Policy Brief on Reclassification of the Transportation Security Officer Title Prepared by: Lorina Fraser October 7, 2015

Statement of Issue:

As it stands, the current classification, pay grade and job responsibilities for a Transportation Security Officer (TSO) are not commensurate with the magnitude and sensitivity of the requirements of the position. The current job requirements fail to reflect authority and responsibility levels accurately. Preferred skills should be included to reflect a desire for applicants who possess specific expertise and knowledge related to Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), bomb detection, intelligence and interrogation skills that are important for counter terrorism. As a result of the way this position is classified and the requisite job requirements, it attracts a high volume of individuals with unsuitable qualifications and employment histories. This not only causes employees to become de-motivated and contribute to high turnover rates, it also poses a serious threat to our national security.

The Transportation Security Administration was created as a result of the 911 attacks on America. Born out of this was the position of Transportation Safety Officers (TSO). Transportation Safety Officers (TSO) are charged with the responsibility of preventing a future reoccurrence of terrorism by securing airports, seaports, railroads, highways and public transportation systems. The classification grade and salary for this position is SV-1802-D/D and salaries are part-time 14.95 - $21.36 and full-time $31, 203.00-$44,576.00 per year, respectively. Key educational requirements for this position are a high school diploma or General Educational Development (GED) credentials or at least one year of full-time work experience in the security industry, aviation screening, or as an x-ray technician. Being able to read, speak and comprehend English is an additional requirement.1 A high school diploma or GED is not required for this position.

Policy Implications:

Critics of the current hiring requirement and system have labeled it as a system that perpetuates mediocre hiring.2 High voluntary attrition rates have been noted and attributed to: 1) poor educational and skill hiring requirements; 2) lack of motivation and disengagement from job responsibilities and the organization; 3) poor training and; 4) job fatigue. The TSA’s organizational culture does not support communication between senior leadership, managers, supervisors and front line airport screening staff. Senior leadership has also failed to develop

Policy Brief on Reclassification of the Transportation Security Officer Title Prepared by: Lorina Fraser October 7, 2015 strategic measures to improve airport security in the U.S. and, as a result, it has fostered ineffectiveness and deleterious effects such as major security breaches at U.S. airports.

Policy Recommendations:

Reclassification of the TSO Title

TSA officers are charged with ensuring national security, yet they are the lowest paid Federal workers.3 In addition to being the lowest paid Federal workers, the skill set and training requirements for employment in this position are minimal and are not in line with the scope of responsibilities to prevent a terrorist attack. Recognizing that there is a push to reduce cost that have ballooned out of control, it appears that in this scenario business decisions at TSA regarding pay are dogmatically based on conventional wisdom that suggests pay does not equal motivation. However, serious security breaches as noted in the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General’s February 23, 2015 report where TSA agents were deficient in their performance of baggage and passenger screenings, raises serious concerns whether TSO’s lack commitment to their job responsibilities and questions their qualification and training.

Job Description and Job Analysis

A job analysis of the current position for transportation safety office should be conducted by Office of Management and Personnel to gather and interpret information about the job tasks and responsibilities. Job analysis is done to evaluate the job function and not the employee currently performing the job. This needs to occur so that everyone including the applicant and hiring mangers and supervisors understand the nature of the position and clearly understand what quality of employee is being recruited and the role they play within the organization. After findings are achieved, a comparison should be done with other jobs in the same department or job grade.

An examination of duties and responsibilities and amount of time an employee will spend performing certain functions within the context of the job must be assessed. It is important to conduct job analysis to determine skills and competencies needed to perform duties in a specific position and the same criteria can be translated into the recruitment effort for suitable candidates.4 A determination can then be made of the job’s level of importance compared to other jobs and the level of knowledge and skills that are required to perform the job. Resulting from this inquiry will be evidence that it is compulsory to hire individuals who minimally have

2 Policy Brief on Reclassification of the Transportation Security Officer Title Prepared by: Lorina Fraser October 7, 2015 training and knowledge of improvised explosive devices (IED), interrogation and behavioral profiling skills, law enforcement and military training. These individuals are better prepared and with proper training will be readily adaptable and can easily integrate into the security screening work environment.

Employee Retention and Motivation

After conducting the job analysis and review of the job description, hiring and retaining talent should be the next objective. Recruiting for individuals who will be charged with the responsibility of protecting the nation’s security is no easy feat and requires careful planning and implementation. Requisite job skills are important for productivity and motivation. When an employee is hired who lacks the requisite job skills, that employee is placed in a stressful situation because of fear that they lack the ability to perform their job functions correctly. This can lead to a high level of stress which, subsequently, leads to frustration, demoralization and disengagement from assigned tasks and the organization. When an employee is disengaged “they show little passion or creativity for their jobs and go through the motions.”5 Even though these employees may have been previously engaged, due to unhappiness with job assignments, lack of opportunity for promotion, a perception of salary inequity and distrust of their superiors, contributes to disengagement.6

According to the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General (OIG), low employee morale at some airports contributed to their 17 percent voluntary attrition rate.7 Low pay was cited as another factor for high employee turnover.8 In addition to attrition, during 2010 and 2012 attendance and leave was reported as a high offence category and accounted for 32 percent of employee cases adjudicated.9 Negative publicity of the TSO job performance has also negatively impacted their motivation and job engagement. In February, the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General’s office, reported on breaches at national airports where TSO officers failed to detect weapons and other prohibited items 95 percent of the times in covert tests. Additionally, failing to identify an explosive during a pat down.10 As a result of this major breach, the OIG has asserted that the TSA should be committed to ensuring competence; appropriate practices for hiring, training, promoting compensating and disciplining.

Re-engaging TSO’s has to be a major priority for the TSA. Superiors must understand that once engaged employees develop a level of motivation and usually give their best to be successful at

3 their job. This corresponds with Douglas McGregor’s theory X that if a job is satisfying it will lead to commitment to the organization. Engagement involves creating an environment where employees feel connected with their work and care about doing a good job. “Employee engagement equals emotional commitment, emotional commitment equals hard work, and hard work equals productivity.”11

Policy Brief on Reclassification of the Transportation Security Officer Title Prepared by: Lorina Fraser October 7, 2015

Improving Communication with Staff

The TSA can improve the way managers communicate with TSOs. The OIG reported that they interviewed employees who felt that the agency’s effort to educate them on initiatives available to address workplace concerns were inadequate.12 It is important that employees feel supported. In their context of work, supervisors must host regular face-to-face meetings with TSOs to encourage dialogue that allows employees to air concerns and make suggestions on improving work performance. Management must use employee feedback to improve processes. When this occurs, employees will feel that they are being heard and that their input is important in the decision making process. This type of meeting should also be as an opportunity to keep employees apprised of important developments and to clarify and provide a rational for changes in agency goals and priorities. Senior leadership must also engage employees by occasionally being visible at team meetings and hearing first hand employees’ feedback regarding work issues. This also demonstrates to employees that management cares. It will also give senior leadership the pulse of the employees and knowledge of performance issues so that they are not caught off guard when these issues escalate and the agency bears the brunt of negative press. Management can use information gathered from meeting with front line staff in conjunction with employee surveys to develop better strategies for improving performance gaps during training and to remove barriers to productivity. Preventing retaliation by establishing a non-formal avenue such as a hotline or a suggestion box will allow employees to freely state complaints and provide allegations of wrong doing and work complaints without fear of retaliation from supervisors. And, lastly, acting on complaints received from the hotline and suggestion box, to improve supervisors and managers’ performance, demonstrates to front line staff that senior leadership is willing to act on inappropriate behaviors that can directly impact national security.

4 Voluntary Attrition and Sleeping on Duty

Since there has been a significant decrease in staff due to voluntary attrition, adequate staffing levels must be addressed to prevent TSOs from working long hours of overtime. This in part contributes to fatigue and diminishes alertness to security threats. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) in 2013 reported that two thousand screeners were found sleeping on the job. Implementing suggestions for employee motivation and retention, along with hiring well compensated, qualified, motivated and engaged employees, will contribute to improving adequate staffing levels. This will in turn give supervisors the flexibility to properly plan and execute the scheduling of front line employees.

Policy Brief on Reclassification of the Transportation Security Officer Title Prepared by: Lorina Fraser October 7, 2015

Inadequate on the Job Training

Inadequate on the job training has also contributed to decreased employee morale and deficiencies in work performance. Checked baggage screeners received less hands-on practice due to lack of access to practice equipment and equipment used for actual job function.13 A training module must be planned and designed to specifically address performance and learning objectives. Course content and instructional equipment must be comparable to actual equipment used by employees to perform their daily duties. And as the GAO suggested, improve standardized administration of practical demonstration exams.14

5 Training should be provided in a designated facility and properly equipped with state of the art technology that enhances the online training experience. Employees must be scheduled at this facility for training instead of at their local airport where break rooms or areas close to checkpoints are utilized. Proper scheduling of personnel must be done to ensure that employees are allowed adequate training time to complete required training. An employee who is assigned to be trained should not be scheduled for work assignments on the same day. In order to gain the wealth of knowledge needed for effective job performance, adequate time must be allotted for the employee to absorb and comprehend technical material. Training for this position is mandated and should be carried out as mandated. Employee training should not be comprised as a result of low levels of TSO availability. Lack of proper training for TSOs is attributable to low job performance.

The TSA should explore hiring experienced training professionals who are familiar with training and design. The current haphazard mechanism that is employed is unsuccessful and has deep roots in the cause of voluntary employee attrition, disengagement and security breaches. Another consideration would be contracting with an experienced security firm to train the Operational and Training Technical Division (OTT) on proper training curriculum development and methodology for the TSA. The OTT staff would gain industry insight on how to better develop and conduct trainings and develop new skills themselves. This will translate into successful trainings for TSO and improvement in performance.

Changing Organization Culture

The senior leadership must understand their role in ensuring that the safety of our nation is not compromised as a result of bureaucracy and incompetence on their part. As such focus should be placed on utilizing best managerial and security practices in aviation to ensure national security. Reactive and disjointed approaches to program management will not cure the ills of the TSA. Paramount for the TSA should be the acquisition of skilled, knowledgeable managers with leadership competencies who can properly assess risk and develop appropriate action plans for mitigation. Currently, the antiquated patch work approach is inadequate. TSA leadership has

Policy Brief on Reclassification of the Transportation Security Officer Title Prepared by: Lorina Fraser October 7, 2015

6 failed to properly utilize it resources to fulfill its mandated mission at the cost of taxpayers’ dollars.

Multilayered bureaucracies are not effective for managing this complex organization that faces such a dichotomy of tasks and high priority issues. The focus has to be on achieving high quality results by meshing all areas of accountability and ensuring that all stakeholders are empowered to achieve organization success.

7 References:

1. USA JOBS 11 Sept. 2015< https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/301113700>.

2. Making Airport Screening Saner 23 Aug. 2011 https://consortiumnews.com/2011/08/23/making-airport-screening-saner/

3. Brian Naylor, TSA Officers Among Lowest Paid Of Federal Workers. 26 Jan. 2010 .

4. Job Analysis as an Important HRM Function Retrieved from

5. Pat Cataldo, Focusing on Employee Engagement: How to Measure It and Improve It Retrieved from

6. Pat Cataldo, Focusing on Employee Engagement: How to Measure It and Improve It Retrieved from

7. GAO Highlights, Transportation Security: TSA could strengthen Monitoring of Allegations of Employee Misconduct. Aug. 13 Retrieved from http://www.gao.gov/assets/660/656301.pdf

8. Thompson Hearing Statement - Aviation Security Challenged: Is TSA Ready for the Threats of Today? 29 Jul. 2015 Retrieved from

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