Mike Thompson: “chapter 43 goes beyond the intent of merit principles which provides employees who cannot or will not improve their…”

“chapter 43 goes beyond the intent of merit principles which provides employees who cannot or will not improve their performance to meet required standards should be separated. As a result, managers must give employees multiple opportunities to demonstrate their ability to perform the essential aspects of their position at an acceptable level. Such a requirement undermines the managers' willingness and ability to discipline poor performance and results in poor-performing employees remaining on the job for many months and sometimes years. Section 4302(b)6 authorizes agencies to remove employees whose performance is unacceptable, but only after giving that employee an opportunity to improve performance. It defines unacceptable performance as failure in any single element of an employee's standards. Another section requires any such opportunity to improve must be provided within one year preceding the removal of the employee. The combined impact of these provisions is poor performers are entitled to fail at each different element of their performance once each year without being subject to removal. If they are deficient in more than one, they have a year to see if they can improve on that, and if they prove to be deficient on another, they have another year on that. So the worse performing you are, the more time you have before anything can be done. What manager is going to spend his time going through that?”