Contents
Introduction I-1
Section 1:
How to Hire a Government Employee 1
1.The Government's Hiring Process 3
* History 4
* Outlook 13
* Look at Your Own Processes 16
2. Developing Your Strategy 19
* Anticipatory Recruitment 21
* Traditional Approach 22
* Anticipatory Recruitment Approach 23
* Targeting Your Pool 24
* The Vacancy Announcement 25
* Deciding Who to Target 28
* Expect the Unexpected 33
* Where and How to Advertise 34
* Getting Out into the Market 35
* Making Your Organization More Desirable 37
* Don't Forget the People Who Already Work for You 40
3. Screening and Interviewing the Candidates 45
* Screening 45
* Rating
* Substitution of Education for Specialized
Experience 46
* Ranking 50
* Veterans' Preference 53
* 5-Point Preference (TP) 53
* 10-Point Disability Preference 54
* Interviewing 55
* Preparation 56
* The Interview Itself 58
4. Post-Interview Review/Making Your Decision 65
* Following Up with Previous Employers 67
* The Selection Itself 69
* The Rule of Three 70
* Rule of Three Considerations 71
* Veterans' Preference 72
* Objecting to Veterans 74
* Category-Based Ratings 75
* Who to Select 77
* Once the Selection Is Made 79
* Orientation 79
Section 2:
How to Fire a Government Employee 81
5. Handling Poor Employees 83
* Why Does the Government Not Deal with Poor
Performers as Frequently as It Should? 85
* History of Employee Protections in the Civil Service 85
* Working the System 91
* What Can Be Done to Change the Way That the
Government Holds Its Employees Accountable? 93
* Your Organization's Mind-Set 94
* The Skills and Abilities of Your Management Team 96
* Your Advisors 98
* Your Overall Strategy for Dealing with Poor
Employees 100
* Identify Problem Employees 100
* Bring the Problem to a Head 102
* Take as Strong an Action as You Can 103
* Weeding Out Problem Employees during Probation 105
6. Firing for Misconduct 109
* The Investigation 110
* Deciding What to Do 113
* Burden of Proof 114
* Writing and Issuing the Proposed Removal 125
* Sample Proposed Removal Letter 130
* Considering the Employee's Response 133
* The Decision Letter 137
* Sample Decision Letter 137
7. Firing for Poor Performance 141
* Overview 141
* Performance Appraisal System 143
* Performance Standards 145
* Communication and Feedback 150
* Sample Counseling Letter 152
* Going Forward 153
* Dealing with a Poor Performer 155
* Sample Performance Improvement Letter 159
* The Opportunity Period 161
* Sample Memo Documenting PIP Counseling Session 163
* Employee Allegations and Requests 164
* When the Opportunity Period Ends 167
* Sample Proposed Removal Letter 169
* The Decision to Fire 171
* Sample Decision Letter 172
8. The Hearing 175
* Where Employees Can Appeal Their Removals 176
* Merit Systems Protection Board 177
* Arbitration 178
* Framing the Issue 179
* Discovery 189
* The Hearing 181
* Likelihood of Success 182
* Cost 184
* Your Representatives 185
* The Evidence File 187
* Preparing for the Hearing 188
* The Hearing Itself 194
* Settling the Case 195
* Opening Statement 197
* Presenting Your Case 197
* Addressing the Appellant's Case 199
* Closing Arguments 200
Notes 203
Index 219
