Performance and Promotion Flashcards
6 cards from real Civil Service FAQ practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Performance and Promotion flashcards as text
Under 5 U.S.C. Chapter 75, an agency proposes to suspend a federal employee for 14 days. What minimum advance notice must the employee receive?
Answer: 30 calendar days
For suspensions of more than 14 days and other major adverse actions (removal, demotion, suspension for more than 14 days), federal employees must receive at least 30 calendar days' advance written notice of the proposed action.
What is the function of the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) in federal performance management?
Answer: Provides an independent appellate forum for federal employees challenging adverse actions and prohibited personnel practices
The Merit Systems Protection Board is an independent quasi-judicial agency that hears appeals from federal employees who have been removed, demoted, suspended, or subjected to other adverse actions and who allege violations of merit principles or prohibited personnel practices.
What is a 'pass/fail' performance appraisal system and when is it used in federal service?
Answer: A simplified two-level appraisal system (Acceptable/Unacceptable) sometimes used by agencies as an alternative to multi-level rating
A pass/fail (or two-level) performance appraisal system rates employees as either 'Acceptable' (pass) or 'Unacceptable' (fail). Some agencies use this simplified approach as permitted by 5 C.F.R. Part 430, though most use multi-level rating systems.
What is a 'retained rate' (pay retention) in the context of federal pay?
Answer: A protected pay rate paid when an employee's grade or pay is reduced through no fault of their own, allowing their old pay rate to continue for up to two years
Pay retention (retained rate) allows a federal employee whose grade or pay is reduced — for example, due to a reduction in force, reclassification, or health reasons — to retain their previous higher pay rate for up to two years, subject to annual pay adjustment rules.
When an employee files an appeal with MSPB after removal, what is the burden of proof the agency must meet?
Answer: Preponderance of the evidence
In performance-based and conduct-based removal appeals before MSPB, the agency must prove its case by a preponderance of the evidence — that it is more likely than not that the charges are true and the penalty is reasonable.
Under the Senior Executive Service (SES) performance system, what happens if an SES member receives an 'Unsatisfactory' rating in any two consecutive years?
Answer: The executive must be removed from the SES
Under 5 U.S.C. § 3592(a)(2), an SES member who receives an 'Unsatisfactory' performance rating in two consecutive years must be removed from the Senior Executive Service.