Employees

ELM REVISION

Acts of God and Civil Disorders

Effective July 24, 2003, the Employee and Labor Relations Manual (ELM), section 519, Administrative Leave, is modified by adding civil disorders to the provisions already included for acts of God. Section 519.22 is eliminated. Information on civil disorders is incorporated into ELM 519.21, and subsequent sections are renumbered.

We will incorporate these revisions into the next printed version of the ELM and into the next update of the online version accessible on the Postal ServiceTM PolicyNet Web site at http://blue.usps.gov/cpim; click on Manuals.

Employee and Labor Relations Manual (ELM)

* * * * *

5 Employee Benefits

510 Leave

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519 Administrative Leave

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519.2 Special Conditions

[Revise the title of section 519.21 to read as follows:]

519.21 Acts of God and Civil Disorders

519.211 General

[Revise 519.211 to read as follows:]

Acts of God and civil disorders involve disasters such as fire, flood, storms, or riots in the local community. The situation must be general rather than personal in scope and impact. It must prevent groups of employees from working or reporting to work.

[Revise the title of 519.212 to read as follows:]

519.212 Authorizing Administrative Leave for Acts of God and Civil Disorders

[Revise the introductory sentence of 519.212 to read as follows:]

The following provisions concern administrative leave for acts of God and civil disorders:

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519.213 Determining the Cause of Absence

[Revise the text to read as follows:]

Postmasters and other appropriate Postal Service officials determine whether absences from duty allegedly due to "acts of God" or civil disorders were, in fact, due to such cause or whether the employee or employees in question could, with reasonable diligence, have reported for duty.

[Revise the title of section 519.214 to read as follows:]

519.214 Early Dismissal Due to Acts of God and Civil Disorders

[Revise the introductory sentence of 519.214 to read as follows:]

When employees are dismissed from duty before the normal completion of their duty due to an act of God or civil disorders, the following applies:

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519.215 Employees Prevented From Reporting

[Revise the introductory sentence of 519.215 to read as follows:]

Employees scheduled to report who are prevented from reporting or, who after reporting, are prevented from working by an act of God or civil disorders may be excused as follows:

* * * * *

[Delete current section 519.22. Renumber current sections 519.23 through 519.24 as new sections 519.22 through 519.23, respectively.]

- Compensation,
Employee Resource Development, 7-24-03

POSTAL SERVICE EMPLOYEES

2003 U.S. Savings Bonds Campaign - Series I

Our 2003 U.S. Savings Bonds Campaign is progressing well. Described below are features of the Series I Bond that you may find helpful in making your investment decisions.

The Series I Bonds are issued at face value. (A $100 Series I Bond costs $100.) They are offered in six denominations by payroll deduction as follows: $50, $75, $100, $200, $500, and $1,000. I Bonds are an accrual-type security - meaning interest is added to the bond monthly and paid when the bond is cashed. I Bonds grow in value with inflation-indexed earnings for up to 30 years. The I Bond interest rate comprises two parts: a fixed base rate and an inflation adjustment. The fixed rate remains the same for the life of an I Bond. The inflation adjustment is updated every 6 months to track the inflation rate and is computed using the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This helps your investment keep pace with inflation.

Every May 1 and November 1, the U.S. Treasury Department announces the fixed rate that will be in effect for all I Bonds issued during the next 6 months. The Treasury Department also announces the inflation rate that will be in effect for all I Bonds when they enter a new semiannual interest period during the next 6 months.

Therefore, the total return on your I Bonds is updated every 6 months. For example, if you buy an I Bond in January, it will earn the composite rate of the fixed rate in effect when you bought it and the inflation adjustment announced in November. Your I Bond will earn that rate for 6 months, until July. In July, your I Bond earnings will be a composite of the fixed rate in effect when you bought it and the inflation adjustment announced in May.

As of May 2003, the interest rate for Series I Bonds is 1.10% (fixed rate) plus 1.77% (inflation rate). Additional information on both Series EE and Series I Bonds is available on our Intranet page at http://blue.usps.gov/corporate/bonds/welcome.htm as well as on www.savingsbond.gov.

- Information Technology, 7-24-03

NEW MANAGEMENT INSTRUCTION

Corporate Succession Planning

The Postal ServiceTM is unveiling a new corporate succession planning process - one that contributes to the Transformation Plan imperative of moving the organization toward a performance-based culture.

• After researching succession planning best practices in corporate America, and in collaboration with Postal Service officers, Diversity Development is releasing Management Instruction EL-660-2003-1, Corporate Succession Planning, which details the new process, in this edition of the Postal Bulletin (see page 3).

• This process is designed to be open, fair, inclusive, transparent, and standardized, yet highly competitive and performance-measurement based.

• New features include self nomination, automated individual development plans, and a state of the art leadership assessment and development tool.

• If you have a commitment to excellence for leading this organization into an even stronger transformed business entity, you are encouraged to read the management instruction and familiarize yourself with requirements to participate.

- Headquarters and Field Programs,
Diversity Development, 7-24-03

Management Instruction

Corporate Succession Planning

This instruction provides guidelines for administering the U.S. Postal ServiceŽ corporate succession planning process.

Date July 24, 2003

Effective August 18, 2003

Number EL-660-2003-1

Obsoletes N/A

Unit N/A

Suzanne F. Medvidovich
Senior Vice President
Human Resources

CONTENTS

Policy

General Policy

The Postal ServiceTM is committed to preparing, for executive responsibilities, individuals who have the potential for highly effective management performance. To be prepared to respond effectively to future vacancies and increased economic challenges, the organization must make the most of its workforce. The goal is to have a pool of qualified Executive Administrative Service (EAS) and Postal Career Executive Service (PCES) employees ready to fill current executive and officer positions.

Through the corporate succession planning process, the Postal Service seeks to identify, select, and develop a group of highly qualified employees as future leaders.

Characteristics of the Process

Nominations

To identify future leaders throughout our organization, the corporate succession planning process encourages nominations of employees with high potential for officer and executive positions.

The process:

a. Allows an officer to nominate an executive for an officer's position.

b. Allows PCES executives to:

• Nominate themselves for an officer's position.

• Nominate themselves for other executive position pools.

• Nominate EAS individuals for executive position pools.

c. Allows EAS individuals to nominate themselves for executive positions.

Succession Planning Committees

Role of Succession Planning Committee

Officers establish succession planning committees at each area and in each Headquarters function. The committees are responsible for the following:

a. Assisting officers with identifying potential successors at the beginning of the succession planning cycle.

b. Reviewing and analyzing applications for meeting criteria based on corporate competencies.

c. Meeting quarterly to ensure that potential successors are fulfilling their individual development plans.

Composition of a Succession Planning Committee

The officer chairs the Succession Planning Committee and selects three or more of his or her executives to be members. The managers of Diversity and Human Capital Development at the area and the Diversity/Succession Planning liaisons at Headquarters will be members of the area succession planning committees and the Headquarters succession planning committees, respectively.

Procedures

Stage 1: Application

Criteria for Self and Executive Nominations

Minimum Criteria

a. Nominees must be a current PCES executive or an EAS employee at EAS-22 level or above.

b. Nominees must demonstrate successful performance through merit evaluations over the past two years.

Additional Experience Requirement

Nominees must have current leadership experience within the past three years. Examples of qualifying leadership experiences include the following:

a. Giving direction to, and coordinating the activities of, subordinates or others.

b. Having program management responsibility for development and execution of function or corporate programs.

c. Making decisions that directly affect an entire operation's budget or resources.

How to Apply

Stage 2: Assessment and Selection

Stage 3: Final Selection and Approval

Stage 4: Development

Developing Potential Successors for Readiness to Take Executive Leadership Roles

An individual development plan provides an opportunity for ongoing education and development of a potential successor, as well as prepares potential successors for lateral developmental assignments and promotions to executive positions. All potential successors must have an individual development plan.

Developmental activities should target and align the individual's leadership competency development against potential position pool requirements. The intent is to tailor individual development along a spectrum of activities, such as detail assignments, task force leadership, program or project management, focusing on developing the individual toward "readiness" status for a leadership position.

Performance Cluster, Area, and Headquarters Responsibilities

NEW PUBLICATION

Award-Winning Brochure Highlights Postal Service's Diversity Strategies

Diversity Development published a new promotional brochure, Publication 241, A Diversified Team. This brochure focuses on Postal ServiceTM diversity strategies and highlights our mission of creating an inclusive organization in which we integrate the diversity of our employees, suppliers, and customers into how we do business.

Managers and supervisors can use the four-panel, color brochure at outreach events, diversity conferences, seminars, workshops, and other business meetings. The brochure recently won the 2003 APEX award for Publication Excellence in the Public Relations and Information Brochures.

Publication 241 is available on the Postal Service PolicyNet Web site at http://blue.usps.gov/cpim; click on PUBs.

Publication 241 is also accessible on the Internet at www.usps.com; click on About USPS & News, then Forms & Publications, then Browse All Periodicals & Publications, and then Publications (either PDF Format or Text Format).

You can also order Publication 241 from the Material Distribution Center (MDC) as follows:

• Touch Tone Order Entry (TTOE): Call 800-332-0317, option 2.

Note: You must be registered to use TTOE. To register, call 800-332-0317, option 8, extension 2925, and follow the prompts to leave a message. (Wait 48 hours after registering before placing your first order.)

• E-mail: Complete PS Form 7380, MDC Supply Requisition (manually or using FormFlow), and send it as an attachment to the e-mail address MDC Customer Service or to mcustome@usps.gov.

• Mail: Mail a completed PS Form 7380 to the MDC at the following address:

SUPPLY REQUISITIONS
MATERIAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER
500 SW GARY ORMSBY DRIVE
TOPEKA KS 66624-9702

The following information is needed to order the brochure:

PSIN: PUB241
NSN: 7610-05-000-5590
Unit of Measure: EA
Minimum Order Quantity: 1
Bulk Pack Quantity: 500
Price: $0.1897
Edition Date: 04/03

- Headquarters and Field Programs,
Diversity Development, 7-24-03

NEW FORM

PS Form 3571, CFS Quality Control Log

PS Form 3571, CFS Quality Control Log, has been developed to document the observed work practices of Computerized Forwarding System (CFS) employees. These include validating safe work practices and efficient work methods. PS Form 3571 is a two-page form. The first page is used to validate observed work practices. The second page is the instruction worksheet on how to complete the form.

This form is available on the Postal ServiceTM PolicyNet Web site at http://blue.usps.gov/cpim; click Postal Forms. If you require any additional information regarding completion of this form, contact Headquarters, Customer Service Support, at 202-268-5053.

- Customer Service Operations,
Delivery and Retail, 7-24-03