REVIEW OF EMPLOYEE RELATIONS BRANCH, PERSONNEL ASSIGNMENT DIVISION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-01826R001000090004-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: November 17, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 5, 2000
• Sequence Number: 4
• Content Type: STUDY

v, eva t e Punctie e,
ctivities, procedures and Work ~ of the
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et t~`ons.Branch to d r .ine propriety and efficiency, and.. to provass staff1 .
The.. Employee Relations french i8: a consolidation of tb former counseling ,
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.ISCUSSION
Counseling Branch- Employee Services.$re.nch-M? : 25X1A;
,;*., The" Employee Relatlone-., Branch engages in about. thirty-five (35) difeez *ant
aQ4 .vities.` The major functions, however, are those involved in counseling' and'- .
pre-dxit interviewing, final clearancag, out-placement, recreation prograttlas`and
other employee' paxticipation activities, such as; Fund Raising Drives, Sloood Doxor,
'Rsd. Cross Hostess; and' Savings Bond Programs. An indication f the volume of tirork
in these various- activities is shown in Tab A.
A .
b. The counseling function is important in that it contributes., to the main-
tenagce of good relations between the employee and the Agency, helps reduce turnover
of efficient personnel, and often reveals correctable problems arid, sttuations in-
volving security, medical, or legal. implications before such conditions reflect
Unfavorably on the orpanizatio,4;br too seriously affect the individual. T't may
be said that those whorneed tlie_help most, fail to use the service. On the other
hand, an examination of recent case histories indicates that both employees and
the Agency are benefiti4 from the counseling service performed in the Zmployee
Relations Branch (see Tab B)... To achieve its full objective, however, the. counsel-
log service must always be Btaaf'fed by individuals of mature juri.gement, &Ad, exper-
f fence, who inspire confidence,, w 7d are not burdened by the assignment o '-'other
duties which hamper the performance of their counseling, . or affect the conficAnee
of the' employees in them. Ina recent seven (7) week period; two employee re-
lations officersof the Branch, in bA,d: tion to other duties, handled sixty-four
.(64.) counseling . cases. These included eleven (11) Security referrals and f,.ve- ( )
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,ecur,ersonneeviewanel.
,FACTS' BEARING ON THE PROBl 4
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 c. The efforts of the Employee Relations Branch in support of recreational
programs are resulting in increased participation and additonal activities. Approx-
imately 2100 Agency employees are participating in twenty-one (21) Agency sponsored
recreational activities. These activities are monitored and supported in whole
or in 4art by the Employee Welfare Fund which is derived from a share it the profits
of the GSI cafeterias operated in buildings occuppied by the Agency. The Employee
Relations Branch also supplies equipment, arranges for facilities, umpires and
judges, and provides administrative support to individual activities. Employee
recreation programs are widely recognized for their contribution to the physical
and mental well being of employees, as ref1`cted in reduced turnover, improved
attitude and morale, and 'educational and c.atural self improvement.
d. It is significant to note that the Blood Donor Program averages 150 or
more Agency donors each month, and provides free replacement to blood banks serving
employees or their relatives throughout the United States. The Employee Relations
Branch arranges for the scheduling of appointments, arranging with the Red Cross for
transporation and accompanying the groups which go each nonth to the Red Cross center.
If an Agency employee or his relative is supplied blood from a Red Cross Blood Bank,
the Employee Relations Branch, on request, will notify Red Cross and the amount of
blood issued trill be replaced.
e. The movement of the Employee :>ervi.ces Branch from the Records and Services
Division resulted in the transfer to Employee Relations Branch of some functions that
are purely of a records processing nnturc net directly related to employee relations
n^d recreation programs. These include the processing of FEW (Federal Employee
-ernmeat Life Insurance) actions; the dissemination of information copies of cables
within the Office of Pcrsonnel; the processing of R`qursts for Approval of Outside
Activities, and Designation of Beneficiary actions. Certain of these functions and
activities should be removed from Employee Relations Branch which would permit more
emphasis and effort on the prime mission of the Branch with fewer personnel.
f. Information copies of incoming and outgoing cables containing personnel
information, received from the Cable Secretariat, averaged 342 per week over a recent
period of seven (7) weeks. Less than one fourth of these cables are disseminated
within the Office of Personnel. Those disseminated averaged sixteen (16) per day,
most of which are routed to Military Personnel Division or Contract Personnel Division.
The criteria for selection of those to be disseminated are outlined in Tab C. Those
5X1A
cables not disseminated are held, without logging, for 90 days and then destroyed.
5X1A g. gives the Dir~_~cter of Personnel responsibility for sub-
mitting statemen o private sponsorship of aliens, by Agency personnel to the
SEC1ET
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L..tartiient of State. Such actions require prior approve.). and briefing of the sponsor
by the Office of .Security. Since this action by tbw:Agency 14 primarily to protect R
our securityinterest, it would a ear to be ro iate for tb Office crf Securit i5
to rform the full coordination and liaison function. Such c6ordim3 Iou should in-
clude the pertinent Career Servic,! Officer :or ^_onsi eration with regard to possible
interference with future assignments of the .3ponscr. Twenty (20) sponsorship cc.:;ee
were processed in 1956 and sixteen (16) have been processed in 1957 up to October 19.
h. Pre-exit interviews have been performed and separation reports prepared
by the DD/I Branch of FAD on a pilot test basis for the past three (3) months. The
final clearance procedure and presentation of the employee's copy of the SIP?50- s
carried out by the Employee Relations Branch. With some assistance from Eap ysf.
Relations Branch during this period (ERB processed forty (40} of seventy one (71)
DD/1 resignations, plus twenty five (25) resignations in absentia) it ,h a been demon-
strated that the function3 of pre-exit __nter::iewing and sC ration rocessi
ran and should be r orra the Placement Officers with the clearance procedure
remaining in f4w1o ee` ions Branch. However, in order to promote the externs
anonymity of the ve.r ous Placement Off-cers and to provide a single point of contact
with other government agencies and employees, it would appear advisable to leave with
the Chief, of the Employee Relation; Branch the responsibility for the out-placement
function. During the nine (;) weeds o`' Ai:, not and September, 337 separation actions
(excluding temporary employee separations) were processed. This weekly average of
forty two (42) actions was handled by two (2) employees on a regular basis with
occasional assistance franc two (2) others. There may arise instances in which the
relations of the individual Placement Officer with the Office served would be in-
,-red by the handling of a -particular sensitive or "sticky" type case. In such
i,istances, the Chief, PAD should take the ease or provide for handing by the 13nploy-
ee Relations Branch.
i. Employee Relations Branch receives copies of Requests for Approval of
Outside Activity, (education aemployment), approved by the Office of Security,
which have o'riginated throe .,h t e .Agency. These copies are logge4 in and then sent
conies a be sent direct to files b the Personnel mail room since noetian
an the Rtrt o ee a ions Branch is re uired. Requests should be approved
by the Read of th Career Service corce_ , since employment or education status
.may affect the availability for assignments.
J. Requests for Approval of Outside Activity originating within the Office
of Personnel are concurr_;d . in by Er' ployee Relations Branch and eoord.LnoL ed with the
Offic7 of Cccurity. An average total of about ten (10) cases per week iaciuding
those in paragraph i above are handled by 'employee Relation6 Branch. Requests do
not require Cffic~ of Security approval if the operating official telieves the act-
vity .rill rr veal no secu,,_ ty irrrgljcations. The matter of. outside employment and
~ducativna], acti-vity on the part of SP employees is a' matter of interest to their
^areer Boss?. It. is therefore believed appropriate to transfer the review, ooar3 ns-
~,ion and approval of out_ i(le activity approval request to the Career. Managaiwnt Officer,
Offi-~e of Personnel.
k. Requests for approval of advance sick leave up to thirty (30) days are
reeved by Employee Relations Branch, coordinated with the Medical Staffs if this has
already been accomplished., approved by Employee Rclationz Branch and tract r.:itted
Payroll Branch of he Comptroller's Office. The number of such requests avera+;es
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,.rout five (5) per week. No requirement for change in this function is indicated; /
however, irv_ nuah as many requests received have not been coordinated by the origir a-
tinc offis?e with the Medical Staff as required by re,ulation, this zaatter should
be brou{it to the attention of Administrative Officers.
1. LOOP over sixty (6d) dr,,ys requires, the issue of a Form 1150, Personnel
Action, by the Office of Personnel. At present, requests for such leave are approved
by Zuployee Relations Branch anti ff)naai?ded to R.SD for preparation of th-a Forn 1150.
About four (4) such requests are processed through !npioyee Relations Branch pi week.
No requirement for change in this function is indicated. However, it is beli-ve:l
that Career Boards have an interest in r:iue3ts for and approval of extended LV,iOP. If
the Request for P:~rsonnel Action, Fc.?rr 1152, has not been approved by the pr:rtinent
Career Board, it is suggested that Frr_ioyee R-latioris Branch coordinate such requests
with the appropriate P ND Placem'3nt Officer or d terminirg Career Board attitud:!
regasdini- specific rye?Bests.
1;.. An av ex a of \ ~ ?`.,CiLI actions are proc3sse per w^k k. These an-
volve the rec ;mot of infor: t iOD from BCD on reinstatements, and ncLico forms on re
vocations and waive ?> IAA and Appointacents Section. This informatioi is suuara_'-
i zed and tran.s:aitted to Fiscal or Finance Division as appropriate, for payroll d?~duction
act ion, u i tii th ' Ji' i. inai authorization fortes r;oing to the personnel f ilec . This paper
I Ter ing in closely r''l.ated to..4Uie ~~u ctiOCls of BCD e.IIi s}ioul?d be c'vnLejeu ibr_re-
rathe. than _np1oyee Relations Branch. This includes the Designation of and Chr:.n ;,'-
in Benef i.ciur es.
n. The maintenance of literature on area educational opport ,i,es, vacation
and travel guidy requires little effort'. The referencrr method could. be irnprovefi by
r 'thou' the
the use of an information rack which walk in emi?loyeofi cc+ilai refer to wy
assistance of withdrawing, packages ::material now maintained in bookshelves.
Housini:, n o tior. ,is displayeed in card file trays which do permit reedy reference
by walk-Ins. Car pool information is raintained in a 3x5 card file- 'hougki Bull=tin
Boards also serve to bring car pool participants together, it is indicated that
,ployee Relations Branch performs a useful service in this regard.
. An orientation lecture covering Employee ?Relations Branch functions is
ce;ivcn each week to rnv EOD'.3 by some member of the staff. This lecture generates
future requests for information and service.
p. one employee has responzibility for the Fire and i1i.r Raid Evacuation
and' Training Program for Curie Hall?
q. The ti aployee Relations Branch supplies income tx: reporting, forms and
'nformation, anc3 prr '-s an advisory uervicf durin the report filing period. UsuaUy
two (2) employees are involved full time for approxi:aately two (2) months per year
with this activity. Carefn:l consideration should be given to the amount of actual
assistance given to tip individual ii the preparation of a return. If detailed
assistance and aJx: icon s deanied aapip'ropriate, the possibility of the Comptroller's
office p'rfolnini this function should be explored.
r. Bookkeeping, accounting and disbursing functions of the 1;elfare Fund,
Recreation Fund, and the Fublic Service Aid Society .re now divided among five (5)
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