The selection or non-selection of employees to participate in training must not be based on race, color, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity, including transgender status), national origin, religion, age (40 or over), genetic information, disability, or retaliation for engaging in EEO-protected activity as provided by law. As part of its program of equal employment opportunity, the Postal Service prohibits discrimination or harassment based on any of these categories.
In addition, the Postal Service prohibits discrimination or harassment based on other non-meritorious factors, such as political affiliation; marital status; status as a parent; and past, present, or future military service.
Except as otherwise specified in collective bargaining agreements, selecting individuals for training must be based on:
- The degree to which an employee’s improved performance will benefit the Postal Service by helping to achieve immediate organizational needs.
- The relative degree of an employee’s need for training.
- The extent to which training is likely to improve an employee’s performance.
- An employee’s interest in and efforts to improve work performance.
- An employee’s ability to pass the training onto others upon the employee’s return to the job, if appropriate.
- An employee’s career goals and the knowledge and experience required to achieve them.
Unless specifically stated in current directives or a collective bargaining agreement, successfully completing a training or development program does not guarantee promotion or selection to a given vacancy or otherwise mean that the employee will obtain a promotion.
Many learning experiences considered beneficial to the individual and to the organization do not necessarily lead to advancement. These include experiences that may help the employee acquire new or improved behaviors for improving performance in his or her current job.
