate to his/her performance appraisal”.
ALSO
Article 3 Section 2A: “All employees shall be treated fairly and equitably in all aspects of personnel management…”. This includes performance evaluation and appraisal.
Article 3 Section 4D: To summarize contractual controls on management “memory joggers” or “personal notes”: they may not be a Privacy Act protected record nor can they circumvent timely disclosure of information that should be kept in the 7B file. it must be kept in a secure location. If management shows them to anyone or uses them in violation of these terms and conditions, they become records subject to the Privacy Act, which means you have to be advised of the record, where it is housed, what it will be used for and after you have been given notice, it must be placed in your 7B file.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Your Weingarten Rights
When you are called in to meet with your supervisor, do you know what rights you have as an employee?
You have the RIGHT to ask what the meeting is about, and what will be discussed.
If the meeting is disciplinary, accusatory, or investigatory in nature, you have the RIGHT to have a Union representative present.
If your Union representative is not available, you have the RIGHT to ask that the meeting be rescheduled to another time when your representative is available.
If your supervisor orders you to attend the meeting, follow these steps:
1. Attend the meeting to avoid being accused of insubordination;
2. As the meeting begins, inform the person conducting the meeting that (a) you are there under protest; (b) you intend to file a grievance because you were denied your right to have your representative present; and (c) you will stay in the meeting but will not participate in any discussion (you have the RIGHT to remain silent). Be sure to take notes of what is said to you. Do not respond to questions or accusations!
If you attend a meeting that starts off being routine, but during the course of the meeting you feel you are being harassed, intimidated, accused, investigated or disciplined, you have the RIGHT to request that your representative be present for the rest of the meeting. If your request is denied, follow the steps above.
If your supervisor asks whether you agree to have the meeting tape-recorded or to have a stenographer present, you have the RIGHT to ask that this meeting NOT be conducted under those conditions. If your supervisor insists that the meeting be recorded, state on the record that you did not agree to this and then be silent.
You have the RIGHT to inspect any record relating to your own service. You may have a representative with you when you inspect your file. You may ask that material that is not accurate or complete be removed from your personnel file.
IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR RIGHTS ARE, AND DON'T INSIST THAT YOUR RIGHTS BE OBSERVED, YOU HAVE IN EFFECT GIVEN THEM UP!
Weingarten Rights NLRB v. Weingarten, 420 U.S. 251, 95 S.Ct. 959 (1975). If a supervisor calls you into a meeting, you may have reason to have your union representative present. THESE ARE YOUR RIGHTS You have the right to know the purpose or subject of the meeting.
If the meeting involves your employment, or an evaluation that you think might lead to discipline, reprimand or dismissal, you have the right to union representation.
If a shop steward is assigned to your unit or work site, make him/her aware of your meeting with management.
If you believe the line of discussion is moving toward discipline, reprimand or dismissal, you have the right to union representation.
If the purpose of the meeting is investigatory and could lead to discipline and you have requested union representation, the employer must stop the meeting or reschedule it until a representative is present.
If you request union representation and it is denied, you have the right to refuse to answer any questions that could be used against you. However, do NOT refuse to attend the meeting. Contact your representative or the Local 4056 Executive Board immediately!
REMEMBER YOU MUST INVOKE YOUR RIGHT TO UNION REPRESENTATION! Above courtesy of Public Employees Union Local 1 http://www.peu1.org/rights.html
You have the RIGHT to ask what the meeting is about, and what will be discussed.
If the meeting is disciplinary, accusatory, or investigatory in nature, you have the RIGHT to have a Union representative present.
If your Union representative is not available, you have the RIGHT to ask that the meeting be rescheduled to another time when your representative is available.
If your supervisor orders you to attend the meeting, follow these steps:
1. Attend the meeting to avoid being accused of insubordination;
2. As the meeting begins, inform the person conducting the meeting that (a) you are there under protest; (b) you intend to file a grievance because you were denied your right to have your representative present; and (c) you will stay in the meeting but will not participate in any discussion (you have the RIGHT to remain silent). Be sure to take notes of what is said to you. Do not respond to questions or accusations!
If you attend a meeting that starts off being routine, but during the course of the meeting you feel you are being harassed, intimidated, accused, investigated or disciplined, you have the RIGHT to request that your representative be present for the rest of the meeting. If your request is denied, follow the steps above.
If your supervisor asks whether you agree to have the meeting tape-recorded or to have a stenographer present, you have the RIGHT to ask that this meeting NOT be conducted under those conditions. If your supervisor insists that the meeting be recorded, state on the record that you did not agree to this and then be silent.
You have the RIGHT to inspect any record relating to your own service. You may have a representative with you when you inspect your file. You may ask that material that is not accurate or complete be removed from your personnel file.
IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR RIGHTS ARE, AND DON'T INSIST THAT YOUR RIGHTS BE OBSERVED, YOU HAVE IN EFFECT GIVEN THEM UP!
Weingarten Rights NLRB v. Weingarten, 420 U.S. 251, 95 S.Ct. 959 (1975). If a supervisor calls you into a meeting, you may have reason to have your union representative present. THESE ARE YOUR RIGHTS You have the right to know the purpose or subject of the meeting.
If the meeting involves your employment, or an evaluation that you think might lead to discipline, reprimand or dismissal, you have the right to union representation.
If a shop steward is assigned to your unit or work site, make him/her aware of your meeting with management.
If you believe the line of discussion is moving toward discipline, reprimand or dismissal, you have the right to union representation.
If the purpose of the meeting is investigatory and could lead to discipline and you have requested union representation, the employer must stop the meeting or reschedule it until a representative is present.
If you request union representation and it is denied, you have the right to refuse to answer any questions that could be used against you. However, do NOT refuse to attend the meeting. Contact your representative or the Local 4056 Executive Board immediately!
REMEMBER YOU MUST INVOKE YOUR RIGHT TO UNION REPRESENTATION! Above courtesy of Public Employees Union Local 1 http://www.peu1.org/rights.html
What to Ask During Performance Meetings with Management
PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL SYSTEM — ALERT #6
SSA management will conduct two meetings about the new performance appraisal system, PACS. The first meeting will address general changes and is intended for the entire staff. The second meeting will involve you and your supervisor. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to get as much information as possible to learn how management defines the terms that gov-ern PACS and to ensure that the agency implements the system fairly and equitably for all workers. Note: This Alert is rather lengthy. However, we urge you to review it before you attend either of the above meetings. Keep a copy with your important personnel records and bring it with you to the meetings to remind you of the questions you need to ask. A copy of this Alert will be posted to the AFGE Council 220 web site at www.afgec220.org
>
for your future reference.
Take notes of all meetings. After the meeting is over, send an email to your supervisor
saying this is what you said to me. Ask the supervisor if that is correct. Send it read receipt requested so you will know if and when the supervisor reads it. Save the response in a folder. Let the union know if the information does not match and be sure to advise your AFGE Local Representative if numerics other than national goals are used.
Questions to ask during performance meetings:
Performance Element 1- Interpersonal Skills
Successful Contribution—Level 3
• What does “treat the public and fellow employees with courtesy and respect” mean? How will that be measured? Will management audit interviews and phone calls and advise how will this be done? Will I know in advance when the audits will be conducted? Will I get a copy of the results? Will management use feedback from customer service cards? Who will interpret what the service card replies mean? Will I get a copy of the customer service card? Will you take into consideration that the customer may say service is bad because he or she was denied, or just did not get the answer he or she wanted?
• Does “treat fellow employees with courtesy and respect” mean the same thing as identified in Article 3, Section 2(A)? If not, then please define these terms? Who defined this? What is going to be considered in determining if I am successful in this element? How will it be measured? Will management observe interactions in the office, in meetings, in the break room, during lunches? How will employee complaints about me be used in rating my per-formance in this element? When will I have an opportunity to rebut these complaints and/or your observations?
AFGE Council 220 • Serving SSA Teleservice and Field Office Employees in the 50 States, Puerto Rico and the Pacific Islands
• What does “listens and responds appropriately to feedback from the public, co-workers and managers” mean? Who decides this? What will be considered and how will it be measured? Will interview audits and other observations be use? Please explain. Must our answers be POMS-complaint? Does this mean that we must always agree with management to be con-sidered “appropriately responding to feedback?” Does this mean that feedback includes re-ports of fair share of work performed? What happens if the feedback provided by manage-ment, the public or my co-worker is wrong and I disagree? Will I be rated lower because of that disagreement? Who decides and what right of appeal do I have?
• What does “communicate effectively” mean? Who decides this? What will be considered in making this decision? What criteria will be used to differentiate between effect and inef-fective communications? Does this refer to oral communica-tion, i.e. interviews? Does this mean written communication, such as the use of letters in DOCS? Will we be held respon-sible for inaccuracies in the grammar of DOCS notices? Will correspondence be reviewed for all employees? If so, who will do these reviews?
• What does “maintains positive and productive working rela-tionships within the office, work unit or group” mean? Who decides that? What will be considered in making this decision? Does this mean that I give in when asked something to keep a positive relationship? Does it mean that I do work the way it should be done or the way management wants it done, even if that means violating office and agency policies? Does this mean that I keep quiet when a coworker makes an error or does shoddy work on claims in my unit? Will I be thought of as being negative if I speak up about office prob-lems or criticize office procedures?
Outstanding Contribution---Level 5
• What does it take to achieve Level 5?
• What does “contributes to developing trust, respect and cooperation among unit members” mean? Who makes this decision? What is considered in making this decision? How will this be measured? This does not appear to offer any objective measure. How will management measure the trust, respect or cooperation I develop in the office? Please give me several ex-amples so that I know how to achieve this level of performance. Am I supposed to tell man-agement if I distrust someone? That would not be the right thing to do by my ethical stan-dards. What can I do to develop cooperation with others who have a personal agenda that may not be good for the unit?
Performance Element 2—Participation
Successful Contribution—Level 3
• What does “provides quality support to customers and fellow employees” mean? Who de-cides what this means? What will be considered in making this decision? Does this mean obtaining all proofs for customers or expecting them to follow program requirements? Does this mean assisting customers with referrals to other agencies for needed help? What does
providing quality support to fellow employees mean? Does this mean answering questions, backing up when someone is out on leave? What if I don’t know someone is out on leave?
• What does “contributes to achievement of the office, work unit or group goals” mean? Who decides this and what is used to make this determination? Do I meet this if I do my “fair share” of work and meet my expectation for timely completion of work products? How is this going to be communicated and determined?
• What does “demonstrates resourcefulness by successfully seeking solutions to problems” mean? Who decides what this means? How is it determined? How often do I have to “successfully seek solutions” in order to meet the Level 3 standard? Is the emphasis on “resourcefulness” or on “successfully seeking?” Since “successfully” modifies the verb “seek,” it would appear that I only have to be successful in seeking a solution and not neces-sarily successful in finding or applying it. Is this what the agency intended? Does this mean I research POMS, contact regional office and discuss with my coworkers? Does this mean I rarely come to the supervisor for help? How will management determine this? Will manage-ment keep track of the number of times I ask for assistance or input from a Technical Expert or others? How will management do this since supervisors are rarely at their desks and un-able to view all unit employees?
• What does “provides assistance to others” mean? Who decides that and what will be consid-ered in making this decision? Am I supposed to stop and help others every time they come to me with a question? Does this mean being willing to take late interviews every day be-cause I come in late so a front end interviewer can leave before 4 pm? Am I supposed to tell you when and how I help other individuals?
• What does “adapts to changes in the workplace, such as adjustments in work priorities and new technology” mean? Who decides the meaning and what is consid-ered in making the decision? How will you measure this? Does management’s changed priorities become more important than the case I need to work on to pay a claimant?
Outstanding Contribution—Level 5
• What does it take to achieve Level 5?
• What does “voluntarily assisting other employees” mean? Who decides this and what will be considered in making this decision? Does taking work from him/her and just processing it? Does this mean volunteering to take work from a co-worker who is behind? Will I get credit for vol-untarily working diaries? Will I get credit for working Medicare Part D verification and re-contact cases beyond my fair share of the workload? How will management know that I am voluntarily assisting other employees? Will I need to tell you? Will you expect the person I am helping to confirm that I am helping?
• Can you define “teamwork?” Does this mean that I pitch in and help? What will be used to determine my promotion of teamwork?
• What does “engages other members in the group’s efforts to achieve goals” mean? Who
makes this decision? How will this be measured? Can you give me some examples? What goals are being referred to? Are these numeric goals for the office or unit? If so, where do they come from and who determined them? What if I believe these goals are unrealistic due to short-staffing, too many appointments,and other workload priorities?
• What does “seeking out” additional work assignments mean? Does this mean, I come to management and ask for work? Does this mean that I volunteer to take addi-tional interviews? How will management keep track of this? Will I be required to turn in a log of extra work? How can I volunteer for extra assignments if manage-ment has me scheduled to interview all day long? Will employees in specialized units be given first crack at additional work assignments or will they be offered to interviewers and all other employees?
• Can you explain what “contributes to the implementation of change through suggestions that facilitate change and/or by eliciting contributions from other team members or compo-nents” means? Who makes this decision? How will management know if I made any sug-gestions? Will you record suggestions I make to you in private conversations? Will you keep track of employee suggestions made during unit and staff meetings? Will action be taken on suggestions and feedback given as to whether or not they are adopted? Who will decide whether suggestions are adopted? Will I be given credit towards meeting this ele-ment at level 5 even if my suggestion is not adopted?
Performance Element 3—Demonstrates Job Knowledge
Level 3
• What does “learns new material and applies it accurately while using appropriate technol-ogy and automation tools” mean? Who will decide what this means? Who determines what standards will be used to assess what is appropriate technology or appropriate automation tools? How will you evaluate that I learn new material? Will we be given tests on POMS or Policy Net? If I have a difficult case and talk to my supervisor about new POMS material and management has a different interpretation, will I be rated lower for not understanding the material? When will management come to that conclusion and how will you notify me so I have a fair opportunity to rebut that conclusion? Who will decide if I am correct or not?
• What does “maintains integrity of work processes” mean? Who will decide it? Will cases be reviewed? By whom? Does this mean POMS compliance? Does this also mean I have to follow your instructions, even if that means cutting corners or violating agency policies? What happens if I disagree with you on something that I believe does not meet this perform-ance expectation?
• What does “demonstrates sound analytical reasoning in applying policy, procedures and in-structions” mean? Who will decide this? Can you give me some examples of sound versus unsound analytical reasoning? Will it mean the same for everyone in our office? What op-tion will I have to rebut your decision about how I demonstrated sound reasoning? If IVT
and/or other training are incomplete or inaccurate or if I am absent when the training is pre-sented, how will that be considered in rating my performance?
• What does “provides clear, accurate oral and/or written information and completes accurate work products” mean? Who is going to decide this? Will interview audits and mail reviews be conducted? Does this mean that we have to use DOCS only? Will use of word notices that are written outside of DOCS be acceptable? Will I be held responsible for errors in DOCS notices since those are centrally produced?
Level 5
• What does it take to achieve Level 5?
• What does “demonstrates initiative by voluntarily sharing information, knowledge, skills and best practices” mean? Who decides this? Can you give me some examples of “best practices?” How does this requirement balance with the need of other employees to learn how to research POMS or develop their skills? Can I still achieve Level 5 if I have been told not to automatically answer co-workers’ questions because they need to learn how to do independent research? Will I be able to speak about best practices in unit meetings? Will consideration be given to adopting my suggestions?
• If I develop materials for reference, training and mentoring, how do I present this to man-agement for consideration? If the material is rejected, will I still be given credit for my ef-forts?
• If I am expected to process the most complex work accurately and effectively and develop options and recommendations that result in improved work unit performance, how do I find out what is the most complex work? What does “accurately and effectively mean” and who decides that? If I develop options and recommendations that I feel will result in improved work performance, who will decide if it does and if it will be adopted? What will be looked at to make these decisions? What will be the criteria for determining that my recommenda-tion results in improved work performance? Will I be notified that my recommendations meet or don’t meet this expectation? How can I challenge these decisions?
• What does “contributes to introducing the use of automation tools and fosters their use within the work unit” mean? How will this be evaluated? If I introduce the use of an auto-mation tool and my unit coworkers do not use it, will that keep me from meeting level 5? Does this mean I can achieve Level 5 by contributing or am I required to actually introduce the use of automation tools? Can you explain how I can demonstrate that I am introducing the use of anything? If new tools and technology are things the agency trains employees on, how can I contribute to introducing the use of those tools if I have not been selected to do the training?
Performance Element 4—Achieves Business Results
Level 3
• What does “fair share of work” mean? Who will decide that? How will that be determined?
• Will there be an individual determination for each employee?
• What factors will be used to determine “fair share” (grade of employee, work schedule—part-time or fulltime, CWS, leave usage, union official time usage)? Will there be adjust-ments in meaning throughout the year? Will use of unanticipated leave be considered in de-termining if I produce my fair share of work?
• What does “completes work assignments timely and/or as scheduled” mean?” How will that be determined and who sets these schedules? Will there be a time frame for appointments? Can you identify specific workloads and what is considered timely and what is considered untimely?
• If am in the claims unit, does this mean I must take teleclaims and appointments at their scheduled time and cannot be late? What happens when I have an in-office interview that makes me late? What happens if I have not had break or lunch but there is another interview or appointment scheduled? Does this mean that time frames will be established for initiation of all work?
• What happens if I am on leave? Will my work be backed up? What happens if a claim is allowed when I am on leave? Will someone adjudicate the claim or leave it for me when I return? Will this be taken into consideration in determining if I meet this expectation?
• What does “uses a balanced approach to complete work assignments effectively and efficiently using appropriate technology” mean? Who will decide this? What will be consid-ered in making this decision? Will there be allowances for times when the system is down; for unexpected absences of co-workers that can limit the time available to perform balanced work? Does using appropriate technology mean taking claims in MSSICS and reading each question exactly as written? Does it mean the same for EDCS usage? Does it mean taking applications on paper and keying in later when the system is available? Will I be rated lower if I take claims on paper and key in later, while other employees wait until the system is available? Can you give me examples of “balanced ap-proach” and explain the difference between appropriate and inappropriate technology?
Level 5
• What does it take to achieve Level 5 performance? What does “makes a significant contribution to achievement of work unit goals by completing extra work assignments” mean? Who will decide this? What are some examples of ex-tra work assignments? In some offices, only a limited number of individuals are given an opportunity to give speeches. If I want to give speeches, will I be allowed to do so?
• What does “maximizes use of available time and resources” mean? Who will decide this? How is “maximizes” defined? Can you give some examples? How you will feel at this point of the performance discussion!
• What does “identifies barriers to completing work timely and develops reasonable solutions likely to result in improvement” mean? Can you give some examples? What will happen when I identify a barrier and develop a reasonable solution? Will management consider my proposal seriously? For example, if I propose a back-up plan for those on leave, will it be considered? How will I know? If you do not implement my proposal, will you give me credit for my suggestion? What is the difference between a reasonable and an unreasonable solution? Can you give me some examples?
• What does “develops creative procedures and approaches for using technology” mean? Who will decide what this means and what will be looked at when this decision is made? What happens if my supervisor does not like my idea? Will it be rejected? Do I have the right to question his or her decision? How do you define creative? Can you give me an example of a creative solution versus a non-creative one?
Although these questions are quite comprehensive, they are not intended to be all inclusive. You may have your own questions that need to be answered for you to achieve a complete un-derstanding of management’s expectations. Be sure to document all of management’s re-sponses, especially the questions for which no comprehensible answer can be provided. Tell management if you do not understand their answers, document it and share this information with the union. For additional information, go to www.afgec220.org. If you click on “Library” from the home page, that will open up another page including a header, Cope With the New Appraisal System. Click on that for prior alerts and background information. Special thanks to Cheryl Hainkel for her work on this alert. Council 220 Ad Hoc Appraisal Committee Charlie Estudillo, Chair Cheryl Hainkel Steve Kofahl Katrina Lopez Winky New Warren Fretwell September, 2006 ********
SSA management will conduct two meetings about the new performance appraisal system, PACS. The first meeting will address general changes and is intended for the entire staff. The second meeting will involve you and your supervisor. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to get as much information as possible to learn how management defines the terms that gov-ern PACS and to ensure that the agency implements the system fairly and equitably for all workers. Note: This Alert is rather lengthy. However, we urge you to review it before you attend either of the above meetings. Keep a copy with your important personnel records and bring it with you to the meetings to remind you of the questions you need to ask. A copy of this Alert will be posted to the AFGE Council 220 web site at www.afgec220.org
>
for your future reference.
Take notes of all meetings. After the meeting is over, send an email to your supervisor
saying this is what you said to me. Ask the supervisor if that is correct. Send it read receipt requested so you will know if and when the supervisor reads it. Save the response in a folder. Let the union know if the information does not match and be sure to advise your AFGE Local Representative if numerics other than national goals are used.
Questions to ask during performance meetings:
Performance Element 1- Interpersonal Skills
Successful Contribution—Level 3
• What does “treat the public and fellow employees with courtesy and respect” mean? How will that be measured? Will management audit interviews and phone calls and advise how will this be done? Will I know in advance when the audits will be conducted? Will I get a copy of the results? Will management use feedback from customer service cards? Who will interpret what the service card replies mean? Will I get a copy of the customer service card? Will you take into consideration that the customer may say service is bad because he or she was denied, or just did not get the answer he or she wanted?
• Does “treat fellow employees with courtesy and respect” mean the same thing as identified in Article 3, Section 2(A)? If not, then please define these terms? Who defined this? What is going to be considered in determining if I am successful in this element? How will it be measured? Will management observe interactions in the office, in meetings, in the break room, during lunches? How will employee complaints about me be used in rating my per-formance in this element? When will I have an opportunity to rebut these complaints and/or your observations?
AFGE Council 220 • Serving SSA Teleservice and Field Office Employees in the 50 States, Puerto Rico and the Pacific Islands
• What does “listens and responds appropriately to feedback from the public, co-workers and managers” mean? Who decides this? What will be considered and how will it be measured? Will interview audits and other observations be use? Please explain. Must our answers be POMS-complaint? Does this mean that we must always agree with management to be con-sidered “appropriately responding to feedback?” Does this mean that feedback includes re-ports of fair share of work performed? What happens if the feedback provided by manage-ment, the public or my co-worker is wrong and I disagree? Will I be rated lower because of that disagreement? Who decides and what right of appeal do I have?
• What does “communicate effectively” mean? Who decides this? What will be considered in making this decision? What criteria will be used to differentiate between effect and inef-fective communications? Does this refer to oral communica-tion, i.e. interviews? Does this mean written communication, such as the use of letters in DOCS? Will we be held respon-sible for inaccuracies in the grammar of DOCS notices? Will correspondence be reviewed for all employees? If so, who will do these reviews?
• What does “maintains positive and productive working rela-tionships within the office, work unit or group” mean? Who decides that? What will be considered in making this decision? Does this mean that I give in when asked something to keep a positive relationship? Does it mean that I do work the way it should be done or the way management wants it done, even if that means violating office and agency policies? Does this mean that I keep quiet when a coworker makes an error or does shoddy work on claims in my unit? Will I be thought of as being negative if I speak up about office prob-lems or criticize office procedures?
Outstanding Contribution---Level 5
• What does it take to achieve Level 5?
• What does “contributes to developing trust, respect and cooperation among unit members” mean? Who makes this decision? What is considered in making this decision? How will this be measured? This does not appear to offer any objective measure. How will management measure the trust, respect or cooperation I develop in the office? Please give me several ex-amples so that I know how to achieve this level of performance. Am I supposed to tell man-agement if I distrust someone? That would not be the right thing to do by my ethical stan-dards. What can I do to develop cooperation with others who have a personal agenda that may not be good for the unit?
Performance Element 2—Participation
Successful Contribution—Level 3
• What does “provides quality support to customers and fellow employees” mean? Who de-cides what this means? What will be considered in making this decision? Does this mean obtaining all proofs for customers or expecting them to follow program requirements? Does this mean assisting customers with referrals to other agencies for needed help? What does
providing quality support to fellow employees mean? Does this mean answering questions, backing up when someone is out on leave? What if I don’t know someone is out on leave?
• What does “contributes to achievement of the office, work unit or group goals” mean? Who decides this and what is used to make this determination? Do I meet this if I do my “fair share” of work and meet my expectation for timely completion of work products? How is this going to be communicated and determined?
• What does “demonstrates resourcefulness by successfully seeking solutions to problems” mean? Who decides what this means? How is it determined? How often do I have to “successfully seek solutions” in order to meet the Level 3 standard? Is the emphasis on “resourcefulness” or on “successfully seeking?” Since “successfully” modifies the verb “seek,” it would appear that I only have to be successful in seeking a solution and not neces-sarily successful in finding or applying it. Is this what the agency intended? Does this mean I research POMS, contact regional office and discuss with my coworkers? Does this mean I rarely come to the supervisor for help? How will management determine this? Will manage-ment keep track of the number of times I ask for assistance or input from a Technical Expert or others? How will management do this since supervisors are rarely at their desks and un-able to view all unit employees?
• What does “provides assistance to others” mean? Who decides that and what will be consid-ered in making this decision? Am I supposed to stop and help others every time they come to me with a question? Does this mean being willing to take late interviews every day be-cause I come in late so a front end interviewer can leave before 4 pm? Am I supposed to tell you when and how I help other individuals?
• What does “adapts to changes in the workplace, such as adjustments in work priorities and new technology” mean? Who decides the meaning and what is consid-ered in making the decision? How will you measure this? Does management’s changed priorities become more important than the case I need to work on to pay a claimant?
Outstanding Contribution—Level 5
• What does it take to achieve Level 5?
• What does “voluntarily assisting other employees” mean? Who decides this and what will be considered in making this decision? Does taking work from him/her and just processing it? Does this mean volunteering to take work from a co-worker who is behind? Will I get credit for vol-untarily working diaries? Will I get credit for working Medicare Part D verification and re-contact cases beyond my fair share of the workload? How will management know that I am voluntarily assisting other employees? Will I need to tell you? Will you expect the person I am helping to confirm that I am helping?
• Can you define “teamwork?” Does this mean that I pitch in and help? What will be used to determine my promotion of teamwork?
• What does “engages other members in the group’s efforts to achieve goals” mean? Who
makes this decision? How will this be measured? Can you give me some examples? What goals are being referred to? Are these numeric goals for the office or unit? If so, where do they come from and who determined them? What if I believe these goals are unrealistic due to short-staffing, too many appointments,and other workload priorities?
• What does “seeking out” additional work assignments mean? Does this mean, I come to management and ask for work? Does this mean that I volunteer to take addi-tional interviews? How will management keep track of this? Will I be required to turn in a log of extra work? How can I volunteer for extra assignments if manage-ment has me scheduled to interview all day long? Will employees in specialized units be given first crack at additional work assignments or will they be offered to interviewers and all other employees?
• Can you explain what “contributes to the implementation of change through suggestions that facilitate change and/or by eliciting contributions from other team members or compo-nents” means? Who makes this decision? How will management know if I made any sug-gestions? Will you record suggestions I make to you in private conversations? Will you keep track of employee suggestions made during unit and staff meetings? Will action be taken on suggestions and feedback given as to whether or not they are adopted? Who will decide whether suggestions are adopted? Will I be given credit towards meeting this ele-ment at level 5 even if my suggestion is not adopted?
Performance Element 3—Demonstrates Job Knowledge
Level 3
• What does “learns new material and applies it accurately while using appropriate technol-ogy and automation tools” mean? Who will decide what this means? Who determines what standards will be used to assess what is appropriate technology or appropriate automation tools? How will you evaluate that I learn new material? Will we be given tests on POMS or Policy Net? If I have a difficult case and talk to my supervisor about new POMS material and management has a different interpretation, will I be rated lower for not understanding the material? When will management come to that conclusion and how will you notify me so I have a fair opportunity to rebut that conclusion? Who will decide if I am correct or not?
• What does “maintains integrity of work processes” mean? Who will decide it? Will cases be reviewed? By whom? Does this mean POMS compliance? Does this also mean I have to follow your instructions, even if that means cutting corners or violating agency policies? What happens if I disagree with you on something that I believe does not meet this perform-ance expectation?
• What does “demonstrates sound analytical reasoning in applying policy, procedures and in-structions” mean? Who will decide this? Can you give me some examples of sound versus unsound analytical reasoning? Will it mean the same for everyone in our office? What op-tion will I have to rebut your decision about how I demonstrated sound reasoning? If IVT
and/or other training are incomplete or inaccurate or if I am absent when the training is pre-sented, how will that be considered in rating my performance?
• What does “provides clear, accurate oral and/or written information and completes accurate work products” mean? Who is going to decide this? Will interview audits and mail reviews be conducted? Does this mean that we have to use DOCS only? Will use of word notices that are written outside of DOCS be acceptable? Will I be held responsible for errors in DOCS notices since those are centrally produced?
Level 5
• What does it take to achieve Level 5?
• What does “demonstrates initiative by voluntarily sharing information, knowledge, skills and best practices” mean? Who decides this? Can you give me some examples of “best practices?” How does this requirement balance with the need of other employees to learn how to research POMS or develop their skills? Can I still achieve Level 5 if I have been told not to automatically answer co-workers’ questions because they need to learn how to do independent research? Will I be able to speak about best practices in unit meetings? Will consideration be given to adopting my suggestions?
• If I develop materials for reference, training and mentoring, how do I present this to man-agement for consideration? If the material is rejected, will I still be given credit for my ef-forts?
• If I am expected to process the most complex work accurately and effectively and develop options and recommendations that result in improved work unit performance, how do I find out what is the most complex work? What does “accurately and effectively mean” and who decides that? If I develop options and recommendations that I feel will result in improved work performance, who will decide if it does and if it will be adopted? What will be looked at to make these decisions? What will be the criteria for determining that my recommenda-tion results in improved work performance? Will I be notified that my recommendations meet or don’t meet this expectation? How can I challenge these decisions?
• What does “contributes to introducing the use of automation tools and fosters their use within the work unit” mean? How will this be evaluated? If I introduce the use of an auto-mation tool and my unit coworkers do not use it, will that keep me from meeting level 5? Does this mean I can achieve Level 5 by contributing or am I required to actually introduce the use of automation tools? Can you explain how I can demonstrate that I am introducing the use of anything? If new tools and technology are things the agency trains employees on, how can I contribute to introducing the use of those tools if I have not been selected to do the training?
Performance Element 4—Achieves Business Results
Level 3
• What does “fair share of work” mean? Who will decide that? How will that be determined?
• Will there be an individual determination for each employee?
• What factors will be used to determine “fair share” (grade of employee, work schedule—part-time or fulltime, CWS, leave usage, union official time usage)? Will there be adjust-ments in meaning throughout the year? Will use of unanticipated leave be considered in de-termining if I produce my fair share of work?
• What does “completes work assignments timely and/or as scheduled” mean?” How will that be determined and who sets these schedules? Will there be a time frame for appointments? Can you identify specific workloads and what is considered timely and what is considered untimely?
• If am in the claims unit, does this mean I must take teleclaims and appointments at their scheduled time and cannot be late? What happens when I have an in-office interview that makes me late? What happens if I have not had break or lunch but there is another interview or appointment scheduled? Does this mean that time frames will be established for initiation of all work?
• What happens if I am on leave? Will my work be backed up? What happens if a claim is allowed when I am on leave? Will someone adjudicate the claim or leave it for me when I return? Will this be taken into consideration in determining if I meet this expectation?
• What does “uses a balanced approach to complete work assignments effectively and efficiently using appropriate technology” mean? Who will decide this? What will be consid-ered in making this decision? Will there be allowances for times when the system is down; for unexpected absences of co-workers that can limit the time available to perform balanced work? Does using appropriate technology mean taking claims in MSSICS and reading each question exactly as written? Does it mean the same for EDCS usage? Does it mean taking applications on paper and keying in later when the system is available? Will I be rated lower if I take claims on paper and key in later, while other employees wait until the system is available? Can you give me examples of “balanced ap-proach” and explain the difference between appropriate and inappropriate technology?
Level 5
• What does it take to achieve Level 5 performance? What does “makes a significant contribution to achievement of work unit goals by completing extra work assignments” mean? Who will decide this? What are some examples of ex-tra work assignments? In some offices, only a limited number of individuals are given an opportunity to give speeches. If I want to give speeches, will I be allowed to do so?
• What does “maximizes use of available time and resources” mean? Who will decide this? How is “maximizes” defined? Can you give some examples? How you will feel at this point of the performance discussion!
• What does “identifies barriers to completing work timely and develops reasonable solutions likely to result in improvement” mean? Can you give some examples? What will happen when I identify a barrier and develop a reasonable solution? Will management consider my proposal seriously? For example, if I propose a back-up plan for those on leave, will it be considered? How will I know? If you do not implement my proposal, will you give me credit for my suggestion? What is the difference between a reasonable and an unreasonable solution? Can you give me some examples?
• What does “develops creative procedures and approaches for using technology” mean? Who will decide what this means and what will be looked at when this decision is made? What happens if my supervisor does not like my idea? Will it be rejected? Do I have the right to question his or her decision? How do you define creative? Can you give me an example of a creative solution versus a non-creative one?
Although these questions are quite comprehensive, they are not intended to be all inclusive. You may have your own questions that need to be answered for you to achieve a complete un-derstanding of management’s expectations. Be sure to document all of management’s re-sponses, especially the questions for which no comprehensible answer can be provided. Tell management if you do not understand their answers, document it and share this information with the union. For additional information, go to www.afgec220.org. If you click on “Library” from the home page, that will open up another page including a header, Cope With the New Appraisal System. Click on that for prior alerts and background information. Special thanks to Cheryl Hainkel for her work on this alert. Council 220 Ad Hoc Appraisal Committee Charlie Estudillo, Chair Cheryl Hainkel Steve Kofahl Katrina Lopez Winky New Warren Fretwell September, 2006 ********
Your New Performance Standards– Alert #10
GUIDELINES FOR WRITING A SELF-ASSESSMENT!
Before writing a self-assessment, as provided for in Article 21, Section 6E, please considerthefollowing information.
Per Article 21, Section 6 E of the SSA/AFGE National Agreement………..
• Employees will be provided the option of completing a one page, end-of-cycle self-assessment highlighting their contributions and accomplishments relating to theperformance plan. •
Employees, who wish to submit a self-assessment, must do so no later than 10 days afterthe end of their appraisal period. • A reasonable amount of time, as determined by the supervisor, will be provided for thisactivity. •
Self-assessments should be maintained in the SF-7B Extension File.
You may have been asked to submit a self assessment in connection with the mid year PACSdiscussions. The union strongly recommends that you not do this since it is not called for in Article 21as a part of the PACS. You may also have been asked to complete questionnaires as managers prepareto do desk audits. The Union recommends that you either not complete the questionnaire, or if you do,to be extremely careful to answer all questions in a positive manner. Negative information maybeused against you. You should not provide management with information which could adversely affectyour performance.
It’s important to document what you do, and it’s equally important that you document yourachievements and contributions in a positive light.
Here are some suggestions for writing a glowing and positive self assessment:
1) Ask yourself what you do for the workplace that others cannot or do not.
2) List special projects you have worked. Include the start and completion dates.
3) Give examples of how you helped coworkers.
4) Summarize training that you volunteered to give, including the date and the topic.
5) List what you have done that fits each of the critical elements for your position.
6) Use I did, I taught, I assisted. Draw attention to you.
7) Keep copies of your self assessment and any questionnaires that you are asked to complete.
REMEMBER: What you say about yourself may affect your appraisal rating, your chances for promotion and your awards.
• Don’t be afraid to speak up about your talents and contributions; •
Don’t assume management knows your contributions to the office; and •
Please don’t hand them a list of your weaknesses.
For additional information, visit www.afgec220.org
AFGE Council 220 • Serving SSA Teleservice and Field Office Employees in the 50 States, Puerto Rico and the Pacific Islands
Before writing a self-assessment, as provided for in Article 21, Section 6E, please considerthefollowing information.
Per Article 21, Section 6 E of the SSA/AFGE National Agreement………..
• Employees will be provided the option of completing a one page, end-of-cycle self-assessment highlighting their contributions and accomplishments relating to theperformance plan. •
Employees, who wish to submit a self-assessment, must do so no later than 10 days afterthe end of their appraisal period. • A reasonable amount of time, as determined by the supervisor, will be provided for thisactivity. •
Self-assessments should be maintained in the SF-7B Extension File.
You may have been asked to submit a self assessment in connection with the mid year PACSdiscussions. The union strongly recommends that you not do this since it is not called for in Article 21as a part of the PACS. You may also have been asked to complete questionnaires as managers prepareto do desk audits. The Union recommends that you either not complete the questionnaire, or if you do,to be extremely careful to answer all questions in a positive manner. Negative information maybeused against you. You should not provide management with information which could adversely affectyour performance.
It’s important to document what you do, and it’s equally important that you document yourachievements and contributions in a positive light.
Here are some suggestions for writing a glowing and positive self assessment:
1) Ask yourself what you do for the workplace that others cannot or do not.
2) List special projects you have worked. Include the start and completion dates.
3) Give examples of how you helped coworkers.
4) Summarize training that you volunteered to give, including the date and the topic.
5) List what you have done that fits each of the critical elements for your position.
6) Use I did, I taught, I assisted. Draw attention to you.
7) Keep copies of your self assessment and any questionnaires that you are asked to complete.
REMEMBER: What you say about yourself may affect your appraisal rating, your chances for promotion and your awards.
• Don’t be afraid to speak up about your talents and contributions; •
Don’t assume management knows your contributions to the office; and •
Please don’t hand them a list of your weaknesses.
For additional information, visit www.afgec220.org
AFGE Council 220 • Serving SSA Teleservice and Field Office Employees in the 50 States, Puerto Rico and the Pacific Islands
PACS*PACS*PACS*PACS
AFGE Council 220 • Serving SSA Teleservice and Field Office Employees in the 50 States, Puerto Rico and the Pacific Islands
Your New Performance Standards– Alert #9
EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE PROTECTION PLAN
With the new appraisal system, comes another task for SSA employees: protecting yourself against inaccurate assessment of your performance and/or an evaluation of your performance that your supervisor intends to use against you in a performance based action (such as suspension, demotion, or removal from your job). Your appraisal and your award may depend upon how well you perform this task. Omit it or perform this task poorly and you may not be able to dispute your supervisor’s negative assessment of your work.
Follow these suggestions in order to protect yourself against
adverse action in the new performance process:
1. Ask questions if you don’t understand what your supervisor tells you or if the information isvague.
2. Put explanations from your supervisor into an email asking if your summary is accurate.Include a statement that says, “If you do not respond within five (5) days, I will assume thatmy interpretation is accurate.” Send (cc:) the email to yourself.
3. Request a Read Receipt when you send the email so you will know when your supervisor reads your message.
To request a Read Receipt:
• Type your email.
• Before sending, click on “Options” from the Menu Bar.
• Click on “Request a Read Receipt for this message.”
• Click “Close” at the bottom.
• Send your message.
4. Retain all correspondence from your supervisor regarding your performance. Put the emailsyou send, Read Receipt responses and all emails from your supervisor in both an electronicfile in OUTLOOK and also in a paper file. Do not remove information with names andSSNs from the office, and do not forward emails containing claimants’ names andSSNs to your private email. Sanitize all claimant information from these records (uselast name and last four digits of SSN only) if sharing these records with your unionrepresentative or others or if taking these records out of the office. For additionalguidance see “Procedures for Safeguarding Personally Identifiable Information (PII) onEmployee Review Forms” or contact your Local AFGE Representative.
5. Take notes of any performance-based meetings/discussions with your supervisor or anymember of management. If the discussion is verbal, send a message to the supervisor with asummary of the discussion per item 2 above. In every staff and unit meeting in whichperformance expectations are discussed, take good notes, ask questions and insist on clear
and explicit responses. Encourage your coworkers to do the same. Insist that supervisorsclarify their expectations.
6. Immediately rebut in writing, any unwarranted criticism or any negative performancefeedback, and insist that your rebuttal be placed in your SF-7B file. Ask for agency time towrite the rebuttal. (Attachment 1 can be used to help you document unwarranted negativefeedback.)
7. Inform your supervisor in writingwhen you are not being given enough time to complete yourassignments. Inform your supervisor in writingwhen you are not being given the resources tocomplete the assignment.
8. Keep records in writing, for example, if….
• Your work is held to a higher standard of performance than your peers
• You are given extra assignments or extra interviews
• You are asked to help clean up someone else’s desk
• You miss your desk/adjudication day
• You are assigned training or mentoring duties
9
. Document all additional duties as follows:
• Short description of the extra work
• Date you began and ended the work
• Number of cases processed, if applicable
• Length of time it took you to do the work
• Whether work was assigned or if you did it voluntarily
• Whether any other employees were involved in the extra work (Attachment 2 can be used to help you document extra duties.)
10. Under the new performance system, you may voluntarily submit a self-assessmentstatementto your supervisor to be considered as part of your appraisal. If you do so, provide onlypositive information since anything negative that you provide may quite possibly be usedagainst you.
Just as it’s going to be your responsibility to make management aware of your contributions that areperformance-related, it will also be up to you to provide documentation to support your rebuttal ofany negative or unwarranted feedback or criticism. The only way to make sure that you have theinformation you need is to document everything in writing.
For additional information, visit www.afgec220.org
May 2007
CHECKLIST FOR REBUTTAL INFORMATION
(Use this form to help document factors that were beyond your control that contributed to negative and unwarranted feedback from your supervisor.)
CLAIMANT NAME/SSN: ___________________________
• Case had case characteristics that were factors beyond my control:
• On vacation from ___________ to ______________
• Extra assignments:
• Due to coworkers’ leave or for other reasons, I missed desk days.
• I inherited this case from a coworker and it was already ________ days old.
• Extra Interviews
• Training, Mentoring assignments:
• Other:
EE Performance Protection Plan
PERFORMANCE TRACKING FORM -- EXTRA DUTIES
DATE
TIME BEGAN
TIME ENDED
TYPE OF EXTRA DUTY
VOLUNTARY OR ASSIGNED
(For special projects or workgroups, be sure to keep track of the time period, the supervisor who assigned the work, what you did and how you contributed to that group/project.)
Your New Performance Standards– Alert #9
EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE PROTECTION PLAN
With the new appraisal system, comes another task for SSA employees: protecting yourself against inaccurate assessment of your performance and/or an evaluation of your performance that your supervisor intends to use against you in a performance based action (such as suspension, demotion, or removal from your job). Your appraisal and your award may depend upon how well you perform this task. Omit it or perform this task poorly and you may not be able to dispute your supervisor’s negative assessment of your work.
Follow these suggestions in order to protect yourself against
adverse action in the new performance process:
1. Ask questions if you don’t understand what your supervisor tells you or if the information isvague.
2. Put explanations from your supervisor into an email asking if your summary is accurate.Include a statement that says, “If you do not respond within five (5) days, I will assume thatmy interpretation is accurate.” Send (cc:) the email to yourself.
3. Request a Read Receipt when you send the email so you will know when your supervisor reads your message.
To request a Read Receipt:
• Type your email.
• Before sending, click on “Options” from the Menu Bar.
• Click on “Request a Read Receipt for this message.”
• Click “Close” at the bottom.
• Send your message.
4. Retain all correspondence from your supervisor regarding your performance. Put the emailsyou send, Read Receipt responses and all emails from your supervisor in both an electronicfile in OUTLOOK and also in a paper file. Do not remove information with names andSSNs from the office, and do not forward emails containing claimants’ names andSSNs to your private email. Sanitize all claimant information from these records (uselast name and last four digits of SSN only) if sharing these records with your unionrepresentative or others or if taking these records out of the office. For additionalguidance see “Procedures for Safeguarding Personally Identifiable Information (PII) onEmployee Review Forms” or contact your Local AFGE Representative.
5. Take notes of any performance-based meetings/discussions with your supervisor or anymember of management. If the discussion is verbal, send a message to the supervisor with asummary of the discussion per item 2 above. In every staff and unit meeting in whichperformance expectations are discussed, take good notes, ask questions and insist on clear
and explicit responses. Encourage your coworkers to do the same. Insist that supervisorsclarify their expectations.
6. Immediately rebut in writing, any unwarranted criticism or any negative performancefeedback, and insist that your rebuttal be placed in your SF-7B file. Ask for agency time towrite the rebuttal. (Attachment 1 can be used to help you document unwarranted negativefeedback.)
7. Inform your supervisor in writingwhen you are not being given enough time to complete yourassignments. Inform your supervisor in writingwhen you are not being given the resources tocomplete the assignment.
8. Keep records in writing, for example, if….
• Your work is held to a higher standard of performance than your peers
• You are given extra assignments or extra interviews
• You are asked to help clean up someone else’s desk
• You miss your desk/adjudication day
• You are assigned training or mentoring duties
9
. Document all additional duties as follows:
• Short description of the extra work
• Date you began and ended the work
• Number of cases processed, if applicable
• Length of time it took you to do the work
• Whether work was assigned or if you did it voluntarily
• Whether any other employees were involved in the extra work (Attachment 2 can be used to help you document extra duties.)
10. Under the new performance system, you may voluntarily submit a self-assessmentstatementto your supervisor to be considered as part of your appraisal. If you do so, provide onlypositive information since anything negative that you provide may quite possibly be usedagainst you.
Just as it’s going to be your responsibility to make management aware of your contributions that areperformance-related, it will also be up to you to provide documentation to support your rebuttal ofany negative or unwarranted feedback or criticism. The only way to make sure that you have theinformation you need is to document everything in writing.
For additional information, visit www.afgec220.org
May 2007
CHECKLIST FOR REBUTTAL INFORMATION
(Use this form to help document factors that were beyond your control that contributed to negative and unwarranted feedback from your supervisor.)
CLAIMANT NAME/SSN: ___________________________
• Case had case characteristics that were factors beyond my control:
• On vacation from ___________ to ______________
• Extra assignments:
• Due to coworkers’ leave or for other reasons, I missed desk days.
• I inherited this case from a coworker and it was already ________ days old.
• Extra Interviews
• Training, Mentoring assignments:
• Other:
EE Performance Protection Plan
PERFORMANCE TRACKING FORM -- EXTRA DUTIES
DATE
TIME BEGAN
TIME ENDED
TYPE OF EXTRA DUTY
VOLUNTARY OR ASSIGNED
(For special projects or workgroups, be sure to keep track of the time period, the supervisor who assigned the work, what you did and how you contributed to that group/project.)
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
NOTICE REGARDING UNION DUES
A per capita dues increase of $2.00 was passed by the AFGE National Convention in August 2006. Local 4056 bylaws require us to adjust our dues to accommodate this change.
Please review the "What's In Your Wallet" page in our links section and not the positive impact AFGE has had on your paycheck.
The Executive Board of Local 4056 has taken direct action to ease the impact of this increase on our members. Our current bylaws require a matching increase in the Local dues. The Executive Board proposed a bylaw change, passed at our Annual Membership meeting, reducing the Local portion of the increase by 50%. The earliest this bylaw change can take effect is January 1, 2008.
For the first 3 months of 2007 the Local has absorbed the increase entirely.
Dues will be $18.25 starting in April 2007 and will remain the same through December 2007. Dues will be reduced to $17.50 in January 2008.
A per capita dues increase of $2.00 was passed by the AFGE National Convention in August 2006. Local 4056 bylaws require us to adjust our dues to accommodate this change.
Please review the "What's In Your Wallet" page in our links section and not the positive impact AFGE has had on your paycheck.
The Executive Board of Local 4056 has taken direct action to ease the impact of this increase on our members. Our current bylaws require a matching increase in the Local dues. The Executive Board proposed a bylaw change, passed at our Annual Membership meeting, reducing the Local portion of the increase by 50%. The earliest this bylaw change can take effect is January 1, 2008.
For the first 3 months of 2007 the Local has absorbed the increase entirely.
Dues will be $18.25 starting in April 2007 and will remain the same through December 2007. Dues will be reduced to $17.50 in January 2008.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Kissimmee Florida SSA District Office Saved From a Fate Worse Than Death
Perpetrating SSA Manager Flees Jurisdiction
Several years of diligent work and intensive legal procedures paid off on February 6 2007 when the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) in Washington DC issused a Review decision in favor of AFGE Local 4056. The Kissimmee Florica District Office is and has since its inception beeen part of AFGE Logal 4056. At the time of the hearing there were 35 employees of the Kissimmee Office who were eligible to be included in the bargaining unit.
In order to alleviate the egregious adverse working environment in the Kissimmee DO that resulted from the Agency's illegal refusal to recognize Union representation, AFGE Local 4056 filed a complaint with the FLRA and we prevailed. Now the Union is taking action to improve the worklife of the bargaining unit employees in the Kissimmee DO, The Agency had fought the Union's right to represent emloyees in Kissimmee since April 18, 2005 when the office opened to serve the booming population in the Osceola County area south of Orlando. The Kissimmee District was actually created in 2002 but did not actually open to the public with staff on site until 2005.
Many of the employees of the Kissimmee office originally came from the Orlando SSA District Office from the New York, Boston, Chicago and Atlanta regions where Union representation is present. The Agency had tried to keep Kissimmee without representation, citing it as being comparable to the stand-alone military facility the Port Hueneme California Naval Fcilities Service Center. That Center was considered to be essentially a new entity with no prior history, so no rights typically afforded to other Centers "carried over" to this new Center.
The FLRA recognized tht the Kissimmee Florida District Office was created from the existing Orlando office and any employees from Orlando volunteered to staff Kissimmee. These employees were predominately Union members, and their rights as members were not forfeited when they moved to Kissimmee.
The Agency had insisted on an election being held to determine if employees of Kissimmee wanted to have Union representation in their office. The FLRA decision found that because the Kissimmee Office is part of SSA as an agency and not a separate entity because it has the same mission with transferred employees performing the same duties and functions as they did in their old offices. The decision granted the Kissimmee District Office status as a Union Office retroactive to its creation.
Jose Jiminez has been appointed as the on-ste Union Representative and Shop Steward. Jose brings a tremendous depth of experience and soaring ethical and moral foundation to the position and has the complete confidence and support of the AFGE Local 4056 President and Executive Board.
Several years of diligent work and intensive legal procedures paid off on February 6 2007 when the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) in Washington DC issused a Review decision in favor of AFGE Local 4056. The Kissimmee Florica District Office is and has since its inception beeen part of AFGE Logal 4056. At the time of the hearing there were 35 employees of the Kissimmee Office who were eligible to be included in the bargaining unit.
In order to alleviate the egregious adverse working environment in the Kissimmee DO that resulted from the Agency's illegal refusal to recognize Union representation, AFGE Local 4056 filed a complaint with the FLRA and we prevailed. Now the Union is taking action to improve the worklife of the bargaining unit employees in the Kissimmee DO, The Agency had fought the Union's right to represent emloyees in Kissimmee since April 18, 2005 when the office opened to serve the booming population in the Osceola County area south of Orlando. The Kissimmee District was actually created in 2002 but did not actually open to the public with staff on site until 2005.
Many of the employees of the Kissimmee office originally came from the Orlando SSA District Office from the New York, Boston, Chicago and Atlanta regions where Union representation is present. The Agency had tried to keep Kissimmee without representation, citing it as being comparable to the stand-alone military facility the Port Hueneme California Naval Fcilities Service Center. That Center was considered to be essentially a new entity with no prior history, so no rights typically afforded to other Centers "carried over" to this new Center.
The FLRA recognized tht the Kissimmee Florida District Office was created from the existing Orlando office and any employees from Orlando volunteered to staff Kissimmee. These employees were predominately Union members, and their rights as members were not forfeited when they moved to Kissimmee.
The Agency had insisted on an election being held to determine if employees of Kissimmee wanted to have Union representation in their office. The FLRA decision found that because the Kissimmee Office is part of SSA as an agency and not a separate entity because it has the same mission with transferred employees performing the same duties and functions as they did in their old offices. The decision granted the Kissimmee District Office status as a Union Office retroactive to its creation.
Jose Jiminez has been appointed as the on-ste Union Representative and Shop Steward. Jose brings a tremendous depth of experience and soaring ethical and moral foundation to the position and has the complete confidence and support of the AFGE Local 4056 President and Executive Board.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
CURRENT NEWS
In the Orlando FL District Office individuals have been questioned concerning requests for Annual or Sick leave. There have been calls made to people at home on sick leave to make certain they were at home. Another employee had a medical test scheduled, and management refused to grant her the 8 hours requested for the test. The manager told the employee that management felt the procedure would only take 4 hours to complete, so she had to take annual or credit leave to supplement the 4 hours Sick Leave they'd grant if she still wanted 8 hours of leave. None of the managers have medical degrees, but that is beside the point.
It's not inconceivable that this issue will take place in other office, so make sure all employees know their rights regarding use of leave.
Annual and Sick leave is earned to be used as needed. Leave is requested on the SSA-71 form.
Please review the form and note the options in Section 5. Choices are :Annual Leave, Sick Leave, Leave Without Pay, Sick Compensatory Time, or Other. You make a choice, check the proper box, and turn the form in to a member of management.
Section 6 allows for remarks, but none are required.
If you are requesting Sick Leave, the back of the form has additional choices. Section 1 states "I was incapacitated for duty by: Sickness, On-The-Job-Injury,Off-The-Job-Injury,Pregnancy and Confinement."
Typically, one of the above choices handles most situations. Section 2 has an additional choice, "I was required to care for a member of my family with a contagious disease. (Give name and relationship of family member, and name of disease.)"
Section 3 states simply "I will be undergoing medical, dental or optical examination or treatment." It has no requirement that you provide the name of the procedure you are to undergo, the duration of the procedure and recovery time, the travel time involved. Nowhere on the SSA-71 is this information required, nor are you under any requirement to divulge this information to anyone.
Section 4 states "I was exposed to a contagious disease. (Give name of disease and circumstances of exposure.)"
Note again, that sections 2 and 4 dealing with exposures to contagious disease are the only sections requiring an employee to provide any explanation of their illness or absence from work beyond the initial request, made by checking the correct box on the form.
The form is not meant to release any information other than the time you are requesting off and the category of leave you are requesting.
Management's role in the process is to either approve or disapprove leave. See the section on the form entitled "Official Action On Application."
There is no conditional approval. Leave is either approved or denied, not approved based on someone's interpretation of how long a procedure should last. Leave approval or denial is not negotiable by management, as in "I'll approve 4 hours for that procedure, but not 8 because I think the Doctor can handle it in 4 hours."
Should any employee who is not on leave restriction be questioned by management about use of sick leave, or how long a procedure will last, or what the procedure is or what the leave is going to be used for they need to ask to speak to their Union Representative immediately.
If someone is told that they'll be granted fewer hours of leave than requested because the questioner feels it should take less time than requested to accomplish the test, procedure or purpose of the leave, again, you must ask to speak to their Union Representative immediately.
Use of leave is personal and confidential so please consider this before you divulge anything about your leave request, even to a member of management.
If you have further questions about this issue, please feel free to contact the Executive Board using the email form at the bottom of this page.
It's not inconceivable that this issue will take place in other office, so make sure all employees know their rights regarding use of leave.
Annual and Sick leave is earned to be used as needed. Leave is requested on the SSA-71 form.
Please review the form and note the options in Section 5. Choices are :Annual Leave, Sick Leave, Leave Without Pay, Sick Compensatory Time, or Other. You make a choice, check the proper box, and turn the form in to a member of management.
Section 6 allows for remarks, but none are required.
If you are requesting Sick Leave, the back of the form has additional choices. Section 1 states "I was incapacitated for duty by: Sickness, On-The-Job-Injury,Off-The-Job-Injury,Pregnancy and Confinement."
Typically, one of the above choices handles most situations. Section 2 has an additional choice, "I was required to care for a member of my family with a contagious disease. (Give name and relationship of family member, and name of disease.)"
Section 3 states simply "I will be undergoing medical, dental or optical examination or treatment." It has no requirement that you provide the name of the procedure you are to undergo, the duration of the procedure and recovery time, the travel time involved. Nowhere on the SSA-71 is this information required, nor are you under any requirement to divulge this information to anyone.
Section 4 states "I was exposed to a contagious disease. (Give name of disease and circumstances of exposure.)"
Note again, that sections 2 and 4 dealing with exposures to contagious disease are the only sections requiring an employee to provide any explanation of their illness or absence from work beyond the initial request, made by checking the correct box on the form.
The form is not meant to release any information other than the time you are requesting off and the category of leave you are requesting.
Management's role in the process is to either approve or disapprove leave. See the section on the form entitled "Official Action On Application."
There is no conditional approval. Leave is either approved or denied, not approved based on someone's interpretation of how long a procedure should last. Leave approval or denial is not negotiable by management, as in "I'll approve 4 hours for that procedure, but not 8 because I think the Doctor can handle it in 4 hours."
Should any employee who is not on leave restriction be questioned by management about use of sick leave, or how long a procedure will last, or what the procedure is or what the leave is going to be used for they need to ask to speak to their Union Representative immediately.
If someone is told that they'll be granted fewer hours of leave than requested because the questioner feels it should take less time than requested to accomplish the test, procedure or purpose of the leave, again, you must ask to speak to their Union Representative immediately.
Use of leave is personal and confidential so please consider this before you divulge anything about your leave request, even to a member of management.
If you have further questions about this issue, please feel free to contact the Executive Board using the email form at the bottom of this page.
PRESIDENT'S STATEMENT
President's Statement
This is the first President's Message for the AFGE Local 4056 Website.
Article 26 of the New Contract is now being unilaterally implemented by SSA Management and meetings are scheduled to present talking points to the bargaining unit.
This Article details changes in the merit promotion process that generally increase the amount of discretion and subjectivity used by a selecting official. Priority Consideration is diminished in its impact by increasing the ability of management to overcome its mandate.
Issues such as area of consideration, removal of the limits to selective interviewing, size of the well qualified list, and the assessment process all provide far greater discretionary power to the selecting official. The result is far less accountability to the bargaining unit.
Article 26 is predicated on a multi tier appraisal system that has yet to be implemented. This results in conflicts between the current Article 21 and the new Article 26.
I will continue to keep you informed of important issues as they arise.
James A. Richardson
President Local 4056
This is the first President's Message for the AFGE Local 4056 Website.
Article 26 of the New Contract is now being unilaterally implemented by SSA Management and meetings are scheduled to present talking points to the bargaining unit.
This Article details changes in the merit promotion process that generally increase the amount of discretion and subjectivity used by a selecting official. Priority Consideration is diminished in its impact by increasing the ability of management to overcome its mandate.
Issues such as area of consideration, removal of the limits to selective interviewing, size of the well qualified list, and the assessment process all provide far greater discretionary power to the selecting official. The result is far less accountability to the bargaining unit.
Article 26 is predicated on a multi tier appraisal system that has yet to be implemented. This results in conflicts between the current Article 21 and the new Article 26.
I will continue to keep you informed of important issues as they arise.
James A. Richardson
President Local 4056
Annual Membership Meeting Saturday March 31 2007
Welcome to Local 4056 Online
This is Local 4056's own website where you will find news, helpful information and organizational links.
We hope you will visit often.
Our goal is to update the site frequently and keep the information current.
It's your website too, so share any information that you feel would benefit other Local members.
You can contact the Exective Board by typing your message in the box at the bottom of the page. This is the first step in creating a better flow of communications between Local members, and we hope you'll find it informative.
This is Local 4056's own website where you will find news, helpful information and organizational links.
We hope you will visit often.
Our goal is to update the site frequently and keep the information current.
It's your website too, so share any information that you feel would benefit other Local members.
You can contact the Exective Board by typing your message in the box at the bottom of the page. This is the first step in creating a better flow of communications between Local members, and we hope you'll find it informative.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
