[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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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 

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    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]
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