human resources issues

7/30/2019 human resources issues

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Social media as HR tool for backgroundcheckingBy Grace Melanie I. Lacamiento (The Freeman) | Updated August 13, 2013 - 12:00am

CEBU, Philippines - With the advent of technology and hype in social media at present,

existing and would-be employees are advised to be careful and responsible with theiractions in social networking to prevent possible risks that could harm their relationshipwith their employers.

This according to Jonah Lafuente, immediate past president of the People ManagementAssociation of the Philippines (PMAP) - Cebu, who said that human resourcepractitioners now find social media useful for investigation and background informationon workers particularly the newlyhired applicants and potential employees.

She added that they intend to exploit the social media and take it as an advantage forthe company to get to know the personality and attitude of a person.

She cited that among the social networking sites they use to check an employee includeFacebook and LinkedIn accounts.

She also said that it is not recommended to post their rants about the company oranother colleague at work as it might reflect a bad image for both parties and couldpossibly harm the former more.

Avoid posting pictures or posts that would put you in compromising situations.

Minimize, or stop if possible, ranting on social networking sites.

Employees, nowadays, should be extra careful, she stated.

Lafuente further clarified that this is not a matter of depriving employees with theirfreedom to express themselves but is rather an issue of discipline.

She said that in fact, there are business process outsourcing companies which alreadyhave come up with policies that concern social media.

Among the issues to be discussed during the 13th PMAP regional conference that isslated to run from August 22 to 23 include the power of social media and latesttechnology.

PMAP Cebu Chapter expects to gather more than 150 participants during the event tobe held at Radisson Blu in Cebu City.

Dubbed with the theme Tomorrows HR: Rethink, Reinvent, Rebuild, this yearsconference shall feature the use of innovative approaches, highlight advocacies andshowcase inspiring case studies and latest trends in human capital management.
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Resource speakers shall also tackle topics on human resource branding, qualities of aneffective people ambassador, role of human resource in managing workplace drama,weaknesses of a human resource team and how to solve such, strategies for humanresource to succeed in family-owned companies and rewarding the departmentaccordingly.

PMAP is a non-stock, not-for-profit organization with over 1800 member companies and

individual management executives engaged and interested in human resourcemanagement and industrial relations work nationwide.

In Cebu, it has over 186 member-companies of HR managers, practitioners andconsultants. /JOB (FREEMAN)


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Diversity: Its not just an HR function anymore

by THE HR SPECIALIST: COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS on AUGUST 26, 20131:00PMin HR MANAGEMENT,HUMAN RESOURCES

by Melenie J. Lankau

Many organizations are experiencing diversity fatigue. To a great extent, this is due to

disappointing results from all of those diversity initiatives HR managers have put in

place over the years. At the same time, some employers enjoy great success with

diversity. The difference often lies in basic assumptions about what diversity means and

what it can achieve.

HRs traditional role

The responsibility for managing diversity and inclusiveness in an organization typically

falls within the HR function. In many organizations, HR executives hold the title of chief

diversity officer. They work with line managers and executives to create an

organizational vision that increases diversity and maintain a climate that leverages

diversity into high performance.

Many organizations have placed responsibility for diversity and inclusion on specific

areas inside the HR function, such as recruiting or talent management.

The major challenge that diversity specialists have is that they are often viewed as the

champion for diversity and that they own the accountability.

While this may sound like the right way to structure the role, many diversity managers

feel this actually makes it easier for others to dismiss the issue. The rationale: Diversity

is that persons job or priority, so I dont have to think about it.

That can be a problem, because employees and managers may not really understand

the importance of leveraging diversity or take the time to develop the skills needed to

contribute to inclusive work environments.
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What the best do best

Last year, I examined the companies rated as best places for diversity by the consulting

firm DiversityInc. Most had several organizational practices in common:

Clear and consistent emphasis on the value of diversity in communicationin vision,

mission statement and strategic goals

Identification of business drivers for diversity; identifying how diversity can improve

organizational results

CEO and top management team involvement in diversity-related activities

Emphasis on diversity at the board level

Active diversity councils, advisory boards and employee resource groups

Commitment to increasing supplier diversity

Formal and facilitated informal mentoring programs

Community and philanthropic outreach for multicultural nonprofits

Partnerships with educational institutions for increasing minority student enrollment

and support

Measures of progress and accountability mechanisms.

From this list, it becomes obvious that organization-wide diversity cant just be the

diversity professionals job or HR managers responsibility.

Diversitys shared vision

This level of commitment requires true partnership and participation across functional

areas to align efforts that support a shared vision for diversity and inclusion.

At Wake Forest Universitys Schools of Business, employers told us that the ability to

leverage diversity is a critical leadership skill that can differentiate managers ability to

achieve meaningful business results. Thats why we are piloting an extracurricular

certificate program with our full-time MBA students. It offers students learning

opportunities that will help them develop the leadership skills to build inclusive work

environments, value diversity and leverage the unique talents and contributions of every

team member.

We want our students to enter organizations realizing that fostering diversity is part

oftheirobligation and responsibility as an employee and future leader. Its not just the

HR persons job.

https://www.google.com.ph/#fp=fd7dcc00b5821935&q=human+resource+improvement+article+

2013
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Launching of the 2012/2013 Philippine Human Development Report (PHDR) slated

(WA-201307-SS1-02, Posted 27 July 2013)

The Human Development Network (HDN), with support from the United Nations

Development Programme (UNDP) and assistance from the National Statistical

Coordination Board Technical Staff (NSCB TS), is launching the 2012/2013 Philippine

Human Development Report (PHDR), with the theme Geography and Human

Development.

The 2012/2013 PHDR is the 7th in a series of national human development reports

(NHDRs) that advocates the use of concepts and indicators of human development as a

counterpoint to traditional measures like per capita income in development policy-

making and practice. At its core is impact on individual lives, with people are at the

center of human development.

Aside from a presentation on the highlights of the Report, the programme also includes

the 6th Gawad sa Makataong Pag-unlad recognizing top provinces in terms of human

development, as measured by the human development index (HDI), and those with

greatest improvement in HDI over the period 1997 to 2009 the Gawad sa Makataong

Pag-Unlad Para sa mga Lalawigang May Mataas na Kaunlarang Pantao (2009) andGawad sa Makataong Pag-unlad Para sa mga Lalawigang May Malaking Pag-angat sa

Kaunlarang Pantao (19972009), respectively.

Resource persons include Dr. Emmanuel de Dios of the HDN, Mr. Toshihiro Tanaka of

the UNDP, and Dr. Jose Ramon G. Albert of the NSCB.

Invited reactors for the forum are Undersecretary Austere Panadero of the Department

of Interior and Local Government, Hon. Oscar Moreno of Cagayan De Oro City, and

Sec. Arsenio M. Balisacan of the National Economic and Development Authority. Prof.

Solita Collas-Monsod will serve as moderator during the forum.

Senate President Franklin Drilon will deliver the closing address.

The launching and awarding will be held on Monday, 29 July 2013, from 8:15 a.m. to 12

nn, at the Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria in Ortigas Avenue, Quezon City.

http://www.nscb.gov.ph/announce/2013/13Jul27_WA-201307-SS1-02_PHDR_launching.asp
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6/22

Memo To School HR Managers On Managing Teachers

DIRECT FROM THE LABOR FRONT By Atty. Josephus B. Jimenez (The Freeman) |

January, 2013

This refers to the constantly emerging reality that, in todays world, managing human

capital, by itself, is already more difficult than managing money, machines and other

assets and activities. With much more intensity and complexity, managing human

capital in Universities, Colleges and other academic institutions demand in us, the HR

managers, a greater measure of wisdom, a wider and higher perspectives in human

behavior, a deeper degree of discernment and a more developed reflective thinking

faculties. Managing people in an academic community requires a set of special skills in

communication, human relations, problem-solving and conflict-resolution. There are

simply arrays upon arrays of rising expectations that HR practitioners of lesser caliber

are bound to falter and fail.

First of all, we need to have adequate basic knowledge of labor laws and regulations. It

is a must that we have gained a mastery of the laws on recruiting and hiring people. We

have to know the distinctions among regular, casual, contractual, probationary and

project employees. We need to have a working knowledge on the law and regulations

on legitimate job contracting as distinguished from labor-only contracting. Also, we need

to master the laws on wages, hours of work, including the 8-hour and 40-hour labor law,

and know the nuances of overtime work and pay, and also the pay for work on holidays,

night time, rest days and special holidays, the SSS laws, the workmens compensation

laws for diseases, disability and death.
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We, HR managers in academic institutions, should have complete knowledge, not just a

little learning on, the laws on unions and union certification issues, collective bargaining

negotiations and administration, unfair labor practices and how to avoid and settle them,

as well as the law on the workers rights to peaceful concerted activities, including the

right to strike, as well as managements option to lockout in relation to unresolved labor

or industrial disputes. Above all, we need to know the art and science of grievance

handling and voluntary arbitration, as well as conciliation and mediation, and

compulsory arbitration, including the powers of the Secretary of Labor to assume

jurisdiction on disputes that are causing or likely to cause strikes in indispensable

industries.

We cannot rely on the external legal retainers and counsel all the time, and for they cost

too much money or they seem to lack a sense of urgency, not to mention their

somewhat too removed, too disinterested lack of familiarity with the realities on the

ground. They often give advises and opinions that are not really responsive to the

burning realities in the day-to-day interactions between the management and the faculty

and non-teaching staff. In many instances, lawyers submit recommendations that too

adversarial and too legalistic. They want always to go to court or to arbitrate when

some, if not most, problems can be negotiated or conciliated. Most importantly, and I

say this with due respect, lawyers do not seem to have a well-honed sense of urgency.

They are never on a hurry. They tarry at the expense of the clients, us.

As a retired former Undersecretary of DOLE, and as a former top corporate executive of

San Miguel Corporation and Pepsi Cola, I am currently being asked by various

corporations and conglomerates to conduct in-house learning sessions on such

subjects as Employee Discipline, Grievance Management and Procedures, Problem-

Solving in HR and Employee Relations, The Art and Science of CBA Negotiations, The

Process of Dispute Resolution and Settlement.

Many companies that are successful in their businesses are investing in building

competence among their people. We, HR managers, should consider this proactive,

anticipatory option as better than reacting and firefighting. When I was in San Miguel,

we founded and helped in the building of a SAN MIGUEL LEARNING CENTER in


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Tagaytay. It is the haven where our people were sent for three-day to ten-day learning

courses, all expenses paid by the company and on company time. The teachers were

also San Miguel top executives and managers and outstanding outsiders who, by their

performance and achievements, in work and in profession, have earned the right and

the privilege to teach with handsome allowances and perks.

Much more than labor laws, or any law for that matter, we, HR managers, especially us,

in the academe, must, by this time, have already learned, but must constantly remind

ourselves of, that we need to understand human behavior. There are simply some

immutable laws that do not allow any amendment, at any time and in any place. One of

these is our peoples insatiable thirst for more learning, for information, for more

knowledge. That moment when a company stops to train its people is the moment that

the company starts to die. And we, HR managers, by doing nothing, is the one who

must own the guilt for such demise. In Malaysia and in Indonesia, they would say:

Sayang. In Japan, the HR managers would tender their resignation. Here, we do

nothing. Sayang.

http://www.philstar.com/freeman-opinion/2012/11/11/865403/memo-school-hr-managers-managing-

teachers
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7 Ways to Get Promoted in 2013

5:20 AM ET By: Chad Brooks, BusinessNewsDaily Contributor

Onward And Upward

Heading into 2013, many employees made getting a promotion their New Year's

resolution. But simply working hard isn't always enough to catch the boss's eye. From

being a team player to volunteering for assignments no one wants, business leaders

say there are a number of actions promotion-seeking employees can take to try to get a

leg up on their competition. Here are seven ways to get promoted This Year.

Take Action

Nancy Wajler, interim dean of workforce and economic development at Harper

College in Illinois, said employees looking for a promotion must feel a sense of

ownership in their work by taking initiative and responsibility for getting things done

no matter what the task.

"I call this becoming an 'entrepreneurial employee,'" Wajler said. "You have to step up,

face the day-to-day challenges and take on the day-to-day work in a way that reflects

positively on you and your employer."

Take On Leadership Roles

Employees need to develop emotional equity in their job by taking on added leadership

roles around the office, according to Scott Love, founder ofThe Attorney Search Group,

a Washington, D.C.-based recruiting firm.

Love believes workers wanting a promotion need to contribute to their company with the

same degree of ownership as a real equity owner.
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"They are the first in and last out," Love said of emotionally invested employees. "They

praise others in public from for a job well done, they go out of their way to help a

colleague and they are cheerful and supportive of their colleagues in the midst of a

crisis."

Tweak Your Image

Career counselorRoy Cohen thinks employees looking to advance at work must make

sure they are giving the right impression to their bosses and co-workers.

Cohen said workers need to ask themselves or others they know if their image inspires

confidence.

"It is a simple exercise with the potential for significant benefit," Cohen said."You may

discover that you are doing everything right or that just a minor shift will produce a majorchange in perception."

Be A Team Player

Even those who are usually autonomous in their work should step up to be a team

player when they can, Los Angeles real estate agent Chantay Bridges said.

"These employees work solo, yet are able to quickly join the group for the overall good

of the company," Bridges said.

Improve Communication Skills

When trying to snag a promotion at work, employees need to beef up their

communication skills especially those that can inspire and motivate others, said Bill

Rosenthal, CEO ofCommunispond.

"A really good communicator can gather a diverse group of people, present a challenge

to them and have them leave the room committed to meeting that challenge," Rosenthal

said.
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Volunteer

Lynne Sarikas, director ofNortheastern University's MBA Career Center, said

employees trying to move up the corporate ladder should take on special projects that

others aren't very eager to jump on.

"Often taking on the project no one else wants to do gains you valuable experience and

visibility," Sarikas said.

Ask For It

Nancy Schuman, vice president of marketing forLloyd Staffing said, employees too

often think promotions are just going to be given to them without them having shown

any interest in the step up.

" Don't wait to have it handed to you," said Schuman. "Most employers respond well to

individuals who show initiative and demonstrate a commitment to a job and the

company."

http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/3926-7-ways-to-get-promoted-in-2013.html
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Austria Offers Teachers "Professor" Titles ToEnd Labor Dispute

August 14, 2013|Reuters

VIENNA (Reuters) - In Austria, where a title before one's name is a huge status

symbol, the government is offering to elevate all schoolteachers to "professor" to help

settle a 12-year labor dispute.

Schoolteachers who dug in their heels against any reform of working conditions havebeen asked to work longer hours under more flexible conditions in exchange for a range

of benefits including "professor" titles.

Until now, only teachers at elite secondary schools have been allowed to use the

honorary title of "professor" in Austria, where aristocratic titles been banned since 1919

following the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

But such is the enduring concern with status and hierarchy that nameplates with

multiple instances of "Prof." (professor) "Dip. Ing." (graduate engineer) or "Mag." (holder

of a master's degree) are common, and online forms give title choices that can run into

the dozens.

Reform of working conditions for Austrian teachers was first attempted in 2001, and

talks began in earnest in 2011. After 33 inconclusive rounds of negotiations, the

government this week unilaterally submitted a proposal for independent evaluation.

The draft legislation proposes extending teaching hours to 24 hours per week from 20-

22 now along with an increase in starting salary to 2,420 euros ($3,200) per month from

the present 2,025 to 2,293 euros, but a lower cap on final salaries, as well as the

"professor" titles.


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Chief teachers' union negotiator Paul Kimberger objected to the government's unilateral

move and said it had been too slow to involve all relevant parties in negotiations.

"I don't think the union should put up with this," he told Der Standard newspaper. "It is

much too late and now, shortly before the election, panic is breaking out."

The legislation will almost certainly not pass before the Alpine republic's next national

election on September 29. ($1 = 0.7555 euros)

(Reporting by Georgina Prodhan; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

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Labor Group Seeks Salary HikeBy Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star) | Updated April 16, 2013 - 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines - The countrys largest labor union called yesterday on thegovernment to grant an immediate pay hike to curb the growing number ofunderemployed.

Gerard Seno, Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) general secretary, saidmore and more workers desire additional employment because their income is nolonger enough to purchase their basic needs.

The National Statistics Office (NSO) reported 7.934 million underemployed in January2013, up by 916,000 since January 2012 (7.018 million) and 7.050 million in 2011.

Underemployment refers to people who desire to have an additional job or to work forlonger hours for additional pay.

Seno said in Metro Manila, the minimum daily pay is P456 that only amounts to P306after mandatory deductions of taxes, PhilHealth, Pag-Ibig, and SSS.

Underemployment cannot be resolved if the salary will remain low, he added.

Headlines ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1The TUCP has filed a petition for wage increases of P85 for Metro Manila and P80 forSouthern Mindanao.

The Kilusang Mayo Uno will hold a noise barrage on April 17 to press for a P125across-the-board wage hike nationwide.

The Kalampagan ng Manggagawa at Maralita: Sahod, Itaas! Presyo, Ibaba! protestwill be held in various protest centers in Metro Manila in the afternoon.

KMU chairman Elmer Labog said wage levels in the country have only had meageradjustments under President Aquino while power rates in the country remain one of thehighest in Asia and the world.

Politicians promises of bringing heaven to earth in their campaigns wont make usforget that we are suffering from the hell of meager wages and increasing prices, hesaid.
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We are calling on the countrys workers and poor to join us in our protest.

We vow to make our clamor for higher wages and lower prices stronger in the comingweeks and months. Many politicians are pretending to be pro-worker and pro-poorwithout actually taking up our calls for immediate reforms.

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/04/16/931193/labor-group-seeks-salary-

hike
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The 10 Best Ways HR Can Improve Workplace Creativity And

Innovation

By Cliff Stevenson from i4cp | April 10, 2013, Issue 570

How do you improve creativity and innovation in the workplace on a systematiclevel? And how does HR play a critical role in fostering innovation?In i4cp's newest report,Human Capital Practices that Drive Innovation, humancapital professionals were asked to rate their organizations' effectiveness across eighttypes of innovation, including often overlooked elements such as product developmentand process effectiveness innovation. By creating an index of effectiveness scores,combined with i4cp's Market Performance Index rating for each respondent, i4cp wasable to determine the top ten human capital practices that not only drive innovation, butare also correlated to overall market performance.

The best news is that all of the practices that were found to be the most effective were

those on which HR could have immediate impact -- from seemingly small things likepromoting values to major changes such as the creation of online forums to foster newideas.

And now, the ten best ways HR can improve workplace creativity and innovation (you'llneed to provide your own drum roll):

10. Reward innovation via more engaging work and/or autonomyCreative types aren't always motivated by money -- for them, the work is the reward.

Allow those creative minds the flexibility and space to create.

9. Track innovation talent at both the college undergraduate and/or graduatelevel.Innovation is one of the largest differentiators between high- and low-performingorganizations, and the battle for that innovative talent is heating up once again. Themost effective companies find the brightest minds earlier than their competitors --sometimes even before graduation. Qualcomm leverages an intern program to attracttechnical talent from top universities, and encourages its best performers to return totheir schools as "campus ambassadors."

8. Put in place a formalized or structured idea/innovation review process.When the creative ideas come flowing in, the next step is to create gates that allow

purposeful review of those ideas, so that budgets for new projects can be allocatedcorrectly.

7. Provide internal training in creativity and innovation practices.Innovation and creativity levels vary from person to person, but that doesn't mean thoseabilities can't be improved. Research shows there are proven methods of improving theinnovation process in the brain - take advantage of these. Capital One Financial
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provides employee teams with the time, tools, training and settings to address specificbusiness challenges in creative ways.

6. Put in place discrete budgets to fund innovation projects external to theenterprise (i.e. to generate ideas or products from non-employees).Don't limit your avenues of innovation -- many groundbreaking ideas come from unlikelysources, and when it comes to innovation, more is almost always better. Even small

rewards can be enough to interest customers in submitting their ideas.

5. Have a formal program to find and promote creative/innovative programs,products, or ideas.There's innovation happening all the time at your organization -- without a way toharness and showcase that creativity, much of it could be going to waste.

4. Tie individual bonuses and/or salary increases to innovation.You can't buy creativity, but you can show that innovation is a key component of yourorganization by rewarding the innovative minds in your business. Only 15% ofcompanies surveyed by i4cp indicated that they had these financial rewards for

innovation -- this is certainly an area for improvement.

Flextronics has instituted programs that reward creative ideas and innovationsmonetarily and through recognition. It has two bi-yearly awards focused specifically oninnovation -- one chosen for the best idea and results overall, the other for the best costreduction idea.

3. Include innovation as a major competency in leadership development plans.Having innovative leaders helps promote the commitment to creativity in yourorganization, but only 26% of responding companies include innovation as a keycompetency. At 3M, innovation and leadership are linked directly, and innovation is part

of each leader's responsibility.

2. Define and promote organizational values related to innovation.Having an explicit message that innovation is important creates a more robustenvironment for innovation, and can allow employees to feel safer when taking the risksnecessary for successful innovation.

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February, 2013

By: Ron Porter

Top 3 Corporate Training Trends & Tips

At the start of 2013, we forecast that changes in people, technology, and business

environments would drive three key training trends. Now, at the midyear point, we see

evidence that these trends are accelerating into game-changers for companies ready to

take advantage. In keeping with our reputation of driving innovation and performance,

Allens industry experts are tracking how these trends are performing and evolving. Or,

you can see the trends in action, in the training tips sections by clicking the industries

above.

People (learners) want more. Simply put, our learning audiences are more

familiar with advanced technologies and strategies. They see sophisticated, responsive

training incorporated into everything from smart phone apps to web design to social

media. This integration of learning, branding, and point-of-need messaging is a primary

driver of change. The challenge now confronting training providers is how to meet the

taste and expectation of the learner while still effectively teaching behavior change,

Ron Zamir,Allen CEO said. Organizations should plan their 2014 budgets to allow

content to be repurposed for their audiences new expectations.

Moving forward, we anticipate a business environment with sophisticated learners who

expect instructionally sound techniques, paired with rich-media content. However,

research is showing that only 39% of professional services firms plan to increase that

budget in the next 12 months to emphasize employee engagement and meet these

demands (Aberdeen Research). Of course, with smart strategies and the right
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technologies (see below), you can often improve employee engagement without

additional expense.

Technology should be a resource used to create impactful training tailored to a

learners preferences. Think of it this way: Learners know enough now to expect their

key technologies to adapt to their workflows and reference habits, not the other way

around. In 2013, these technology cycles have only continued to accelerate and have

consequently allowed organizations to have immediate access to an arsenal of tools.

The technology is available and ready to use, Ron Zamir, Allen CEO, said.

Technology is no longer a stumbling block but a resource waiting to be utilized.

Recently, for example, there has been a two-fold increase in the prevalence of mobile

tools for learning, highlighting that mobile is no longer a nice-to-have for learning

programs but a strategic part of any comprehensive learning plan (Aberdeen Research).

Weve reached a point where training professionals need to begin looking at technology

and asking not, When should I do this? but How can I start to transition assets to

newer toolsets? This simple shift will help get to the root issue: media habits have

changed, and outdated approaches will generate increasingly poor results.

Business Environment is the last key driver, and perhaps the most important.

Forty-four percent of professional service organizations now define metrics in advance

and 58% link employee engagement directly to profitability (Aberdeen Research). We

see these numbers growing and, as training and development professionals, we feel a

burden to react not only faster, but also with greater business awareness and superior

analytical models.

In our view, cases where training success is measured in completions and smile sheets

will become increasingly rare. The most successful companies will approach training

with real business results in mind, a plan to map and measure the impact of training,

and a performance sustainment model that allows for real-time assessment of the

program. Rapid training responses can then be implemented when any metric drops
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below standard. In other words, with the right vision, training leaders will play a key role

in business strategy, because improved analytics will show just how vital a responsive,

intelligent training strategy is to staying competitive in the marketplace. By starting with

a good needs analysis, we can identify the business outcomes of the training initiative

and the key success factors for achieving those outcomes, said Anna Sargsyan,

Director of Instructional Design at Allen. An observable and measurable business goal

not only ensures that design strategies foster behavior change; it also helps

organizations measure alignment of that behavior change to business results.

For training tips that take into account these industry changes, check out our Customer

Education, Creative Compliance, and Retail Training section. Each includes industry

examples showing how changes in people, technology and business environments can

provide an opportunity to create training that will positively impact an organization. And

dont worry if youre not directly involved in any one of these industriesoften, the most

creative approaches come from unexpected sources.

http://www.allencomm.com/corporate-training-trends-tips/
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BPA's human resources scandal runs deeper,

The scope and scale of problems within Bonneville

Power Administration's hiring, promotion and personnel

activities are wider than originally reported and will

require an enormous effort to correct, the acting

administrator warned employees of the Portland-based

federal agency Friday afternoon.

Elliot Mainzer, BPA's acting administrator

Elliot Mainzer was appointed Bonneville's acting administrator July 15 after

the U.S. Department of Energy suspended BPA's top two executives amid allegations thepower-marketing agency violated federal hiring practices and retaliated againstwhistleblowers who brought the problems to light.

Current and former BPA executives have suggested the human resources

problems were isolated and that complaints were launched by

nonperforming employees looking to

ainzer's e-mail to BPA's protect their jobs.

M3,100 employees pokes holes in that narrative, saying there are

numerous issues to address and that the time frame in question is almost a

year longer than previously indicated.

He said the agency on Wednesday received the first release of findings

from various audits and inspections of BPA's human resources activities.

Those include the agency's 2013 Human Capital Management

Accountability Program audit.

"Unfortunately, the audit documents a number of serious shortcomings in

our HCM activities and significantly expands the range of issues that we

will need to address," Mainzer said.

Mainzer, who said he was writing from Washington, D.C., did not detail the

findings.
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BPA officials declined to release a copy of the audit to The Oregonian,

maintaining the agency's public blackout on information related to the

inquiry. It referred inquiries to the U.S. Department of Energy, which has

not responded to numerous entreaties from customers and other agency

stakeholders to outline the problems and detail why BPA Administrator Bill

Drummond and Chief Operating Officer Anita Decker have been placed onadministrative leave.

The DOE did not respond to emails or phone calls Friday.

Mainzer noted in his e-mail that all human resources decision-making

authority delegated to BPA from DOE has been temporarily suspended and

that DOE will have final approval for all BPA personnel actions. He said the

findings and "our difficult road ahead" were summed up in a cover memo to

the audit by Kenneth Venuto, DOE's director of human capitalmanagement.

"Going forward, there are numerous corrective actions that will need to be

taken, many of which are outlined in the audit report," Venuto wrote. "The

level of effort needed to complete all required corrective actions is

monumental and the road to full recovery will be extremely challenging.

The entire DOE HCM staff is committed to helping BPA achieve fully

compliant HR activities."

human resources issues

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