[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 181 (Tuesday, September 19, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48532-48534]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-23134]
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[[Page 48533]]
POSTAL SERVICE
Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records
AGENCY: Postal Service.
ACTION: Notice of new system of records.
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SUMMARY: The purpose of this document is to publish notice of a new
Privacy Act system of records, USPS 120.154, Personnel Records--
Employee Survey Process System Records. The new system contains a
collection of statistical data compiled from surveys completed by
employees on various topics and issues related to their employment.
Some surveys within the system relate directly to individual managers
or supervisors whose performance has been rated by the questionnaire
respondents. Other surveys concern particular work locations rather
than individual managers, but these surveys have the potential for
being associated, though indirectly, with the particular manager or
supervisor who is responsible for the work location.
DATES: This proposal will become effective without further notice
October 30, 1995, unless comments are received on or before that date
that result in a contrary determination.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on this proposal should be mailed or
delivered to Payroll Accounting/Records, United States Postal Service,
475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Room 8650, Washington, DC 20260-5242. Copies of
all written comments will be available for public inspection and
photocopying between 8 a.m. and 4:45 p.m., Monday through Friday, at
the above address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Betty E. Sheriff, (202) 268-2608.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Postal Service has, in various stages of
development, a number of employee survey processes that are intended to
help improve postal operations, employee-management relations and
communications, and the leadership skills of managers and supervisors.
These survey processes involve the collection of data from employees by
means of printed questionnaires or by telephone interviews, tabulation
and analysis of the responses, and feedback of the results to the
particular manager or supervisor concerned. The manager or supervisor
is then expected to develop and implement plans for improvement based
upon the problems identified by the responding employees. While
intended primarily for developmental purposes, some information also
may be used to evaluate a manager or supervisor's success in improving
the survey results over time. Records maintained as a result of the
data collection contain primarily statistical information and do not
identify individual respondents. They are retrieved by reference to a
particular manager, supervisor, or work location.
Two examples of surveys that relate to identifiable managers or
supervisors are the ``Employee Feedback'' questionnaire, in which
employees are asked to rate their supervisors, and the ``360 Degree
Feedback'' instrument, which is completed by a manager, and his
superiors, peers, and subordinates. Respondents to the 360 Degree
questionnaire are asked to rate numerically the extent to which the
manager has exhibited certain job-related behaviors. In all instances,
respondents participate in these surveys voluntarily and anonymously.
The results are tabulated and provided to the manager or supervisor in
statistical form. The manager or supervisor is instructed how to use
the information as a tool for improving his or her leadership skills.
Survey results are reported and maintained by reference to the
manager's or supervisor's name and social security number.
The Postal Service also periodically asks its employees to complete
the Employee Opinion Survey. This survey contains questions that
concern a particular work location rather than particular managers or
supervisors. The questions cover general topics such as leadership and
supervision, communication practices, treatment of employees, working
conditions, and attention to quality. As with the other surveys, care
is taken to preserve the anonymity of the employees surveyed. Managers
and supervisors receive the results in the form of ratings for their
own offices. They are instructed to analyze the results, share them
with their employees, and prepare a list of strengths and opportunities
for improvement from which an action plan may be developed and
monitored. Because the results of the Employee Opinion Survey are
reported and kept by work location, rather than by an individual
manager or supervisor's name or other personal identifier, the
information is not maintained or retrieved in a manner that prompts its
establishment as a Privacy Act system of records. Since, however, there
is the possibility, as noted above, that survey results for a specific
work location may become associated with the responsible manager and
may also be used in evaluating the manager's progress in implementing
an action plan, the Postal Service deems it appropriate to include
results of the Employee Opinion Survey in this system of records.
Maintenance of these records is not expected to have a significant
effect on individual privacy rights. Individual respondents to the
various surveys are assured anonymity. Information kept is limited to
aggregate ratings and analyses associated with a particular work
location or manager or supervisor. Managers and supervisors are
provided the survey results that relate to themselves or to the work
locations for which they are responsible. Because the survey results
are intended for internal, developmental use, only three of the
following Postal Service's general routine uses are being applied to
this system of records: Disclosure to a Postal Service contractor,
litigation, or storage. The information will be kept in a secured
environment, with automated data processing (ADP) physical and
administrative security and technical software applied to information
on computer media. Contractors who maintain information collected by
this system will be made subject to subsection (m) of the Privacy Act
and be required to apply appropriate protections subject to audit and
inspection by the Postal Inspection Service.
Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(11), interested persons are invited to
submit written data, views, or arguments on this proposal. A report of
the following proposed system has been sent to Congress and to the
Office of Management and Budget for their evaluation.
USPS 120.154
Personnel Records--Employee Survey Process System Records, USPS
120.154.
Human Resources at Headquarters, and at a contractor site.
Supervisors and managers who are rated under an employee survey
process or have responsibility for a rated work location.
Work location, name and social security number of manager or
supervisor, aggregate data and analyses of data, and national feedback
reports.
39 U.S.C. 401, 1001.
To improve the quality of postal services, employee-management
[[Page 48534]]
relations, and communication between managers and employees by
soliciting employee feedback on job-related issues; to provide
management and supervisors with information needed to improve their
leadership skills; and to provide information for evaluating manager
and supervisor performance.
General routine use statements b, f, and g listed in the prefatory
statement at the beginning of the Postal Service's published system
notices apply to this system.
Paper and computer storage media.
Some survey information in the system is retrieved only by work
location. Other information is retrieved by manager or supervisor name
or social security number.
Hardcopy records are maintained in a secured environment, with
access limited to those individuals whose official duties require such
access. Access to automated records is restricted by authorized user
identification codes. Information on computer storage media maintained
at a contractor site is protected by ADP physical security, technical
software, and administrative security subject to audit and inspection
by the Postal Inspection Service.
a. Employee Opinion Survey Process Records--Retain for 20 years.
Destroy paper records by shredding or burning. Destroy computer records
by erasure or degaussing.
b. Management Development Process Records: (1) Paper Survey Feeder
Records--Cut off at the end of the calendar year and destroy by
shredding or burning 3 years from cutoff date; (2) Computer Records--
Retain for 20 years and then erase or degauss.
Vice President, Human Resources, United States Postal Service, 475
L'Enfant PLZ SW, Washington DC 20260-4200.
Individuals wanting to know whether information about them is
maintained in this system of records must address inquiries in writing
to the system manager.
Requests for access must be made in accordance with the
notification procedure above and the Postal Service Privacy Act
regulations regarding access to records and verification of identity
under 39 CFR 266.6.
See Notification Procedure and Record Access Procedures above.
Postal employees.
Stanley F. Mires,
Chief Counsel, Legislative.
[FR Doc. 95-23134 Filed 9-18-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7710-12-P
