IP&O Insights Newsletter December issue

“We’ve had a busy but productive year,” said Sarah DiFrancesco, Assistant Director of IP&O’s Employee Services group. “In 2024 we focused on creating as much transparency as possible, and making our services as comprehensive as possible.”

The efforts of IP&O’s Employee Services group are overseen by Ghislaine Darden, Associate Vice President of IP&O’s Strategic Services group. “We focused heavily on Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) this year in the hopes that this would provide our employees with transparency and direction when initiating transactions. This will help us execute orderly transactions for all of our departments, especially for our hiring managers,” said Darden. 

“We completed and released new SOPs for Strategic Organizational Support (SOS),” said DiFrancesco, “and we are excited to announce the release of the first – of several new sections of the SOS standard operating procedures.” These sections will focus on programs that will support our Hiring Managers in a myriad of ways outside of straight forward transactions.

The SOS SOPs are posted on the IP&O Intranet. Section 1, Pre-Transactional Departmental Strategic Planning, focuses on reviewing complex requests and securing necessary approvals before submission to UHR. Section 2, IP&O Recruitment Support, explains how Employees Services’ SOS team partners with IP&O Hiring Managers and Supervisors to enhance recruitment efforts. Most of the identified programs are currently in place and have been for years. These have not, however, been promoted or explained in a formal manner. 

Section 2, IP&O “Recruitment Support is divided into two areas,” DiFrancesco explained. “Transactional Actions and Information Support. Transactional Actions include our Craft Trainee Program, Neurodivergent Staffing Program, Internship Program, and Federal Work Study Program. Our Informational Support includes Alternative Job Boards, and Talent Sourcing Through Recruitment Fairs.”

In addition, Employee Services has most recently worked with IP&O’s Data Analyst, Robert Perez, to create End Date Dashboards. These dashboards streamline the process of managing reappointments, acting appointments, and I9 reverifications, preventing unwarranted terminations. Key features include automated email reminders to supervisors offering options to reappoint or terminate.

“We will continue to refine and improve our processes in 2025 and we look forward to any feedback our colleagues offer,” DiFrancesco said.