By Alyssa Rosenberg
May 15, 2008
Eight months isn't a lot of time, and Office of Personnel Management Director Linda Springer and Defense Department Chief Human Capital Officer David S.C. Chu seemed well aware of that when they shared a stage at Government Executive's Excellence in Government conference on Monday. Both Springer and Chu have faced tremendous challenges, such as the impact of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan on military recruiting and the anticipated retirement wave. They also have much to be proud of -- rebranding the armed forces and modernizing the federal retirement system.
But with only eight months left in the Bush administration, both Springer and Chu acknowledged that one goal they share -- overhauling the federal government's civilian pay and performance management system -- will not be completed on their watch.
"What we have is antiquated and we are ill-served," said Springer. The pay-for-performance effort, she noted, began even before the Bush administration took up the issue. "Will the effort to continue this reform go on? In my judgment it will, because if it doesn't, we will lose the battle of recruiting talent on this issue. You can have all the tradition of public service and pins and plaques and awards you want, but if you go to the grocery store and put your pins on the [check-out] belt, they'll probably call security."
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