PERSPECTIVE AND RECOMMENDATIONS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01192R000100220001-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 16
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 13, 2013
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: September 18, 1987
• Content Type: MISC

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D
STAT
X
PERSPECTIVE AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Perspective
There is a great deal of activity and ,change in the air these days for our
, -
people in the,AgenCy;
a new Director of Central Intelligence,
an investigative atmosphere in the. Agency,
retirement decisions being reconsiaered for participation in the Civil
Service RetiremenX:..SyStem vs. FERS,
deci4o3:s onymaking THRIFT plan contributions, or not,
disturbing medical insurance premium increases,
new buildings in Hqs
now,
to move into over the next months, and
the very.unusual Compensation and Benefits Proposal..
This time of change is requiring an unusual amount of deditAbn-Making on
issues outside of the sphere of t4z,;r employees' normal day-to-day,Wbrk. Right
now, there is proba4y,.a Ineed fol some stability and settlement in the
s-CA,
Agency Presenting a?pompensation and Benefits Proposal (Proposal) such as
"
"Is*, %A 1
.
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ours with the implications for affecting professional lives and livelihood,
represents a significant added pressure with which they must deal.
The Proposal asks a lot of our people; but it will also give a lot. It
asks them for a period of serious consideration, eventually their acceptance,
their willingpess to "educate" themselves, their adjustment from old ways to
new, their patience as implementation unfolds, and requires them to manage and
be managed in very different ways. Under the Proposal we will now pay for
performance, allow a benefits choice, consider one's career more than before,
and focus on overall emoluments for careerists of this Organization.
We are finding strong support in the Directorate for those Proposals which
enhance the well-being of our people:
flexible benefits, by far a front runner,
leave conversion which allows tangible recognition for the high
degree of dedication found in our employees,
the dual track system, considered innovative and long overdue.
We are finding some support in the Directorate for:
occupational banding, with caveats concerning the reliability of
market-pricing which will compare our occupations with
"equivalents" (if there are such things) in the private sector
marketplace,
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incentive pay, with serious concerns as to the fair and equitable
handling of this by supervisors and managers,
promotions,
occupational-specific training,
educational assistance.
We have found only limited support for:
individual career plans since most employees feel that their
careers are largely their own responsibilities,
staff management tools,
performance plans, since most harken back to the discomfort and
dislike for the former AWP and LOI exercise,
occupational career handbooks.
We found little or no interest in:
system controls, and
projection tools.
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The lack of interest for these last two came mostly from employees and not
from management.
Our people perform. And usually well. It has even been said that an
acceptable level of performance in this Organization equates to strong
performance in many large firms and in some components of local and federal
government. Adopting our Proposal may not produce a demonstrably big
difference in performance levels by our people, however it allows us to
recognize and reward the good, the great, and the outstanding performances in
new and exciting ways.
There is skepticism out there. Many of our people do not feel an inherent
trust in the system nor that its management is really looking out for their
interests. They comment that our managers, junior and senior, are often
ineffective on the people-side though effective on the production-side. The
people-side is the concern here. The statement that production overcomes the
professional needs of the worker, has an almost universal ring throughout the
Directorate (and probably throughout the Agency).
Our employees gratify themselves in an unusual way. Suffice it to say
that government employees do not join government service to become wealthy.
Money isn't the motivator; and our Proposal does have money as one of its
incentives. It really has to. That frankly has triggered certain adverse
reactions within the DA. Accomplishment, and especially accomplishment with
excellence, excites, sustains, and gratifies our people. Simply said, it
turns them on and they consistently accomplish to the outer limits of theif-
potential.
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We complain about excessive tasking and unreasonable workloads but these
complaints are not really from the heart. We react in completely predictable
ways in our Agency when confronted with the "very difficult" or even "the
impossible". We go right at the problem without hesitation! This scenario is
played out day after day in each and everyone of our Offices. It has come to
be termed the "Agency work ethic". It is incredible and we are justifiably
proud of '
We ask very special kinds of "extras" of our employees. Not only was it a
rigorous and onerous ordeal initially to join this Organization but once in,
we tend to stay with more regularity than perhaps any major institution or
organization in America. Once you are here you are likely to want to stay;
and we want to keep it that way.
STAT The Agency puts
percent of its work force under cover,
unquestionably a stressful condition of employment. We are asked "to live a
lie" and are expected to follow convincingly and unswervingly a scenario
which, though false, is essential to the effectiveness of our intelligence
mission. The limitations on us are many. We have no civil service status; we
serve at the pleasure of the Director; we do not travel internationally, nor
publish, face the courts, develop relationships with foreigners, nor embrace
certain private life styles or habits, without notification and/or approvals
from our own "system." We are constantly under review for employment
suitability and subject to lie detector testing over our whole career. Yet
all of this somehow draws us together as "family" even more. We are proud,
have exceedingly high personal standards, work incredibly hard, and.
unfailingly take on everything we are asked to do-- then do it well.
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Our employees serve in very unusual capacities. We are positioned in some
of the most remote, backward, dangerous and unhealthy places around the
globe. Our range of expertise and skills ranges from paramilitary to the
highly scientific. We have a work force that includes all levels from
clericals and laborers to senior professional academicians, scientists,
engineers, system analysts, weapons specialists, case officers,
administrators, general managers, educators, physicians, project engineers,
and many others. One-quarter of this Agency is engaged in the most anomalouS"'
mission in the US Government, that of collecting by human sources essential
intelligence about the intentions and plans of foreign governments around the
world.
Our compensation and pay Proposal recognizes all this. It is our intent
and focus to improve the lot for the hardworking, dedicated and resilient
people we describe above. If it does not improve their lot, then it should
not be adopted - much less even be designed in the first place.
So what's missing? Some might say nothing. We say sufficient and
meaningful recognition is missing. We say we can "care" more by creating
programs which deliver benefits and services to improve the private and
working lives of our exceptional people and their families.
Over time we have watched the private sector providing new and better
things for their work force. Once the forerunner in this arena, the U.S.
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Government, formerly the "most appreciative" employer in town, has now sadly
slipped to one of the less appreciative. Until this new initiative, no major
Agency effort has been proposed to improve the-situation. We suggest that now
is the time. We now can care for our work force in ways better than before.
We are unique and we deserve unique handling. The Task Force Proposal offers
some challenging and exciting ways to attack this.
We now wish to make our recommendations.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
The foregoing is intended to provide a basis for the following
recomendations and how we proceed from here. Our sense of the Directorate is
that the majority of its people are receptive to some change. As we stated
above, the degree of change and the manner of implementation appear the
greatest cause for concern. Our people are concerned that the entire Proposal
cannot be implemented without unacceptable disruption in their daily routine-.?.
Management and employees alike echo a cautious, go slow phased approach. We
do as well.
We earlier, addressed the uniqueness of this Agency and its people. It
follows therefore that we should have a pay and benefits system to match this
uniqueness. The base pay of our people in the present system does not seem to
be a factor of real discontent. Rather, there is a general feeling of
fairness for the most part. However, the benefits side of the present system
leaves much to be desired. Since the benefits and their income tax
consequences can affect "take home pay", and improvement will be beneficial to
an individual's pay. We therefore recommend that Features 11 (Flexible
Benefits) and 12 (Leave Conversion) be included for immediate action in the
DA's recommendations regardless of whether the remainder of the Proposal is
accepted. This recommendation was echoed throughout every office within the
Directorate.
Next, we recommend that Feature 1 (Banding) be implemented but in a 'test
bed' mode. We recommend selecting only components which are willing to be
banded and observe carefully the results including employee reaction. We are
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of the belief that the concept of Banding has been negatively received by some
offices in the Directorate due to the inclusion of Market Pricing and the
perceptions that market-pricing makes unfair and inequitable comparisons of
Agency support functions with those of industry and other routine USG
agencies. As said earlier, we are different. Thus, we must find a way to
assure reliable Market Pricing before undertaking Banding. We also recommend
accepting the use of personal services funds to control the structure of the
work force and the delegation of classification authority. However, to
minimize the impact on management, we recommend these two elements of Feature
I be retained at the Office Director level where some centralized control can
be used. At a later date when Banding has stabilized, the redelegation of
these authorities to a level of management below Office Director, if desired,
can be considered.
Feature 2, Incentive Pay, is recommended. This feature of the Proposal
receives some support and is believed to be generally acceptable to the
Directorate population as a whole. However, there are some major concerns
with the implementation of Incentive Pay. First and foremost for DA
careerists is the concern for fair and equitable treatment when incentive pay
decisions are rendered by the host component vice the parent service. This is
a two-edge sword. In one respect, there is concern that the "support"
employee will receive less equity by the host component than if the employee
were rated by the parent career service. On the other hand, the individual
may find "a home" i.e. treatment is superb; annual bonuses, etc. Thus, when
the time comes to rotate the employee, that individual may prefer to remain
with the host component. Thus, we recommend that the parent service have--
final approval authority on incentive pay for externally-assigned personnel
with the host component recommending the incentive award.
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Another concern voiced particularly by various managers within the DA
offices is determining at what level the decision on incentive pay will be
made. There is considerable concern that the first line supervisors should
not have the final say although he/she should have significant recommendation
input. However, there is an anomaly here in that preparation of the PAR by
the supervisor will directly affect the incentive pay decision under the
current Proposal. This revision will leave the final decision to some level
above the supervisor offering somewhat of a minor "appeals process" and an .
objective assessment of the incentive pay recommendation as a result of the
PAR rating. If career panels are chosen as the level of decision, it is our
recommendation that this be a temporary situation with a view toward bringing
the decision back down "near the action" in the next 2-3 years at the
outside. Thus, we caveat our recommendation on Incentive Pay to include
parent office vice host component approval and that the final decision be made
above the first line supervisor level.
Feature 9, Dual Track, is also included in our recommendation. Dual Track
was included by five of the nine offices as among the Proposal's best
features. There has long been a concern in almost every corner of the Agency
that to "get to the top" an individual has to become a manager. Under the
Dual Track Feature this concept is abolished. The "expert" will be able to
rise to the top of the pay ladder and still remain within his/her field of
expertise. An added benefit to the Agency is that we won't force into
management someone who neither wants to manage nor cannot manage. Thus,
acceptance of Dual Track bodes favorably for retention of an employee who is
happy, well paid, and doing the real job for which he/she was hired.
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Another benefit, Feature 13, Educational Assistance for Dependents is
included in the Task Force Proposal. However, as presented this feature lacks
application to all Agency employees because of its very nature. We recommend
a modified version of this Feature as proposed by the Office of Logistics as
Appendix III of their submission be substituted and included in the DA
recommendations. This substituted version has Agency-wide application and
involves credits for either Dependent Education or other non-dependent related
benefits earned based on years of Agency service. It espouses the "Agency
family" concept.
In summary, we believe the heart of the DA recommendations should include
Features 1 (Banding), 2 (Incentive Pay), 9 (Dual Track), 11 (Flexible
Benefits), 12 (Leave Conversion), and 13 (Educational Assistance - 0/L
version). These will offer, we believe, the most to our people in the design
of any unique pay and benefits package.
It suffices to say that the remaining Features proposed by the Task Force
cannot be disregarded. Criteria for career advancement are directly relatable
to Features 3 through 8 while Management's ability to monitor and control this
"new" system involves Features 15 and 16. Making these latter statements is
not a "cop out" but rather testimony that the total Task Force Package was
designed with thoughtful and careful consideration.
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STAT
2R spritipmber 1987
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*
1. Forwarded herewith is a copy of our
"bottom line". This was given to Bill
Donnelly on Tuesday, 22 September. I think
it is fair to say he agreed with most of
our reactions and recommendations. He also
added some things of his own.
2. He has asked that we now take this
paper and argue its merits among the other
Directorate-level Representatives when we
meet together in October
3. I will' keep you posted via the DA
Staff Meeting of how things are shaping up.
4. Bill has listed 12 items and
reactions that and I are to use
in our arguing the DDA position. Briefly
here is my best gist of those items.
a. The Proposal as written has
become ,t2olu.sz4.J.,_AL_cl14;
1.11:2L122BaaLalag. Let's look at sizing
it down.
b. It must be noted that we are in
a "n4u2a,ILLihougglgat" here in the
Agency. The next version should take
that into consideration.
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c. It must be considered that
within the Directorate there appears to
be some diatkust.of...2paervisors
managers and management to implement
'this Proposal effectively.
d. Some supervisors and managers
are ineffective on the people-side. We
shoura-r====-TEITITE-tb
improve it.
e. Our aim is to im rove the
(21.22.E_tr12142/ggs. is should be a
major focus and objective of our next
version.
f. Th..2_22*(12Eity_ja_th.j.s
Directorate appears responsive to some
citaLlaa:
g. Adopt a "phased approach" for
implementing the eventual Proposal.
h. uaaeit.s_axsi_pay....a.r.wt as
;iEa2a_v_tu.alusly. This
package should consider Strongly:
flexible benefits, leave conversion,
incentive pay, dual track, and
educational assistance.
i. Gqfor 'n a profession or
two, or an Office or two (speci lc
OFFM777professions unstated).
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' 6
j. Ensure that we study the Office
of Communications' 7EnT?Sred" and
C7rirriTrirIo learn from those
experiences,
k. Let's attempt to accomplish
thin 's sio have a
hlrolf...bailtsLit accomplished
without requiring external approvals.
1. Recommend and allaslar.....a
Manager/EXecutiv_e DameImEtzt.22=112?.
alurnTin building such a program
Agency-wide.
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? "
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