Last spring, U.S. President Trump signed an Executive Order titled “Promoting Accountability and Streamlining Removal Procedures Consistent with Merit System Principles.” The order, EO 13839, sought to better enforce the Merit System Principles, which were meant to “provide the people of the United States with a competent, honest, and productive workforce” (Civil Service Reform Act, 1978).
The principles themselves advocate for quality public service, and mandate a robust performance management process. “Unfortunately,” reads the executive order, “implementation of America’s civil service laws has fallen far short of these ideals.”
How does EO 13839 serve to fix these shortcomings, and how does this relate to SaaS employee management platforms like eCase ER/LR and eCase Performance Management? First off, the order states that employee removal processes should be “straightforward.” This means progressive discipline guidelines are a thing of the past. It shouldn’t take two years, four letters and three suspensions for an employee who repeatedly and willfully commits misconduct to be removed. What it takes is proper documentation and accountability.
Secondly, EO 13839 prohibits agencies from erasing, removing, altering or withholding employee information “from another agency.” The order requires agencies to be transparent with other agencies regarding employee conduct and records. Transparency then becomes the basis by which an employee who repeatedly and willfully commits misconduct is held accountable.
Finally, the executive order mandates a yearly report be submitted to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director, detailing the number of employees reprimanded or removed. What the order requires, then, is organization—wrapped neatly in a yearly report.
Accountability, transparency and organization. Keeping proper documentation to ensure these principles can be costly and time consuming, but not so with the right electronic personnel management system. eCase ER/LR and eCase Performance Management were built on a single, unified system, so that you can have all of your employee files in one place. With eCase ER/LR and eCase Performance Management, agencies can track, manage and justify their employee actions and performance, while ensuring full compliance with the law.
If you’re interested in implementing one of our COTS personnel management solutions, contact us at info@ains.com or request a demo.
