U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Ensuring the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce

References: High Impact HR Flexibilities

Flexible Pay     Flexible Hiring     Flexible Work Arrangements     Flexible Benefits

Flexible Pay

• Recruitment and Relocation Incentives: Recruitment and relocation incentives are discretionary payments agencies may use to provide additional compensation (generally up to 25 percent of the annual rate of basic pay times the number of years in the service agreement, not to exceed four years) to a new appointee or to an employee who moves to a different geographic area. An agency must make a determination that a position would be difficult to fill in the absence of an incentive.
• Retention Incentives: Retention incentives are discretionary payments agencies may use to provide additional compensation (generally up to 25 percent of basic pay) when the unusually high or unique qualifications of an employee or a special need of the agency for the employee’s services makes it essential to retain the employee and the agency determines the employee is likely to leave Federal service in the absence of an incentive.
• Superior Qualifications And Special Needs Pay-Setting Authority (also known as "above minimum hiring rate"): Agencies may set the rate of basic pay of a newly-appointed employee at a rate above the minimum rate of the appropriate General Schedule (GS) grade because of (1) the superior qualifications of the candidate, or (2) a special need of the agency for the candidate’s services.
• Maximum Payable Rate Rule (highest previous rate): Upon reemployment, transfer, reassignment, promotion, demotion, or change in type of appointment, agencies may set the rate of basic pay of an employee by taking into account a rate of basic pay previously received by the individual while employed in another civilian Federal position (with certain exceptions). This rate may not exceed the maximum rate of the employee's grade.

Flexible Hiring

• Dual Comp Waivers (may require modification): Agencies may request OPM to waive dual compensation restrictions for civilian and military retirees, on a case-by-case basis, for employees in positions for which there is exceptional difficulty in recruiting or retaining a qualified employee, or to meet an emergency hiring need as specified in law. (5 U.S.C. 8344 and 8468; 5 CFR part 553, subpart B)
• Temporary Limited Appointment NTE 1-year: Use temporary appointments for short-term needs that are not expected to last longer than one year.
• Term Appointment for 1-4 years: Use term appointments for more than one and up to four years when the need for the employee's services is not permanent for needs such as project work, extraordinary workload, etc.
• Excepted Appointing Authorities: OPM provides excepted service hiring authorities to fill special jobs or to fill any job in unusual or special circumstances under "Schedules A, B, and C." These excepted service authorities enable agencies to hire when it is not feasible or not practical to use traditional competitive hiring procedures, and can streamline hiring.
  • Federal Career Intern Program: This program helps agencies recruit and attract exceptional individuals into a variety of occupations. It was created under Executive Order 13162 and is for positions at grade levels GS-5, 7, and 9 or other trainee positions. In general, individuals are appointed to a 2-year internship. Upon successful completion of the internships, the interns may be eligible for permanent placement within an agency.
  • Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program: The Presidential Management Intern Program, a predecessor to this program, was established by Executive Order in 1977. The PMF program attracts to the Federal service outstanding graduate students (masters and doctoral-level) from a wide variety of academic disciplines who have an interest in, and commitment to, a career in the analysis and management of public policies and programs.
  • Senior Presidential Management Fellow or Senior Fellow: This program is used to appoint individuals at the GS-13, GS-14, or GS-15 level (or equivalent) in the excepted service or under an agency-specific authority if the agency is excepted from the competitive service. The individual must have completed a graduate course of study at a qualifying college or university; have an outstanding record of achievement in an applicable leadership, policy, managerial, professional, or technical position or area; have successfully completed an OPM-administered assessment process; been selected as a finalist by the OPM Director, or the Director's designee; and been appointed by an agency as a Senior Fellow.  (This program has not yet been put into operation).
  • Student Career Experience Program (SCEP): This is a special authority under which agencies can appoint students who are enrolled or have been accepted for enrollment in at least a part-time schedule at an accredited institution. Individuals in the SCEP program may be non-competitively converted to term or career/career-conditional appointments within 120 days of academic requirement completion. Students hired under SCEP may be granted tuition assistance by the hiring agency.
  • Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP): This program provides authority to appoint graduate and undergraduate students in the excepted service under the Student Educational Employment Program. This is a special authority under which agencies can appoint students who are enrolled or have been accepted for enrollment in at least a part-time schedule at an accredited institution. Appointment in the STEP program is not to exceed one year and may not be converted to term or permanent.
  • Veterans Appointing Authorities: Veterans may be hired into the Federal Government in a variety of ways including the following three authorities: Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA), 30 Percent or More Disabled Veterans, and the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA).
  • Appointment of Experts and Consultants: This excepted service appointment is used to hire expert and consultants under 5 U.S.C. 3109 to perform expert or consultant work that is temporary (not to exceed one year) or intermittent.
• Direct-Hire Authority: This authority allows agencies with delegated examining authority to hire individuals without regard to sections 3309-3318 of title 5 to positions for which:
  • Public notice has been given, and
  • The U.S. Office of Personnel Management determines there is a severe shortage of candidates or a critical hiring need.
• Reinstatement Eligibility: Reinstatement allows a former civil service employee to reenter the Federal competitive service workforce without competing with the public in a civil service examination but only after meeting certain requirements.
• Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) Mobility Program: This program is used to bring in temporary assignees from state and local governments, colleges and universities, Indian tribal governments, and other not-for-profit organizations under the Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) Mobility Program. Assignments should be made for the mutual benefit of the Federal Government and the non-Federal entity, and are for 2 years duration.

Flexible Work Arrangements

• Flexible Work Schedules and Leave Policies: Flexible work schedules and compressed work schedules (commonly known as "alternative work schedules") allow an employee to complete the basic 80-hour biweekly work requirement in less than 10 workdays. Flexible leave programs and policies provide employees generous amounts of paid leave for personal needs, medical needs, family care, and vacations.
• Part-time and/or Job Sharing: Making appointments with varying work schedules such as part-time (which may include job sharing arrangements), intermittent, and seasonal is a viable option to manage fluctuating and less than full-time workforce needs. Job sharing is an available option that may help balance some employees' work and family responsibilities. Under such an arrangement, two employees each work less than full-time, but coordinate their schedules and assignments so that together they "share" a work role and ensure that the duties and responsibilities of what would otherwise be one full-time position are properly carried out.
• Telework: Telework refers to any arrangement in which an employee performs officially assigned duties at home or other worksites geographically convenient to the residence of the employee. Telework.gov is a comprehensive Website co-sponsored by the General Services Administration and OPM. It includes the latest guidance, assistance and resources, and agency telework policies to review.

Flexible Benefits

• Flexible Spending Accounts: There are two types of FSAs. A Health Care FSA (HCFSA) pays for the uncovered or unreimbursed portions of qualified medical costs. A Dependent Care FSA (DCFSA) allows you to pay eligible expenses for dependent care with pre-tax dollars. All employee contributions to FSAs are made from pre-tax earnings, thereby increasing disposable income. There are no government contributions to the FSAFEDS program and you have to enroll anew each open season.
• Student Loan Repayment Program: Using this authority, agencies may repay Federally insured student loans as a recruitment or retention incentive for appointees or current employees. Agencies may make payments to the loan holder of up to a maximum of $10,000 for an employee in a calendar year and a total of not more than $60,000 for any one employee.
• Tuition Reimbursement: Agencies may offer employees financial assistance to attend academic courses that are job related.
• Childcare and Eldercare Benefits: The government offers a variety of these benefits, some of which may vary by agency and location. They include On-site/Near-site Child Development Centers, Child Care Subsidy Authority, Dependent Care Spending Accounts, and Other Child and Elder Care Services.
• Thrift Savings Plan Matching: Employees covered by the Federal Employees’ Retirement System are eligible to receive: 1) Agency Automatic (1%) Contributions; 2) Agency Matching Contributions of up to 4% of basic pay; 3) Immediate vesting in Agency Matching Contributions and vesting – generally in 3 years – in Agency Automatic (1%) Contributions. Civil Service Retirement System participants do not receive any agency contributions.
• Part-Time/Term Benefits: Part-Time and Term employees are eligible for many of the same benefits as full time, permanent employees.