Spring to mark start of personnel system transition Published Feb. 26, 2010 By AFDW Public Affairs Air Force District of Washington -- Defense Department officials are on track to transition the majority of its more than 220,000 civilian employees out of the National Security Personnel System by Sept. 30, more than a year ahead of deadline, according to the official heading up that transition. The 2010 National Defense Authorization Act called for the termination of NSPS by January 2012, bringing an end to a controversial personnel system that has been operational for less than four years. The majority of employees will transition, back to the decades-old General Schedule system starting this spring, but with an assurance in regard to pay. "Air Force District of Washington's Civilian Personnel office has been working closely with AF/A1 in the development of the NSPS conversion strategy," said Ryan Ferrell, AFDW/A1 director." Our close working relationship will continue during the implementation to ensure a smooth and seamless transition as possible." This preservation of pay encompasses all employees. For instance, NSPS employees who are paid a salary that exceeds Step 10, the highest step under the GS system, of their pay grade will retain their pay upon conversion. An employee's grade upon conversion will be determined by classification specialists using the same criteria in use for GS employees. An employee's position will be evaluated under the General Schedule system and classified. If that position classifies out as a GS-13, then that employee will become a 13 when they transition. While Defense Department officials have a goal for transition completion each organization and component will make a determination on a timeline based on four factors: -- No undue interruption to mission or hardship to employees; -- Established processes to classify NSPS positions into the appropriate non-NSPS system -- Existence of a legacy performance management system -- An information technology system capable of handling the transition As officials work to ensure a smooth transition, they also are turning an eye to the road ahead. Along with terminating NSPS, the act gives the Defense Department new authorities to look at developing a successor performance management system that incorporates the best practices of NSPS and GS. One of the best advantages under NSPS that we saw was the clear alignment between employees and the organization about what their contribution means to the priorities and the direction of the organization. As we develop the new authorities and transition employees to the GS system, in most cases, we plan to reinforce that directive and that effort to ensure the employees are aligned with the organization. Officials also will examine the law's requirements for hiring flexibilities and a personnel performance fund that rewards employees or teams for their performance, he said. These processes will continue to be open and transparent. I envision the transition and development and use of the new authorities to be a collaborative effort with supervisors, management, leadership, union partners, labor partners, the Office of Personnel Management and other stakeholders. I see this as being an entirely inclusive process. Communication is critical throughout the transition process and future personnel system modifications. For more information and NSPS transition updates or to view the training module called GS101 on NSPS click here.