The White House this week announced that, with the government facing massive budget crunches, there will be no Presidential Rank Awards handed out this year.
What do you think about this development? Is it unfair and a bad sign for the overall federal workforce? Or do you think it’s a necessary step to take? Sound off below, or write me at slosey@federaltimes.com. I’ll keep your comments anonymous if you’d like.
9 Comments
I have no issue with this. They should lead by example. One of the first things to go in my agency following the sequester were awards for the rank and file, along with training, overtime, and professional development conferences. What’s sauce for the goose should be sauce for the gander.
If anything I think the decision is good for the federal workforce as it shows an understanding of what the average federal employee is currently going through. If anything giving awards to managers and SES’ers only would only decrease the moral of the federal work force.
After all, aren’t real leaders supposed to set an example for for their subordinates?
They probably needed to pull back on those awards to find enough money to send Obama and the First Family off to Africa …
Great!! But I’m sick of the “Better Than Thou” folks whining about it. At least they might get some incentive. At our organization all incentive awards went away.
They’re already paid a lot and then get bonuses this big? Does anyone really think these SESs are the ones saving the government money? It’s the folks that are working for them providing the ideas and doing all the grunt work to make it happen.
All awards were frozen for everyone else, back in February/March, many of which were cancelled AFTER they were already approved (some were clawed back before DFAS could pay and after SF-50’s were already cut). Others made it under the wire. You had folks in the same office submitted and some got it, others didn’t, based on when they ended up getting completed. This was really bad for morale. I don’t have any sympathy for them at all.
As is the case with the federal work force at large, good luck finding top executive talent for the federal workforce in the future. Most SES members are paid barely above a top step GS-15. Although this is a decent salary, it pales compared to the private sector where SES-equivalent executives routinely make north of a half-million dollars per year.
Thus, not only will the work force at large lose talent, so will the senior ranks.
It wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing if some of these top executives left. Many agencies, including mine, are reducing the workforce. My own agency is cutting 10% of our workforce. Granted, it will be through attrition and no one will go through a RIF. Maybe cutting 10% of the top executives would be the way to start? They can be attritted just like everyone else. As for the future, I’m sure there is still plenty of talent left in the pool. No one has a monopoly on executive talent. May some of those top step GS-15 are the real talent behind some of these top executives?
There are too many top executives in the government many of them should be let go too favor young intelligent well educated employees with new ideas and proceedures.
Replying to “Roy”,
Education and intelligence are poor substitutes for real world experience.