ESC successfully wraps up first year of NSPS

  • Published
  • By Kevin Gilmartin
  • 66 ABW Public Affairs
HANSCOM AFB, Mass. --  Electronic Systems Center recently wrapped up the first year of the implementation National Security Personnel System, a new pay-for-performance personnel system that rewards employees for their contributions to the organization's mission, implemented at Hanscom Jan. 21, 2007 for all non-bargaining unit employees. ESC conducted seven pay pools to determine how each of the more than 900 ESC employees covered by NSPS will be compensated for their performance.

The majority of ESC employees, some 98 percent, were rated as a three or higher on a scale of one to five, earning pay pool payouts in salary, bonus, or both as a result of their evaluated performance. No one in ESC received a rating of one, or "unacceptable," which means that all of the employees rated will receive at least the NSPS Government-wide Pay Increase (GPI) in base salary of 1.5 percent, effective the first full pay period in January. Those with a three or higher will receive the GPI in addition to any payout from the pay pool. The Local Market Supplement, more commonly referred to as locality pay, will be the same for both NSPS and GS workers.

"In accordance with Department of Defense and Air Force direction, approximately 75 percent of the performance payout dollars in ESC will go directly to base salary, effective Jan. 6, while 25 percent will be paid in a bonus," said Bob Youtt, ESC's NSPS program manager. "Employees can expect to see their pay increase and bonus reflected in their pay on Jan. 25."

Mr Youtt cautioned that this distribution of dollars is in aggregate terms and individual employees should not expect the exact distribution above.

Sixty-three percent of ESC employees under NSPS were rated as a three, or "valued performer," and earned one or two pay pool shares. Thirty-one percent of the ESC employees under NSPS were rated as a four, which "exceeds expectations," earning three or four shares. Only four percent were rated as a five, or "role model," earning either five or six shares.

Pay pools were conducted by each of ESC's five wings, as well as by the ESC Staff and the 38th Engineering Installation Group. Each pay pool consisted of a manager and about five members from senior leadership positions within the organization. Of the more than 900 ESC employees rated under NSPS, less than half work at Hanscom, according to Mr. Youtt.

During the pay pool deliberations, which lasted from three to 10 days, panel members reviewed every supervisor's recommended rating for an employee, and, working together as a team, reconciled final ratings. Based upon the employee's rating, the panel established the number of shares awarded to that employee as well as the dollar distribution between salary and bonus, as directed by DoD and the Air Force.

The results, according to Mr. Youtt, were remarkably similar in each pay pool, with the largest percentage of employees being rated as valued employees and only a very small percentage rated as role models in each organization.

"I'm very pleased with the results of our first experience with NSPS pay pools," said ESC Commander Lt. Gen. Ted Bowlds. "Pay pool members and managers did an exceptional job in sticking to the tenets of NSPS and rewarding and recognizing our best performers. They took a lot of time to fairly and equitably conduct the process, and the results they achieved are consistent with those from our mock pay pools last year and from other organizations that implemented NSPS ahead of us. This shows me that each organization understood that NSPS is a culture change from the GS system."