Comment from Leonard Jones
AnonymousOpposeIndividual
Summary: The commenter opposes the elimination of the 52-week time-in-grade (TIG) requirement, arguing that it serves as a necessary preventive control against favoritism and ensures sustained performance. They request that OPM provide empirical evidence that removing this requirement will not increase the risk of inequitable promotion practices.
The proposed elimination of the 52-week TIG requirement removes an important safeguard that has promoted fairness, consistency, and public confidence in the federal merit system for decades. While flexibility in hiring and promotion is important, the current rule helps supervisors and managers ensure all employees demonstrate SUSTAINED PERFORMANCE before advancing to the next grade and reduces the perception of FAVORITISM, PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT, NEPOTISM, CRONYISM, PATRONAGE, CLIENTELISM, or PARTIALITY. Existing merit principles and prohibited personnel practices are essential, but they are largely enforced after the fact. TIG serves as a preventive control. Before removing this longstanding requirement, OPM should present empirical evidence demonstrating that eliminating it will improve mission outcomes without increasing the risk or perception of inequitable promotion practices, circumvention, exploitation of loopholes, or creative compliance.