This file was prepared for electronic distribution by the inforM staff.
Questions or comments should be directed to inform-editor@umail.umd.edu.


Text of Letter from OPM's Director, providing comments to MSPB on a
draft of this report:


UNITED STATES OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20415
Office of the Director

September 25, 1991

Ms. Evangeline W. Swift 
Director, Policy and Evaluations 
U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board 
1120 Vermont Avenue, N.W. 
Washington, DC 20419

Dear Ms. Swift:

We appreciate the opportunity to comment on your draft report titled
"Balancing Work Responsibilities and Family Needs: The Federal Civil
Service Response." Overall we found the report to be an interesting and
informative contribution to our understanding of this important area of
human resources management in today's environment.

At the staff level we have been in touch regarding a number of concerns
and technical questions about your analysis, and we understand those
problems are being resolved.

We share your interest in work and family issues, and we are pursuing a
number of the ideas developed in your study. However, we believe
additional research is needed in some areas before reaching conclusions
about what approaches and programs will be most responsive to employee
needs, while taking cost and mission-accomplishment objectives into
consideration.

As noted in your study, there is a striking lack of information
available on what employees need to help them balance work and family
obligations as well as the extent to which various flexibilities are in
use in the workplace. To help fill this void and expand upon your
research in the work and family area, we have recently initiated two
projects.

1.   We are collecting and analyzing information on 1990 leave usage by
     some 225,000 employees based on data from USDA's National Finance
     Center which serves a number of agencies or parts of agencies,
     including Agriculture, Treasury, Commerce, Small Business
     Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and a number
     of smaller agencies. Matching this data with CPDF will allow us to
     analyze demographic variables in leave use, including gender, grade
     level, and length of service.

2.   In November of this year, we will administer an extensive survey to
     a random sample of 53,000 Federal employees nationwide. This Survey
     of Federal Employees includes a number of questions important to
     work and family issues.

Your study has been useful to us, of course, in developing these
research initiatives. We look forward to continued discussions with you
and your staff as our work progresses.

Sincerely,

[signature]

Constance Berry Newman 
Director