3 FAM 2340
PERSONNEL ACTIONS
(CT:PER-643; 06-23-2011)
(Office of Origin: HR/EX)
3 FAM 2341 PURPOSE OR OBJECTIVE
(CT:PER-575; 10-13-2005)
(State Only)
(Applies to Civil Service and Foreign Service Employees)
This volume outlines an orderly procedure for Human
Resources (HR) Specialists in the processing of personnel actions within the
Department of State. While intended primarily as a guide for the preparation of
documents, it also provides a general understanding of the Departments
corporate personnel system, Global Employment Management System (GEMS), and the
data elements required for its efficient operation.
3 FAM 2342 SCOPE AND APPLICABILITY
3 FAM 2342.1 Policy
(CT:PER-575; 10-13-2005)
This subchapter of the Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) describes
the basic policies and procedures used in administering various HR processes
and transactions in the Department.
3 FAM 2342.2 Applicability
(CT:PER-575; 10-13-2005)
This subchapter is designed to serve as a primary resource
to the Departments Human Resources community in the processing of personnel
transactions that may not be covered in the Office of Personnel Managements
(OPM) operations manual, The Guide to Processing Personnel Actions, also
referred to as the Guide.
3 FAM 2343 AUTHORITIEs
(CT:PER-575; 10-13-2005)
(State Only)
(Applies to Civil Service and Foreign Service Employees)
Title 5 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
United States Code (U.S.C.)
The Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3901 et.
seq.)
Implementing Executive Orders, regulations, and
directives
3 FAM 2344 Form SF-52, REQUEST FOR
PERSONNEL ACTION
(CT:PER-643; 06-23-2011)
(State Only)
(Applies to Foreign Service & Civil Service Employees)
a. Form SF 52, Request for Personnel Action, is
initiated by the personnel staff or the office that wants to take a personnel
action on an existing or potential employee.
b. The responsible Human Resources office enters and
completes the required information in the GEMS application. The personnel
transaction process in GEMS is based on a workflow that allows the Form SF-52
to move from office to office, electronically. This workflow can be a one, two
or three step process depending on the nature of action being requested and on
the bureaus delegated or non-delegated status.
c. Civil Service (CS) employees: Bureaus with
Delegated Authority, approve, and process the Form SF-52 within their
respective bureau for employees who are at the grade 13 level and below and for
those who are in wage grade equivalent positions.
Exception: Schedule C and all
positions engaged in the performance of personnel functions.
d. The Office of Civil Service Human Resource Management (CSHRM) has agency-wide approval authority for
all SF-52s for all employees.
Exception: The Office of the
Inspector General and Bureaus with delegated authority as discussed above.
e. Foreign Service (FS) employees: Workflow for FS
employees follows a similar path based on the initiating office, i.e., the
bureau or the Office of Career Development and Assignments (HR/CDA).
f. Standard questions on how to prepare personnel
actions can be found in OPMs Guide. The Guide consists of 35 chapters that
provide instructions on personnel actions that range from hiring to separating
an employee.
g. Other resources that can be used for guidance
include 3
FAH-1 H-2340, Title 5 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), United States Code
(U.S.C.), the Guide to Central Personnel Data File (CPDF) Edits, GEMS Desk
Guide, etc.
3 FAM 2345 INITIATION OF PERSONNEL
ACTIONS
3 FAM 2345.1 Civil Service
Employees
(CT:PER-643; 06-23-2011)
(State Only)
(Applies to Civil Service Employees Only)
a. The gaining bureaus executive or Human Resources
(HR) office initiates requests for personnel action on persons who will be or
are under the bureaus jurisdiction. This includes, but is not limited to, the
following actions: appointments, conversions, corrections, cancellations,
reassignments, promotions, change to lower grade, leave without pay, name
change, separations, quality increase, mass transfers or realignment, etc.
b. The Office of Civil Service Human Resource Management (HR/CSHRM) may initiate actions for
reduction-in-force and for cases specifically authorized by the Under Secretary
for Management (M).
3 FAM 2345.2 Foreign Service
Employees
(CT:PER-575; 10-13-2005)
(State Only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees Only)
HR/CDA initiates specific requests for personnel action on
career, career candidates, limited noncareer foreign service (FS) members and
presidential appointees. This is not all inclusive. A more detailed list of
action types and initiating HR offices are listed in 3 FAH-1
H-2342.2-3. Gaining bureaus process appointment actions for non-career and
non-State Department Presidential appointees.
3 FAM 2345.3 Locally Employed
Staff
(CT:PER-575; 10-13-2005)
(State Only)
(Applies to Locally Employed Staff only)
a. American Human Resources Officers (HRO) or the
Management Officer (only if no HRO is at Post) are responsible for initiating and
processing personnel actions for locally employed staff (LE Staff) of State and
participating United States Government agencies under the post's International
Cooperative Administrative Support Services (ICASS) Agreement for Human
Resources Services.
b. The post HRO or Management Officer is delegated
authority to sign and approve personnel actions for LE staff of participating
agencies for a variety of employment mechanisms, such as direct hire forms;
Form SF-52, Request of Personnel Action, Form JF-62, Personal Services
Contracting Action, Form JF-62A, Personal Services Agreement Action or Form
JF-62B, Documentation for Indirect Personal Services Agreement.
c. The Office of Overseas Employment (HR/OE) may
delegate signatory authority for personnel actions to a local HR officer or
specialist, where appropriate. 3 FAM 7000 contains the major portion of
regulations, guidelines and procedures for the administration of the LE staff
personnel program, which includes nationals of the host country, third-country
nationals, and locally resident U.S. citizen employees that are employed as
Foreign Service National (FSN), Personal Service Contract (PSC), Personal
Services Agreement (PSA), or Indirect PSA.
Note: The Indirect PSA mechanism is limited to posts where
direct employment of host country nationals is not possible, and is currently
authorized ONLY for Cuba and China.)
d. Personnel Actions and other required information for
LE staff must be processed in the Post Personnel System (PS) application.
3 FAM 2346 Within Grade Increases
(CT:PER-575; 10-13-2005)
(State Only)
(Applies to Foreign Service & Civil Service Employees)
a. On a bi-weekly basis, regular within-grade increases
(WGI) are processed in the GEMS application using the batch method.
b. The appropriate bureau or HR office must process
corrections and WGIs that are not included in the batch update. The Systems
Oversight Division, Office of the Executive Director, Bureau of Human Resources
(HR/EX/SOD), manages the batch process.
3 FAM 2347 ISSUANCE AND DISTRIBUTION
OF STANDARD FORM SF-50
(CT:PER-575; 10-13-2005)
(State Only)
(Applies to Foreign Service & Civil Service Employees)
a. The Standard Form SF-50, Notification of Personnel
Action, is issued to all employees via an email notification. The notification
directs the employee to their electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF) at
which time the Form SF-50 is available for printing.
b. If web access is not available to an employee, the
responsible bureaus HR office will identify an appropriate method for getting
a copy to the employee.
Note: Each employee must establish a HR online account to
receive and access the eOPF information.
3 FAM 2348 PROCEDURES AND GUIDELINES
(CT:PER-575; 10-13-2005)
(State Only)
(Applies to Foreign Service & Civil Service Employees)
Procedures are published in 3 FAH-1 H-2340.
3 FAM 2349 UNASSIGNED