FLRA NEWS
|
FLRA NEWS |
|
The Federal Labor Relations Authority's (FLRA) General Counsel, Joseph Swerdzewski, announced that he is continuing and expanding customer service initiatives based upon the Office of the General Counsel's (OGC) baseline customer survey conducted in 1993, and a more recent survey conducted in 1998 in conjunction with the Authority component of the FLRA. (A comprehensive discussion of the 1998 survey was contained in a Press Release dated December, 30, 1998, and is available at the FLRA's Web Site at www.flra.gov.)
The 1998 Survey measured the success of initiatives begun following a 1993 Survey. The 1993 Survey revealed a need to improve the effectiveness of the OGC's statutory processes. As a result, an action plan to improve customer service was written and incorporated into a strategic plan, town meetings were held across the country, and the OGC staff was trained in interest-based bargaining, facilitation, collaboration and alternative dispute resolution.
The 1998 Survey results reflected that the initiatives implemented by General Counsel Swerdzewski following the 1993 Survey significantly improved the quality and consistency of the services provided by the Regional Offices to its constituents. Notwithstanding these improvements, the General Counsel identified five areas warranting further action. New initiatives have been designed to respond to these concerns and build upon the improvements in the delivery of services to customers by specifically addressing ways to enhance communication with the parties, including: (1) establishing a protocol for publishing timeliness goals and communicating with the parties about the status of their cases in a more timely fashion; (2) revising the ULP Case Handling Manual to incorporate policies, guidance, changes in procedures resulting from the revised regulations, and defined Customer Service Standards; (3) planning a comprehensive training program to improve the investigative, communication and dispute resolution skills of OGC employees; (4) targeting customers to offer specific skills-building training or to arrange meetings to explore the services offered by the OGC; and (5) developing an evaluation program to measure the effectiveness of the OGC's facilitation, intervention, training and education programs.
"The Survey provided us with a wealth of information that will assist us in being more effective service providers and in improving the quality of the work emanating from the Office of the General Counsel. I appreciate the information that our customers provided to us and I am committed to ensuring that their concerns and interests are incorporated into our programs," said General Counsel Swerdzewski.
The FLRA is an independent agency that administers the labor-management relations program for 1.9 million non-Postal Service Federal employees world-wide. The OGC is the independent investigative and prosecutorial component of the FLRA which, among other responsibilities, processes unfair labor practice (ULP) charges and representation petitions through the Regional Offices, and assists parties in improving their labor-management relationship. The General Counsel also periodically issues guidance to the FLRA's Regional Offices on investigating, resolving and prosecuting ULP allegations.
Attached to this Press Release is a summary of the Survey Results that pertain to the OGC's operations and an outline of the planned initiatives, which is also available on the FLRA 's web site. For further information about the General Counsel's initiatives or the Survey Results, contact Ms. Nancy Anderson Speight, Associate to the Deputy General Counsel for Program Review and Evaluation at (202)-482-6680, ext. 205.