I'm a GS-9 step 2 on a career ladder that goes up to GS-12. I was eligible for promotion in October 2015 but received my PMAP review in late January where I got a 3.5 rating. I am in a weird position because I was brought in via a special hiring authority (was a contractor for a while beforehand) and thus have an extended probationary period (ends October 2016) and while my supervisor is in one branch (my official home) my salary is paid for by two other branches - essentially leaving me with three bosses but my primary supervisor is in charge of promotion decisions. My primary branch is notoriously stingy with promotions, while the other two branches that pay my salary promote continuously and have supported my requests for promotion.

I have asked my boss for a promotion numerous times, and have asked exactly what I need to do to get a promotion. She was always very vague about whether I would be promoted at my PMAP and very vague about what she expects to be promoted. When it came time for my PMAP she just said "you're not quite there yet" with little else as far as what I needed to do and when I could expect a promotion.

Today I received an email form our union representative that basically said that if I received more than a 3.0 on my PMAP and have been performing at a satisfactory level for a year in grade, than I should be promoted. It also mentioned that the policy states that if I am not to be promoted when I am eligible, I should be provided written notification at least 60 days prior to my eligibility date citing what I need to do to get promoted, why I haven't been promoted, and even given extra time if needed to achieve that level of competency. He offered assistance should I request it.

Should I get the union involved? I'm worried that while I may be successful in getting promoted to the GS-11 (no GS-10 in my ladder), which would help me out in a big way financially, that I may piss off management to where they don't convert me at the end of my probationary period - but then again, the union would probably have something to say about that.

2/2/2016 12:44:38 PM

My comments are g14 classified

2/2/2016 1:03:04 PM

yes

2/2/2016 1:03:34 PM

That could have been written in sanskrit and I probably would have understood it just as much.

2/2/2016 1:05:57 PM

TL;DR version: Dude is eligible for promotion. Dude didn't get promotion. According to the union, if he didn't get one, he should have been given notification as to why, since it is almost "automatic". Didn't get that either.

Have you talked with HR? Or maybe any of your coworkers at a similar level in their career? Don't know where in the government you are but I'm a federal employee too and I have an admin officer that specializes in this kind of thing that I can talk to, so maybe you do too?

[Edited on February 2, 2016 at 1:21 PM. Reason : ]

2/2/2016 1:20:40 PM

I am an AO haha and I'm in HHS. I've spoken with my colleagues and they are dumbfounded as to why I didn't get a promotion, they even went to my boss on my behalf, as did the branch chief of one of the branches I support (he actually pays 50% of my salary out of his budget). HR typically stays out of these things in my division. They're more for recruitment, hiring, benefits administration, and separation. They just process promotions for accounting/tracking purposes.

2/2/2016 3:14:37 PM

Is it because of your extended probationary period? I know around our office the new people we bring in are on a fairly strict schedule to get from a 9 to a 12. A guy I trained for my team has been working at a fairly solid 12 level for over a year. He is grasping concepts and doing better work than the 5 and 2 year contractors on my team and dominating most of his other peers on different projects and yet he is just now getting to an 11 (from 9) and will be another year before a 12.

2/2/2016 9:01:05 PM

I'm not familiar with non-automatic promotions. they usually have to give you a reason for denying the promotion. I was hired as a GS-07 with a 2 year probationary period (10 months for retention purposes) and received my GS-09 after 1 year and GS-11 after 2 years. I got my GS-12 on the third year and now am maxed out aside from Step increases (will be Step 5 this year) unless I apply for a GS-13 (management). all of this has been automatic, and all of my evaluations were at least 3.0. Are you covered by the AFGE? I'd at least give your local rep a call because you should have gotten the promotion automatically; not getting it means someone withheld it, and you should have been notified in writing.

2/2/2016 9:22:18 PM

they may almost be compelled to promote you to avoid any anti-retaliation complaints (if you are worried about pissing off mgmt)

2/2/2016 9:22:24 PM

Hmm, well discuss it more with the union if you're getting literally zero feedback from your boss but just ask their help for getting the basics at first. Use their leverage to learn what you need to improve/do to get your promotion in writing from your boss. If she really fights it when all your colleagues are getting promotions or have received promotions earlier with similar work performance, then maybe involve the union more.

If it really gets annoying you can always transfer to another position in the federal government through your connections therein. If you're halfway competent there are many managers who would be happy to take a chance with you, I would imagine. See: My ping pong career (which is about to bounce again). Sometimes you will encounter management that decides they don't like you, and it can stall your career out if others are getting bonuses, high-visiblity projects, awards, etc and you're not for the same effort.

It's hard to see that objectively though and in hindsight you may regret taking any rash decisions (see: my ping pong career, though it's about to be better for it after a ~1.75 year hiatus). My first federal situation, my supervisor and work leader left the org, we had no structured promotion schedule, and I got way in over my head for being ambitious and being willing to address and try to solve a backlog of problems, so I had to leave (but came back for time #2). My second situation was a bit different as my manager really liked me but the director of engineering told other directors that my work was shit (work that I completed in my first federal employment in a different department/command in the same building) directly behind my cubicle. After leaving I realized that the second situation wasn't that bad, and nobody cared what that director said because he literally talked shit about everybody and had no idea the project he was insulting was mine (no initials on the drawings).

The union should be able to get your manager to comply with the rules outlined for your position. That's part of why they are there, to help you and represent you in a situation where you may be treated unfairly and to at least push for a hard reason for why you shouldn't be promoted. If it boils down to your manager arbitrarily deciding you weren't "ready", then they'll probably cave after some pressure to provide justification when you're within compliance with typical work performance requirements, your performance review was above-average, and they haven't told you anything that you've done wrong or that you could do better. Just be cordial with your manager and avoid saying anything to other parties about suspicion of unfair treatment, that she doesn't like you, that you don't like her as a result, etc. Federal work environments are full of gossips and you should avoid confiding in anybody unless you've known them for a while and you know you can trust them. (More lessons I've learned along the way.)

Edit: Also, I had to ping pong jobs to get my gs12 and build real engineering experience to get positions with additional responsibility. If you are competent at what you do, are reliable, and get along reasonably well with people and your manager is worried that you're a flight risk, they might be holding off on promoting you to try to lock you down in your organization since you're not at your working grade yet. It's harder to transfer up a grade than it is to move laterally, let alone up 3 grades, so if you had your 12 and saw a better opportunity in the area you could easily transfer. While you're a 9, it'll be harder to transfer since your experience only technically qualifies you to move up to a 10 level position after a year. Those time in grade requirements are insidious and can make it difficult to get out of a bad situation.

[Edited on February 3, 2016 at 12:40 AM. Reason : oh look mindstorm wrote even more words, how surprising]

2/3/2016 12:34:27 AM

Quote :

"If it really gets annoying you can always transfer to another position in the federal government through your connections therein. If you're halfway competent there are many managers who would be happy to take a chance with you, I would imagine. See: My ping pong career (which is about to bounce again). Sometimes you will encounter management that decides they don't like you, and it can stall your career out if others are getting bonuses, high-visiblity projects, awards, etc and you're not for the same effort. "

If I transfer to another fed job I'll have to restart my two year probationary period (ends this October) so my only option is to transfer internally or wait it out. I'm very well liked/respected here - I'm very social and my work has been very highly thought of. I've done analytical projects for several branch chiefs, the division director, and my work has even been noticed by other division leaders and upper management. I recently got the highest level award that is offered at my agency for outstanding program management.

I've reached out to other branch chiefs, both in my division (I'm actually doing a part-time detail now in one branch) and in other divisions. Hopefully something will open up soon. I was hired as an AO because it was the only job available when I converted from a contractor (management analyst). So now I'm basically doing all of the AO workload plus they're still using me for analytics since nobody else can do them. I actually handle the majority of the workload, and my audits have shown that I'm by far the most efficient.

My boss and I get along very well as people. She is very motherly and says that she thinks of me as a son, wants to see me go far in the government, etc. but she's also the textbook micro manager. It's very hard for her to let go of anything - she works 60+ hours a week and even when she takes vacations she logs in most of the time. My co-workers and I have spoken with her (together) on several occasions because we can tell it's taking a toll on her health (she's been taking 1-2 sick days a week for the past few months).

I just feel like I'm getting screwed because I'm doing a very good job - all of my coworkers and the branch chiefs of the programs I support have all told her they think I deserve a promotion. I left my job with NCSU to come here as a contractor because I really wanted to be a Fed. They gave me 3-month contracts for two years and really strung me along until finally I switched branches and my current supervisor brought me on permanently. However, they didn't count any of that experience into my grade determination so I've been making about the same money since I was still in grad school. My supervisor had promised when she brought me on that she'd get me to GS-11 as soon as I was eligible but now it seems like it's just a carrot that's being dangled in front of me. I can't get any clear guidelines as to what I'm supposed to do. It's vague stuff like "show more independence" (which is hard to do when you're constantly micro managed to the point of being told how to respond in emails).

I really take pride in my job and being a Fed but this is extremely frustrating and I feel like I'm being taken advantage of because of the situations with the short contracts and long probationary periods - they know I pretty much can't do anything until October.

2/3/2016 10:24:36 AM

I would ask for details with your boss in writing. Don't go over your bosses head unless your willing to end up fighting it out.

If your boss doesn't provide a satisfactory responds, get everything in writing. Document everything. Every conversation, every email, et cetera.

Inform your boss you are going to talk to HR/Union. Are you sure you covered by the union (very few GS-12s are).

Be ready for possible retaliation. You need to be able to clearly document what they did wrong, a clear pattern of not providing you information required for promotion.

After you go to HR and union you need to document everything. If they assign you a project deadline that is too short, EMAIL them. You need proof that you notified them that it wasn't a satifactory timeline.

Finally,

The way most people get fired, Timecards/Bullshit. Don't fuck up the simple shit. It will be hard for firing you for performance, but easy to fire you for being 15 minutes off on your timecard.

2/9/2016 10:10:31 PM

^ solid advice

2/9/2016 11:14:08 PM

Another thing to remember, even if you force your hand with your boss or the higher ups, it may be a CLR (Career Limiting Move) in your current organization.

Most higher ups try to avoid the sticky management crap. You go after your boss, your going to pull cycles and attention from your mgmt/friends higher up (those 13/14/15), and nobody likes the squeaky wheel.

Remember, if you betray your boss, people above you will note that you may betray them (Unless you are assisting them in getting rid of your boss, in that case you may get promoted, but will still never be trusted).

In short, stick it out, its fucking 8 months of a lower salary. Once your in, apply and move on, as they obviously haven't done what they need to retain you. You have TSP and a pension, people would die for that now-adays.

2/10/2016 1:40:24 AM

^Thanks!

I'm a GS-9 trying to get to GS-11. I talked to the union and they said that it was tricky since I'm on probationary status and basically I should just forward the email to her and casually ask about it, so I did. I haven't heard back from her since. They know they've got me stuck for the time being. I spoke with a guy from another division who I got along with really well when he was an analyst but has now just moved up to be the interim branch chief and will probably get the job. He said an analyst job will be opening up soon so hopefully it will be at the 11 and I can just leave this mess of a division behind me.

2/10/2016 12:37:16 PM

I can relate, I've been with the govt 10 years now. I had been told when my supervisor retires, there will be an opportunity for advancement. Well two supervisors have retired, instead of re-advertising the job, we consolidated areas. Of course I have applied for other positions within the Agency, however they are either filled by veterans (veteran preference), minorities (cultural transformation) or by promotion from within that area. I just have to "be patient" and wait until my number is called.

2/11/2016 11:40:38 PM

veterans preference does not apply to internal advertisements.

2/12/2016 1:12:32 PM

Have you checked with your parents to see if one of them would call your boss and demand you get promoted?

2/13/2016 6:18:33 PM

Welp, I just got the promotion!

Thanks for the advice y'all and to the person that PM'd me.

2/17/2016 4:57:32 PM

2/17/2016 5:57:02 PM

NOICE!

Congratulations!

2/17/2016 11:55:49 PM

The union letter definitely helped - she said she hadn't planned on promoting me until October otherwise (would have been two years in grade - not to mention I contracted in literally the same job for two years before that but it doesn't count).

Now my boss is trying to petition to get me out of the union so this doesn't happen again next year when I'm eligible for GS-12.

Hopefully the union will block that - but then she'd just rate me less than 3 on my PMAP so I wouldn't qualify. I'm definitely going to try to move divisions when something comes up.

thanks again y'all

2/18/2016 11:43:15 AM