Priority Placement Program (PPP): Working Smarter

May 2011

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CHRA

CIVILIAN HUMAN RESOURCES AGENCY

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AGENDA• PPP Responsibilities

• Increase in Job Offer Withdrawals

• PPP/BRAC Challenges

• Experience Gaps

• Registration Issues

• Importance of Strategic Recruitment Discussion

• Working PPP Matches

• Relaxing the Well-Qualified Determination

• New Job Offer Procedure

• Timeliness

• References

• Questions

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PPP RESPONSIBILITIES

• PPP Manual, Chapter 1, E. Paragraph 12 under Responsibilities:

• Human resources officers are responsible for: administering the PPP at theiractivities; counseling employees on program provisions; providing timely and properregistration of eligible employees; ensuring proper clearance of all actions subject to theprogram; proper reporting of placement actions; and informing commanders and keymanagers on program requirements. They are also responsible for ensuring that involvedmembers of the HRO staff are thoroughly trained in the policies and procedures of the PPP.The DoD PPP Training Course shall be the primary training medium, and this may be

supplemented by in-house training.

• As a CPAC Staffing Specialist, you are ultimately administering PPP on behalf of your Regional Director/CPAC Director who is entrusted with this responsibility.

• PPP is to be taken seriously!

CHRA

Increase in Job Offer Withdrawals

• PPP issues related to requests to approve job offer withdrawals:– Increased number of PPP registrants due to BRAC – Inexperienced Staffers

• Lack of information gathered in the Strategic Recruitment Discussion

• Contact with proper SME (i.e. Selecting Official)

– Improper PPP registration– Lack of up-front discussion with Selecting Officials– Internal Review Processes/Internal Operating Procedures

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CHRA

• Unilateral withdrawal of offers is prohibited by PPP program policy and is cause for a program review. Only a CARE Program Coordinator can authorize withdrawal of an offer.

• An increase in requests for CARE approval to withdraw job offers can result in a review of Army PPP Program procedures.

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Unilateral Withdrawal of Job Offer Prohibition

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– BRAC-related PPP registrations • PPP cell structured to handle qualifications determinations

for BRAC organizations

– Day-to-day CPAC work not associated with BRAC continues.

– Overall increase in workload for the CPACs servicing BRAC organizations.

• High attrition rates (i.e. retirements and resignations due to BRAC).

• Increase in recruitment workload.

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PPP/BRAC Challenges

CHRA

• New HR Specialists/Techs• Shortage of Experienced Staffers

– Proper PPP/ ASARS Training to:• Determine Qualification of Employees• Register Employees in ASARS• Identify proper “option codes” (Chapter 10 of the PPP

Operations Manual and on ASARS website) when submitting PPP requisition in ASARS

- CHRA Guidance Updates

– Confrontational discussion with SMEs

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Experience Gaps

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Registration Issues

• Registrants:

- Embellishment of Resumes

- Over-Inflated Resumes

- Falsification of Resumes

• CPAC:

- Timely Registration

- Incorrect or missing option codes

- Counseling

CHRA

– Determine if there is a PPP exception.– Conduct clear, upfront discussions regarding exact skills set and

experience necessary to meet the well-qualified criteria.

***THIS IS CRITICAL FOR GENERIC POSITION DESCRIPTIONS FOR DEMO, ETC. ***

– Use proper option codes in the PPP requisition and document SRD with all information.

– Determinations on well-qualifying criteria should be made at the SRD and not after PPP has been requisitioned.

– Identify proper SMEs for the specific vacancy in the SRD.

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Strategic Recruitment Discussion

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• Reclassifying or changing positions (i.e. upgrading, downgrading, adding or deleting options codes, changing positions from temp to perm and back again) when PPP registrants are available should be evaluated for authenticity.

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Questionable Actions

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• Gaining Activity:– Participates in joint qualification determinations with

registering activity.– Provides all job requirements discussed in the SRD

to the registering activity.– Solicits a SME if position is technical in nature and

HR professional is unable to make a well-qualified determination.

Be careful when initiating contact with registering activity if it is unclear if a job offer should be made. Remember the three “C’s”: Contact Constitutes Commitment.

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Working PPP Matches

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• Review separation dates annotated on ASARS resume, not working matches timely could result in:– Registration period expiring– Loss of eligibility for pay retention if a break in service occurs

• Provide Selecting Official with sanitized resumes (within Priority Group 1, 2, or 3) to review/prioritize order within each group to be worked.

• Contact with SO/SME:– Inform Selecting Official/SME of a well-qualified PPP match prior

to an offer being extended.– Insure that all supporting information has been well-documented

to defend the well-qualified determination.– Management does not concur or non-concur, but identifies

concerns only. – The final decision is between losing/gaining, NO exceptions!

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Working PPP Matches

CHRA

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Relaxing the Well-Qualified Determination

• If manager has prioritized registrants, and registering activity determines the registrant is not well-qualified, a job offer can still be authorized if in the opinion of the gaining activity, in consultation with the manager, the registrant could succeed in the job.

• CARE is encouraging use of this flexibility

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• Qualifications are jointly determined by gaining and registering activities. Disagreement between the two on registrant qualifications need to be immediately sent to the PPP Regional Coordinator (see PPP Operations Manual, Chapter 4 for resolving qualifications disputes).

Qualification Disputes

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NEW JOB OFFER PROCEDURE

• Prior to Making a PPP Job Offer:

- Second level review by senior specialist, team leader, or supervisor required.

- At the very least, obtain a peer review

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• Any action perceived as retaliation against a PPP registrant constitutes a serious violation of PPP policy and will be dealt with accordingly.

• Management always reserves the right to take appropriate action if the registrant does not perform satisfactorily in the new position.

UPON PLACEMENT THROUGH PPP

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• Delays in Requisitioning or Making offers.– If no PPP exception applies, action needs to be taken as

soon as the RPA is received or once recruitment has begun in anticipation of the RPA.

• Overdue Resume Report Actions.– Submit report actions promptly after resumes are

worked. Multiple instances of delinquent report actions could indicate efforts to avoid making job offers or carelessness in administration.

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Timeliness

CHRA

• PPP Manual Chapter 1, G. Basic Requirements:

• Sufficient documentation to provide a clear audit trail showing all appropriate requirements were met will be maintained for 2 years after completion of the action.

• A written SOP assigning program responsibilities specifying how PPP will be administered covering:

– Releasing activity procedures– Gaining activity procedures– Self-audit procedures

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Documentation

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SUMMARY

• PPP Training:- Essential that HR Specialist/Technicians working with PPP understand all policies and procedures applicable to the program.

• Responsibilities

• Upfront Discussions with Management

• Timeliness

• Avoid having to initiate job offer withdrawals- Request a second level review

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Questions on PPP that cannot be answered in your CPAC should be elevated through your team leader/branch chief/CPAC Director to

your regional Staffing Proponent.

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Regional Staffing Proponents

Region Staffing Proponent

Europe Carol Burton

Far East Myra Van Alstine

North Central Aaron Loy

Northeast Sherry Norton

South Central Patti Gibson

Southwest Debbie Forrester

West Suzanne Flaiban

CHRA

• DoD PPP Operations Manual.

• DoD PPP Assessment Guide, CPMS, July 2005.

• CHRA Guidance: “Utilizing PPP Flexibilities, November 2010.

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References

CHRA

Questions

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