PROPOSAL: A CENTRALIZED AGENCY COUNSELING SERVICE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-01826R001100100032-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 10, 2001
• Sequence Number: 32
• Publication Date: May 8, 1964
• Content Type: MEMO

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8 MAY 1964
MEMORANDUM FOR: Inspector General
SUBJECT : Proposal; A Centralized Agency Counseling Service
1. Although many components of the Agency, particularly certain
offices with the DDS, accept the notion that the Agency, its mission,
and its modus operandi create an extraordinary work environment and
peculiar sources of frustration for the employee, they have not felt
compelled to develop an organizational entity designed specifically to
meet the problem. So the establishment of a centralized counseling
service in CIA has continued to be viewed as a matter for future con-
sideration rather than as a matter of immediate concern.
2. Today, because of compartmentation and the absence of a gen-
erally accepted central reference point within the Agency, employees
often don't know where to turn when faced with a problem. As a result,
many components of the Agency, in addition to the individual's super-
visor, endeavor to assist the employee in solving his problem. This
decentralized approach has frequently resulted in:
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a, duplic* of effort
b. promoting a tendency for persons to "give advice" in areas
where they have no competence
ce a tendency to encourage supervisors to deal with the more
intimate and personal problems of their subordinates (a practice
which many employees resent and which often results in limiting
the supervisor's objectivity in making fitness reports, etc.)
d. causing employees to willfully refrain from airing those
problems which, in the Agency's interest, should be made known
and/or resolved.
In my opinion, any handling of employee problems by well-meaning but
unqualified Agency personnel is dangerous, and only serves to disenchant
the employee. A dissatisfied employee loses his confidence in, and re-
spect toward, the Agency. This, in turn, has a negative effect on the
Agency's ability to maintain a positive image to both its employees and
the general public.
3. In this regard, you, the Office of Security, the Medical Staff
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and the Office of Personnel among others encourage employees to come
to them with their problems. In reality, however, although "the door
n~ t' l;l he feels his back is against
the wall. Many who are tempted to seek assistance don't wish to bother
others because "they aren't sure their problem is significant enough."
Most importantly, employees are fearful that if they do ask for help
they will be labeled as "disgruntled," as a "mental case," as a "trouble
maker," or as "immature." They become anxious because they feel that
they may be viewed as lacking sufficient self reliance to be employed by
this Agency. The end result is that employee tension increases as their
frustrations persist. Their anxiety grows as they make quiet, unassisted,
yet often unsuccessful attempts to look for solutions. It is lamentable
that this should occur within an Organization whose policy demands that,
in the interest of security, employees give careful thought as to the
propriety of a given course of action.
4. With the Government's paramount interest in economy, the per-
sistent high cost to the Agency in replacing its personnel, and the
everpresent need to protect the security of the Agency's activities,
the merit of establishing a centralized counseling service becomes
apparent. Such a service could for example:
a. permit professionally competent investigators to monitor
employee motivation and morale (supporting Agency security and
economy);
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b. daaae~e a the Office of Personnel's effectiveness in
the selection and placement of employees through a greater and
more systematic utilization of available psychological resources
and data (supporting Agency economy);
c. contribute significantly to the formulization of per-
sonnel policies through becoming more aware of, and sensitive to,
employee attitudes and supervisory problems;
d. serve to provide a recognized and respected place where
an employee can turn, regardless of his problem, with the recog-
nition that efforts made to help him are efforts made to help
the Agency.
5. I herewith recommend to you that a centralized counseling
service be established in the Agency. I suggest, however, that
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preliminary to the establishment of this centralized counseling service
you determine the present scope of the psychological services now in
existence within the Organization and consider their amalgamation.
6. I believe the Assessment & Evaluation Staff now attached to
the Medical Staff represents the core of the Agency's assets in this
area. They deal primarily with personnel placement problems by using
tests designed to measure those important yet less malleable aspects
of an employee's job qualifications, namely "personality factors."
Since there has been growing recognition that "personality factors" are,
in the final analysis, of primary importance in determining an individual's
adjustment to and longevity on the job, it becomes correspondingly impor-
tant, in my estimation, to fully consider these factors in the handling of
personnel problems. Thus I would recommend the A & E Staff be transferred
to the Office of Personnel. Without additional cost to the Agency in money
or in personnel ceiling, this Staff could become the center within which
the centralized counseling service might develop. Being presently staffed
by psychologists and other personnel competent to handle most of the
functions to be undertaken by this counseling service, the A & E Staff
could expand its present range of responsibility and accommodate the coun-
seling function with only a nominal increase in its T/O strength. This
increase in T/O could be acquired by the lateral transfer of presently
available qualified personnel and slots rather than through the recriut-
ment of or creation of new personnel and positions.
7. I would further recommend that the A & E Staff be made immed-
iately responsible to the Director of Personnel in its capacity as a
centralized counseling service. Its activity transcends present Divisional
lines, and it would assure that a professionally competent psychologist
held responsibility for its operation. Too, I believe the Staff could
readily develop the working liaison with the other specialized offices,
i.e., OGC, MS, OS, IG, etc. necessary to assure an effective, yet highly
economical method of dealing with employee problems.
8. Should you concur in the establishment of a centralized coun-
seling service within the Agency, and in the transfer of the A & E Staff
to the Office of Personnel, I believe that specific recommendations could
easily be made with respect to refining present Organizational structure
and realigning responsibilities to permit the implementation and early
operation of this counseling activity. I sincerely believe that as a
management tool, this service could help promote an esprit de corps among
Agency employees and an Organizational efficiency heretofore not realized.
In conclusion, I wish to state that in years past I have had discussions
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with Mr. who is currently Chief, Personnel Security
Division, rice o ecurity, and with several representatives of the
Medical Staff. They generally concurred in the idea of the establish-
ment of a counseling service within the Agency. Further, the recom-
mendation contained herein has been in essence concurred in by the
present Chief of the A & E Staff,, 25X1A
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UNCLASSIFIED FIDENTIAL SECRET
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
OFFICIAL ROUTING SLIP
TO
NAME AND ADDRESS
DATE
INITIALS
Director of Personnels
2
Room 5E56 - H x P~
3
4
5
6
ACTION DIRECT REPLY
PREPARE REPLY
APPROVAL DISPATCH
RECOMMENDATION
COMMENT FILE
RETURN
CONCURRENCE INFORMATION
SIGNATURE
Remarks :
Attached are two memoranda relating to
employee counselling and placement,
mitten by Office of Personnel staff
members. These are sent with their
permission. These reinforce the feeling
of the inspection team that additional
action should be considered in that area,
in line with the draft recommendation we
discussed.
FOLD HERE TO RETURN TO SENDER
FROM: NAME, ADDRESS AND PHONE NO.
DATE
O/IG, 7D49 Hq
12 May 6
UNCLASSIFIED CONFIDENTIAL
SECRET
" RM NO. `M Use previous editions (40)
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SENDER WILL CHECK C SSf ATION TOP AND BOTTOM