Now, each operating division has an SES allotment and can make its own selections. In the old days it took between nine months and two years to hire or promote a senior executive, says Mary Babcock, FDA director of human resources and management services. Today, promotions occur in five days and recruitment takes only a month. At Commerce, managers requesting a performance award for an employee used to submit a recommendation to personnel staff, who usually returned it for revisions based on FPM requirements. Sometimes requests traveled back and forth for months before receiving final approval.
Most managers now have the authority to approve awards.
A similar change at FDA has sped up incentive award processing time from six weeks to no more than four days. Lachance wants managers who've received new authority to use it. Now that we've gotten it out horizontally to all of the agencies, we have to push it down vertically so that everyone can benefit from this.