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Rehired federal employees


formerfed

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OPM announced a new process to rehire former employees.  It goes into effect July 8. The big change is former employees get credit for their private sector experience and can be rehired for higher grades and more money than when they left.  In effect the new policy is saying private sector experience is beneficial. 

One thing I’ve always felt is people in our field need a variety of experience.  Moving to other agencies every few years is good.  You learn new things and hopefully unlearn some bad things.  I know I learned a lot after leaving the government and got into a consultant role working with lots of offices.  It’s amazing how much there is to learn and see so many good practices across agencies that the rest of government may not be aware aware of.   

So this OPM change is likely good.  The one thing I surprised about is no protests by unions.  I wonder how many employees will be upset when they see a former colleague come back at a higher grade?

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Please provide a link to this new process. I’d like to know the context of such selection and hiring. Thanks. 

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Thanks, formerfed.

22 hours ago, formerfed said:

…The one thing I surprised about is no protests by unions.  I wonder how many employees will be upset when they see a former colleague come back at a higher grade?

This quote is from the link that you provided:

“Some agencies, individual commenters and a federal employee union expressed concerns through the rulemaking process that the rule change could lead to current federal employees being improperly passed over for promotion opportunities and other instances of abuse. But OPM noted current feds have access to a number of exclusive opportunities, and agencies can only explore rehiring noncompetitively after going through a number of other requirements.

“Discretionary actions [like this one] must be taken in accordance with the hiring agency’s merit promotion plans . . . and any collective bargaining agreements the hiring agency has in place,” OPM wrote.

“Before an agency may select a former employee and reinstate him or her to a position at a higher grade level or with higher promotion potential than the position the individual previously held, the agency must provide public notice through a job opportunity announcement, clear its Reemployment Priority List as well as its Career Transition Assistance Plans and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plans; consider applicants under the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998, and the Land Management Workforce Flexibilities Act, as applicable; and assess whether the individual meets all qualifications requirements for the position to which the individual is being reinstated.”

End Quote. 

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I’m unclear why you posted that Joel.  That’s just standard HR stuff.  HR always has to clear hiring though Career Transition Plans, Veterans Opportunity Act, etc. lists first.  Announcing jobs for a short term is standard stuff.  So a manager wants to bring back a former employee.  The manager looks at the list of applicants, associated resumes, and says nope, none are what I need.   He/she just has to go through these steps first.  I can see lots of potential disgruntled employees that will scream

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The rule does eliminate a present barrier to re-entering federal service at a higher grade than when they left, whether the agency is making a competitive or non-competitive hiring appointment.

A read of the Fed Register notice acknowledges and addresses  formerfed’s initial “surprise”. In addition to the federal employees union, at least four agencies and several individuals expressed concerns.

Yes, it is unknown how the current workforce will react to such reinstatement’s. 

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I am a current member and like the new rule, but as always it comes with the question - "how will it be used?"

I can see this being a great resource to the operational employees, lower and middle class members of the workforce (GS-9 through 14). With that, what are the limitations on it? 

Can a SES leave after 32 years of services, make a killing ($) at Boeing for 5 years, come back at a higher salary for 3 years to determine retirement while tap dancing on Capital Hill?

The latter seems less useful to the acquisition workforce and our purpose. 

 

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  • 3 months later...

I left the civil service (GS-1102-11 Contract Specialist) back in the 2000s for a job with a defense contractor due to some professional conflicts with the contracting office I left.  I was there for a few years serving as a senior contract administrator with signature authority for all but the largest contracts.  After a few years the contractor reassigned the duties of my office to another division and pretty much left my office and coworkers out to dry (All but a few resigned and went to other companies).  I applied for and was hired by DHS/ICE as a GS-1102-12/13 Contracting Officer, so it received a one grade promotion over my previous civil service position. 

So the concept that a rehired federal employee could receive a promotion upon being rehired is not new.

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On 9/20/2021 at 8:32 AM, DWGerard1102 said:

 I applied for and was hired by DHS/ICE as a GS-1102-12/13 Contracting Officer, so it received a one grade promotion over my previous civil service position. 

So the concept that a rehired federal employee could receive a promotion upon being rehired is not new.

Yeah but you applied for a job at a higher grade and got accepted based on overall experience that met the announcement standards.  That’s always been the case.  This is something different.

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