Beth Cobert, acting director at the Office of Personnel Management, has released guidance on exceptions to a policy that caps how much agencies should offer to recruit, relocate and retain employees.
Cobert said in the guidance released Friday agencies can grant recruitment, relocation and retention incentives beyond the limitation set forth by OPM and the Office of Management and Budget in 2010 if they demonstrate that filling a vacant position will address a “critical agency need.”
OPM issued the exemption in an effort to help agencies attract skilled professionals who can help bolster cybersecurity of federal systems, networks and data.
Many agencies have offered 3R incentives to government employees that provide healthcare services to U.S. military personnel and veterans, according to Cobert.
She added that all federal agencies must establish a plan to implement prescribing incentive approval criteria and policies, record the basis for issuing an incentive and evaluate rewards on an annual basis.
Each agency 3R incentive plan will be subject to approval of a chief human capital officer or a human resource director, Cobert noted.
