DIRECTOR’S CORNER HR BROADCAST Marketing & Regulatory Programs Quarter 4 – FY 2017 Issue Inside this Issue: HR Info 2-5 Policy 6-8 Personnel Security 9 APHIS Only 10 Quarter 4 – FY 2017 Issue We hope that the HR Broadcast is meeting your needs and communicating topics of interest, but if there are items you would like to see included in future issues, please contact our HR Broadcast Layout Editor, Christina Furnkranz, at Christina.S.Furnkranz@ aphis.usda.gov Hello! As many of you know, I am now serving as the Acting Human Resources Director and Dr. Michael Watson is now serving as the Marketing and Regulatory Programs Business Services (MRPBS) Associate Deputy Administrator. I’ve been working closely with Dr. Watson over the past seven months as the Assistant HR Director and greatly valued his guidance and leadership. Mike will still be involved in helping MRPBS and HR succeed, but he will have a few other things on his plate moving forward. I’m looking forward to the additional responsibility that comes with my new role and the opportunity to continue working with all of you. I’ve dedicated my career to helping people be successful in their organizations and I’m looking forward to continuing that passion in my new role. While I know that creating and maintaining an efficient and engaged workforce can be more challenging than we might first think, there are few things that I believe are essential to helping all of us succeed: being transparent about our decision making and why we make the decisions we do; working to understand different perspectives; and believing that everyone is trying to do their best. One of the projects I’m most excited about is the new Talent Management Board. Organizations that thrive have a talented and resilient workforce that can meet the changing demands of the mission. APHIS is in the process of creating a talent management program that will enable the organization to have the right people with the right skills at the right time. The strategy is to develop leaders at all levels when they are needed. The Talent Management Board is made up of leaders from across APHIS and is currently working on developing a talent management philosophy that will drive future decisions about how APHIS hires and develops its employees. I will continue to share updates about the Talent Management Board’s work through the HRD Broadcast, town halls, and emails. Please connect with us if you have any suggestions on talent management and being able to bring out the best in all of the employees. I greatly value others opinions and perspectives, though it can sometimes be tough to let go of your own view of the situation. When I was a new supervisor, I was given the opportunity to work with a coach. The coaching coincided with the first time I was to provide performance reviews. I used my time with my coach to role play conversations with my staff which gave me the opportunity to refine my comments, with a goal towards honest feedback, while providing development options. This process allowed me to make my mistakes in the role playing process. I could see where some comments wouldn’t provide the clarity people needed or that the development options weren’t in alignment with the feedback. Those performance reviews were better for the time that I spent working on them with my coach because it allowed me to see how my perspective on what I was saying could be taken in ways that I didn’t see at first. HR offers a number of coaching opportunities through our Center for Training and Organization Development– from the InsideOut Grow class, to webinars on seeing others perspectives, to helping employees connect with coaches through our internal and external coaching programs. All of us are trying to influence others; working with a coach is a great way to do that. Continue to next page (2)…
Transcript
D I R E C T O R ’ S
C O R N E R
January 2011 IssueHR BROADCAST
Marketing & Regulatory Programs
Quarter 4 – FY 2017 Issue
Inside this Issue:
HR Info 2-5
Policy 6-8
Personnel
Security 9
APHIS Only 10
Quarter 4 – FY 2017 Issue
We hope that the HR
Broadcast is meeting your
needs and
communicating topics of
interest, but if there are
items you would like to
see included in future
issues, please contact
our HR Broadcast
Layout Editor,
Christina Furnkranz, at
Christina.S.Furnkranz@
aphis.usda.gov
Hello! As many of you know, I am now serving as the Acting Human Resources
Director and Dr. Michael Watson is now serving as the Marketing and Regulatory Programs Business Services (MRPBS) Associate Deputy
Administrator. I’ve been working closely with Dr. Watson over the past seven months as the Assistant HR Director and greatly valued his guidance and leadership.
Mike will still be involved in helping MRPBS and HR succeed, but he will have a few other things on his plate moving forward. I’m looking forward to the additional responsibility that comes with my new role and the opportunity to continue working with all of you.
I’ve dedicated my career to helping people be successful in their organizations and I’m looking forward to continuing that passion in my new role. While I know that creating and maintaining an efficient and engaged workforce can be more challenging than we might first think, there are few things that I believe are essential to helping all of us succeed: being transparent about our decision making and why we make the decisions we do; working to understand different perspectives; and believing that everyone is trying to do their best.
One of the projects I’m most excited about is the new Talent Management Board. Organizations that thrive have a talented and resilient workforce that can meet the changing demands of the mission. APHIS is in the process of creating a talent management program that will enable the organization to have the right people with the right skills at the right time. The strategy is to develop leaders at all levels when they are needed. The Talent Management Board is made up of leaders from across APHIS and is currently working on developing a talent management philosophy that will drive future decisions about how APHIS hires and develops its employees. I will continue to share updates about the Talent Management Board’s work through the HRD Broadcast, town halls, and emails. Please connect with us if you have any suggestions on talent management and being able to bring out the best in all of the employees.
I greatly value others opinions and perspectives, though it can sometimes be tough to let go of your own view of the situation. When I was a new supervisor, I was given the opportunity to work with a coach. The coaching coincided with the first time I was to provide performance reviews. I used my time with my coach to role play conversations with my staff which gave me the opportunity to refine my comments, with a goal towards honest feedback, while providing development options.
This process allowed me to make my mistakes in the role playing process. I could see where some comments wouldn’t provide the clarity people needed or that the development options weren’t in alignment with the feedback. Those performance reviews were better for the time that I spent working on them with my coach because it allowed me to see how my perspective on what I was saying could be taken in ways that I didn’t see at first. HR offers a number of coaching opportunities through our Center for Training and Organization Development– from the InsideOut Grow class, to webinars on seeing others perspectives, to helping employees connect with coaches through our internal and external coaching programs. All of us are trying to influence others; working with a coach is a great way to do that.
Continue to next page (2)…
USDA Pathways Intern appointments are employment opportunities for students to work and explore careers while in school. The end of the summer season brings to mind the return to school for most students. Occasionally, students elect totake a break from work and school.
Marketing & Regulatory Programs
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Pathways Interns – Breaks in ProgramBy Geeriee Lewis ([email protected], 301-851-2970)
HOME
As a reminder, Pathways policy requires the Intern to be either at work with the agency, attending school, or a combination of both statuses. A Break-In-Program is defined as a period of time when an Intern is working but unable to go to school, or is neither attending classes nor working at the agency. Routine school breaks (summer, winter, etc.) are an exception and a break in program does not need to be requested during these times. However, work schedules during routine school breaks should be outlined in the participant agreement.
USDA Pathways Interns needing a break in program must submita written request. The written request must be submitted on the official USDA Pathways Programs Break-In-Program Request Form and include reason for the break, estimated timeline as todate of return from the break, and impact if the break is not granted. The USDA Pathways Intern’s request for a break in program must receive both supervisory approval and Departmental approval to authorize the break. The Intern’s request must be received at the Department for the USDA Pathways Officer’s decision at least 45 days prior to the requested start date of the break. To meet this requirement, the supervisor will want to ensure the Intern’s request, to include the supervisory endorsement and all supporting documentation, is submitted through appropriate channels to the MRP Pathways Coordinator at least 60 days before the start date of the break.
For assistance with Pathways procedure regarding Breaks-In-Program, contact the MRP Pathways Program Coordinator, Geeriee Lewis, HR Specialist, HR Policy Branch. Ms. Lewis may be reached via telephone at 301-851-2970 or email at [email protected].
Ayanna M. HookActing Director, Human Resources Division,
USDA-APHIS-MRPBS
So much of my job is working with other people. I love that my days are filled with conversations where I hear about
people’s successes, where they might be stuck, and, my favorite, the personal celebrations and milestones that we all go
through in our lives. In all these interactions, I always believe people are working on doing their best and putting their best
foot forward. In my office, I have a quote: “Life is not measured by breaths you take, but by the moments that take your
breath away,” by Vicki Corona. I look at that every day when I’m flooded by a number of requests and emails to remind me
of how important each person is to the success of HR, MRP, Foreign Agricultural Service, and USDA. We are only as good as
the people we have around us, and I’m looking forward to continuing working with all of you on accomplishing your agency
Have a Need for Data?By Darcy Long ([email protected], 612-336-3321)
The HRD Systems & Reporting Branch (SRB) can help.
If you find that your staff or program needs some data or needs a recurring report, you can contact the SRB staff through our reports mailbox at [email protected].
There is a considerable amount of data available in the NFC Reporting Center. Information such as Administrative Reports –reports for Time Keepers for specific Contact Points; Personnel Action Reports – reports which reflect information based on employee personnel actions; Workforce Reports – reports such as Roster of Employees, Projected Promotions/Within Grade Increases, Position Organizational Listing (POL), Leave Balance Reports, just to name a few. If the Reporting Center does not have what you need, we can create and provide reports using FOCUS or EmpowHR.
When requesting data/report(s), send an email to the Data Reports mailbox at [email protected], ensuring you have included the following information:
• A brief description of what type of information you are needing and how you will be using it. (e.g. Onboard information? Retirement Eligible information? Separation information? New Hire information?)
• The organization structure for the information requested.• Do you want the information ‘as of’ a specific date? Is there a time span you want the report to cover? (e.g.
separations from 10/1/2013 through 9/30/2015.) • What fields do you want included in your report? (e.g. organization structure, title, series, grade, duty location,
• When do you need the data report? – due date?• Contact information, should we have questions regarding your request.
Don’t really ‘know’ what you need? Give us a call and we can talk it though! Darcy Long can be reached at 612-336-3321 and Nancy Bradford can be reached at 612-336-3391.
Require access to the Reporting Center? Complete and submit the HRO 106 and HRO 135 documents (SEE BELOW) to [email protected].
Persons with disabilities who need program information in alternate formats (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY).
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) finished the migration of USDAelectronic Official Personnel Folders (eOPF) into their new Macon Georgia data center on July 31, 2017. If you are a registered user within eOPF, you canaccess your eOPF via this new link: https://eopf.opm.gov/usdalanding/.OPM has also instituted new security measures providing eOPF access only through a designated USDA network (LAN or VPN). Non USDA locations suchas Universities or international locations not using an approved IP addressare no longer able to connect to eOPF.
If you have not yet registered for eOPF access and you have been anAMS, APHIS, or GIPSA employee for longer than 45 days, you will need to follow the registration directions found on the APHIS MRPBS HRD Share Point Site: https://ems-team.usda.gov/sites/aphis-mrp-hrd/SitePages/Home.aspx. Once you’ve accessed eOPF, please add your email address via the “My Profile” button to ensure you receive notifications when a new document is added to your folder.
If you are having problems using the application, contact the eOPF Help Desk at 866-275-8518 or [email protected]
Contact MRPBS HRD for registration or eOPF content issues - [email protected]
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USDA electronic Official Personnel Folders (eOPF) By Nancy Bradford ([email protected], 612-336-3391)
Next Gen AgLearn UpdateBy Mark Branch ([email protected], 301-851-2882)
AgLearn is upgrading in October 2017! The new AgLearn, called NextGen AgLearn is mobile friendly, customizablefor AgLearn administrators and users, and comes with an overall simplified design. To prepare, APHIS is helping theDepartment implement an in-depth instructor training program designed to help AgLearn administrators learn the new AgLearn system prior to rolling it out to all employees. In addition, the Department’s Team AgLearnis using user acceptance testing designed to walk selected USDA employees through various real-life training scenarios prior to all employees using the system. These scenarios are designed to ensure AgLearn users will be able to find and complete their training following the roll-out of NextGen AgLearn.
During the transition, AgLearn will likely be unavailable at the end of FY2017. Team AgLearn will be sending out more information about the new platform in the coming months. Like all new systems, issues and challenges are to be expected, but we will be working with the Department to minimize any challenge(s) that could arise.
The majority of people with disabilities don’t look sick or “disabled”. When we see someone in a wheelchair, using a walker, or walking with a white cane, we all understand that the individual has a physical impairment that is impacting a major life activity. We understand and know that this individual probably needs some type of assistance or accommodation.
However, many people have what are called invisible or hidden disabilities, which means the impairment is not obvious to the casual observer. These impairments may be physical, mental, or both, and people with visible impairments may also have hidden impairments. What are hidden disabilities? First of all, they are REAL! These conditions may be in remission, or not present all the time. Statistics show that nearly 1 in 2 people have a chronic condition. This could be an illness like cancer or rheumatoid arthritis, or a condition such as arthritis, migraines, or back pain from a car accident. Hidden disabilities impact a major bodily function or a major life activity and they decrease the quality of life for the person who has a hidden disability.
People with hidden disabilities frequently struggle with the decision of whether or not they should disclose the disability in the workplace. They struggle with the decision largely because they don’t want to be treated or viewed differently, they don’t want to be judged, and they may be getting pressure from family members not to disclose. The reasons for not disclosing are as varied as the people with the hidden impairments. Since disclosure is voluntary, the employee can choose if and when to disclose. We recommend that the employee disclose and seek help removing barriers BEFORE the impairment affects his/her performance or conduct on the job.
If you have a hidden disability and want to discuss reasonable accommodations with members of the Reasonable Accommodations Team, please contact David Walton at 301-851-2936 or Carol Griffith at 301-851-2938.
Some of the symptoms of hidden disabilities include:
The MRP Directive and Human Resources Desk Guide Subchapter 4630, Absence and Leave, Section B – Annual Leave, reflects MRP policy on the order of leave usage.
Employees must use leave in the following order:
1. Use or lose annual leave, 2. Compensatory time off in lieu of overtime pay, 3. Compensatory time off for travel, 4. Time off award and 5. Any other accrued time, e.g., credit hours, annual leave, etc.
Always use sick leave as appropriate. Using use or lose annual leave first prevents leave loss at the end of the leave year.
If you choose to use earned time off in a different order and it results in the loss of annual leave at the end of the leave year then leave restoration will not be an option and the leave will be permanently lost. Your RMS/AO staffs have been advised of the policy and are available to answer questions as well as HRO, Minneapolis. As you are planning your time off for the rest of the year, please remember the leave usage order policy.
When Weather Disasters Strike…By Nella Roberts ([email protected], 301-851-2910)
When weather disasters strike, it is important to know what assistance and resources are available through USDA. MRPBS has put together a fact sheet entitled, “Flexibilities for Employees affected by Weather and Other Emergencies.” It contains useful guidance on topics such as administrative leave, the Emergency Leave Transfer Program (ELTP), and housing.
Before disaster strikes, be prepared by checking it out on the web at: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/mrpbs/hr/downloads/FACT_SHEET_Assistance_Available_During_Emergencies.pdf
Hurricane season has arrived in the southeast while in other areas of the country it is tornadoes or wildfires. No matter what the weather emergency, it is important to be prepared to continue to carry out the Agency’s mission. Being prepared means knowing what the emergency weather announcements, such as “Federal Offices are OPEN under Unscheduled Leave / Unscheduled Telework” or “Federal Offices are CLOSED to the Public,” mean and how they apply to you. For MRP employees, a “Federal Offices are OPEN under Unscheduled Leave / Unscheduled Telework” announcement means that you may either take leave or telework instead of reporting to the office. This type of announcement covers employees who do not telework on a regular basis. However, if you opt for unscheduled telework and your power goes out, you must either report to the office or take leave for the remainder of your workday.
An announcement of “Federal Offices are CLOSED to the Public” means that all employees who have approved telework agreements must telework. This includes regularly scheduled telework, ad hoc telework, etc. In these cases, employees will receive two (2) hours of administrative leave on the day of the closure to take care of personal needs related to the closure, such as pumping water from flooded areas, etc. The leave may be taken at any time during the day. If the office is closed and your power goes out while teleworking, you will be granted administrative leave. However, if your power returns during your regularly scheduled workday, you are required to resume work.
In any of the above scenarios, please adhere to the following: Contact your supervisor to tell him or her that you are safe; Advise your supervisor of your choice to telework or take leave; Ensure you have your laptop and any other necessary equipment, paperwork, etc. at home with you. If you
are out of the office, e.g., on leave, or it is your day off prior to one of the above announcements, you may need to go to the office to pick up your equipment in order to be able to telework when bad weather is affecting your area.
If you are not prepared to telework, i.e., you do not have your laptop or other necessary equipment or supplies, you must take leave. This includes situations where you have elder care or child care responsibilities. If your child is small and cannot care for him or herself, you may not telework; you must take leave.
For more information about operations during a weather-related emergency, either within the DC metro area or in the field, please click here: HRDG 4630.
MRP Volunteer Service ProgramBy Judy Craney ([email protected], 301-851-2939)
BackgroundIn October of last year, the Department issued a revision of the policy governing acceptance of volunteer service, Departmental Regulation (DR) 4230-001, Volunteer Programs. The DR forms the framework by which agencies must establish guidelines that will aid in managing individuals who donate their services in support of USDA agencies. To satisfythis requirement, HR has created the MRP Volunteer Service Program, which establishes implementing criteria, responsibilities, and procedures for use of voluntary services within MRP programs.
Key Points of the MRP Volunteer Service Program:
Volunteer opportunities must be made available to all interested persons without regard to race, color, creed, sex, disabling condition, or any non-merit factor.
Volunteer opportunities allow volunteers to get hands-on experience in a variety of career fields from human resources to agricultural science occupations.
Volunteers are subject to the security requirements outlined in the USDA Common Identification Standard for USDA Agriculture Employees and Contractors (DM 4620-002), and Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12).
Volunteer opportunities may be offered to current USDA employees, students, and members of the general public. Volunteers must be a minimum of 14 years age. Volunteers are not required to be U.S. citizens. However, individuals who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents
must have been lawfully admitted to the United States and may volunteer with proper U.S. authorization. Volunteers do not receive a wage nor any other employee benefit provided by USDA. Volunteers are not considered a Federal employee for any purposes other than law governing injury compensation
and law related to the Tort Claims Act. All volunteers must complete and sign a volunteer agreement. Student volunteers must be enrolled and attending at least half-time in an accredited educational institution; must
submit a current unofficial transcript that clearly shows grades and GPA of 2.0 or higher; and must have permission of the institution at which he/she is enrolled to receive course credit for the volunteer assignment.
For more information on the MRP Volunteer Service Program, please follow the link to the Human Resources Desk Guide Chapter 4230.
The MRP Volunteer Program Coordinator is Judy Craney, HR Specialist, HR Policy Branch. She may be reached via telephone at 301-851-2939 or email at [email protected]
Submitting Fingerprints for Determining Acceptability for Federal EmploymentBy Steve Crescini ([email protected], 612-336-3285)
When an individual is considered for employment with the Federal Government, Executive Order (EO) 10450 requires that
he or she “be reliable, trustworthy, of good conduct and character, and of complete and unswerving loyalty to the United
States.” To ensure that this is the case at the outset, a review of a tentative selectee’s acceptability for federal employment
is conducted. In Marketing and Regulatory Programs, this review starts with the candidate completing a Declaration for
Federal Employment (OF-306) and submitting an original set of their fingerprints to the Human Resource Division’s
Personnel Security Staff (PSS) located in Minneapolis, MN. Once received, Personnel Security Assistants use these materials
to request a simplified background investigation known as a Special Agreement Check (SAC). As part of this process, the
tentative selectee’s fingerprints are run against FBI and other law enforcement databases. The purpose is to determine if
the prospective employee has a criminal record, or if other derogatory information exists that might raise a concern over
the individual’s suitability for Federal employment. This is a critical step and one the Agency must take before the tentative
selection can proceed. In most cases, the SAC is returned to PSS within 48 – 72 hours of submission and is issue free.
However, there are occasions when the SAC reveals problems that can lead to the withdrawal of a job offer.
A companion directive to the EO 10450, Department Regulation 4725-001, further highlights the requirement that
departments and agencies initiate background investigations and ensure an FBI fingerprint check is completed before
issuing an identity credential, such as a LincPass. Again, the purpose of submitting this paperwork in advance is to ensure
that no issues exist preventing a person from being appointed in the federal government and, if problems are revealed via
the SAC, create an opportunity for a tentative job offer to be withdrawn. The bottom line is that investigations must be
initiated before entry on duty and that agencies should begin screening, to include the fingerprinting process, as soon as a
person accepts a tentative offer of employment.
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So You Think You Want To Be An SESBy Tanya Briscoe ([email protected], 301-851-2916)
So You Think You Want To Be An SES is scheduled for October 17-19, 2017 in Riverdale, MD. This course will shed the myths and provide the truths of the Senior Executive Service level! During the course, participants will have an opportunity to experience the overall process for becoming a member of the elite corps of the SES.The course will provide descriptions of the SES applicationprocess, the different kinds of SES appointments, and complete an assessment of their skills to discover if they are SES ready. A review of the five (5) Executive Core Qualification’s (ECQ’s) and the competencies for each ECQ will be covered. Learning activities will be provided for the purpose of going through the application process, and preparing the SES application, as well as, an all-inclusive resume. Participants will also have the opportunity to participate in a mock interview with some of APHIS’ SES Leaders, who will provide feedback and tips to the participants.
If you have any questions about this opportunity, please contact Tanya Briscoe at 301 851-2916 or [email protected]
APHIS Employees ONLY
EAP is a professional counseling and referral service to help APHIS employees with personal and professional problems. It is free, confidential within the limits of the law, and voluntary. EAP canassist you with emotional, family, marital, alcohol or drug use/abuse, relationship problems, andother issues.
Services covered: Up to 6 free confidential counseling sessions, per problem. Immediate family members (spouse/significant other,
children living in household) may also use EAP. Elder/child care referral services. Information regarding elder or child care resources i.e., summer camps; before/after
care; special needs; private schools; adult day care centers; home health care; case management, etc. Management consultations. Direct assistance and advice on employee interventions. Critical Incident Stress Debriefings. Counseling sessions and debriefings after a critical incident has occurred. Employee and Supervisory orientations to EAP services. Group orientations to the EAP contract and the services
provided. Financial Services - ½ hour free advice per issue, on financial matters. Legal Assistance - ½ hour free advice per issue, on legal matters.
Obtaining services:Call 1-800-222-0364 and identify yourself as an USDA/APHIS employee. You can call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The telephone will be answered by a certified counselor who will ask you several questions about why you are calling (triage). If it is an emergency, you will be directly connected to a counselor. If it is not deemed an emergency, you will be contacted by a counselor within 24 hours, who will begin working directly with you.
If you are calling for elder/child or personal care services, you will be transferred to LifeCare.com after being initially triaged. LifeCare.com will then provide you with elder/child or personal care resources.
For additional information:If you need more information about these services or experience problems contacting EAP, please contact Tara Coker, EAP Program Manager at (301) 851-2883 or via e-mail at [email protected]. Confidentiality will be maintained.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)By Tara Coker ([email protected], 301-851-2883)
