Editors' Note: Milestones, Lotsa Milestones

When NOAA's NWS Focus began publishing employee retirements and a limited number of promotions and new assignments, we heard from some readers who wanted to know if we were going to report on all new assignments and departures. Well now we're trying that, and the list is pretty long! We'd like to thank our contacts in the NWS Regional and NWS Headquarters Offices and NCEP who gather the information and send it in to us at the end of each month. Over time we may make some adjustments in the look of these lists in an effort to make the information a little less overwhelming, but we think it's useful to provide this snapshot view of what's going on with NWS employees. Take a look at the list and see if there's a status change reported for someone you know. And thanks for the suggestion!

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Telecommuting Pilot Project Offers Positive Experience For OHD

NWS's Office of Hydrologic Development (OHD) conducted a telecommuting pilot project from May through October, 2001, in response to Public Law 106-346, which requires federal agencies to have policies in place to give eligible workers the opportunity to telecommute. OHD's pilot project examined how effective and viable telecommuting could be for an office with 82 employees. Fifteen individuals participated and worked from home up to two days a week (16 hours). The telecommuting program will continue as a permanent program in OHD in the coming year. In fact, telecommuting hours per week for employees have increased from 16 to 20 hours. To date, this is the only telecommuting pilot program conducted within the NWS. "We expect to complete a weather service-wide telecommuting plan later this year," said Nick Scheller of the Chief Financial Officer's (CFO's) office. "Work to develop an NWS telecommuting program has begun. Once we receive an approved Department of Commerce (DOC) policy, we can implement an organizational-wide program," Scheller said.

OHD conducted a survey among participants, managers, and co-workers in OHD about the telecommuting program. Those who commented said that task deadlines were met; employees were accessible; and morale within OHD improved among all employees, not just telecommuters. In fact, survey results indicate trust between employees and management increased during this pilot program. All survey responses were anonymous. One participant wrote, "Being an employee in today's OHD is an enviable position. I've personally interacted with a number of fellow NWS employees who have voiced their desire to be within an 'OHD like' organization...one in which constant management oversight is not deemed necessary and employee skills and management trust permits telecommuting."

The majority of survey respondents favored continuing OHD's telecommuting program. One of the few complaints about OHD's program was the amount of documentation required of those who participated in this program. Since the survey was conducted, OHD has eliminated some of the paperwork associated with the pilot program in an effort to respond to complaints and encourage more people to participate in the future. Some paperwork is still required. "Overall, this project was a positive experience for those who participated," says Gary Carter, OHD Director. "The program was beneficial because we were able to get the work done and meet our deadlines, while offering employees the flexibility of telecommuting," he said.

OHD's program is a task-based initiative where employees work from home on specified projects such as the preparation of manuscripts, reports, and presentations, and computer system administration activities. Since the survey, the task-based program has been expanded to allow employees to perform some routine office tasks at home as well. Employees in the pilot program supply their own hardware such as computers, printers, and telephones. Software is provided by the NWS, when necessary. This program is strictly a home-based initiative (no telecommuting centers are involved). Commuting distance to or from the work site is not a selection criteria for participants.

Click here to read the previous NOAA's NWS Focus story on OHD's telecommuting project which ran in May 2001.

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NOAA Administrator Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., USN (Ret.) encourages all employees to take the online Information Technology (IT) training course by February 28, 2002. In a January 28, 2002, memo to all NOAA employees he wrote, "IT security is everyone's business, and we all need to be aware of the threats to our IT systems and data, and to know the things we all can do to reduce our vulnerability to these threats." According to the course introduction, this training will help employees meet IT security awareness requirements established by public law, NOAA policy, and common sense.

In support of this request, NWS Director Jack Kelly took the training. "Among the things I learned are to change computer passwords every 60 days and never write passwords down," Kelly said. In addition to password security, other topics covered by the course include data backups, Internet security, malicious code, home PCs and laptops and using NOAA equipment.

Vice Admiral Lautenbacher's memo noted that "over 7,500 NOAA employees and contractor employees have already taken this course since it went online in early December." "I look forward to receiving the word that we have all completed training!" he wrote.

You can access the NOAA IT Security Awareness Training Course on the Web from your office or home at: https://www.csp.noaa.gov/noaa/ITSAC2001/index.htm. If you are accessing the Web site from outside the office, you will have to log in using your NOAA email user ID and your email password. Contact the NOAA IT Security Office at 301-713-9111 if you have problems accessing the tutorial or printing the certificate of completion

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Two weeks into the SFA process, the NWS response rate as of February 1, 2002, is 42 percent. The total NOAA response rate is 41 percent. The survey ends February 15, 2002. For instructions to access and complete the survey, go to http://www.rdc.noaa.gov/~Diversity/sfa02instruct.html. If you have any questions on the SFA, contact your SFA coordinator or go to: http://www.rdc.noaa.gov/~Diversity/sfafaq111.html.

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Working Together to Save Lives: NOAA/NWS Closes Out Hurricane Mitch Project

The NWS International Activities Office closed-out the Hurricane Mitch project in December with a high degree of success, according to Curt Barrett. Through a 2.5 year, Department of Commerce/U.S. Agency for International Development Agreement, signed in May 1999, the NWS received $7.8 million to assist in strengthening hydrologic and meteorological services and building up extreme weather early warning systems in Central America following the October 1998 deadly storm.

"Since flooding is the main natural hazard to the Central America countries, we focused our technology transfer, technical assistance, and training on river basins," Barrett said. More than 10,000 people died as floods and mudslides ravaged the Central America. In some locations rainfall totals exceeded 65 inches in 3 days.

The NWS established a river forecast system for five major river basins (one transnational river basin) and early warning flood ALERT (Automated Local Evaluation in Real Time) systems on smaller flash flood-prone river basins. In addition we installed 25 automated rain gages and a few stream gages (the U.S. Geological Survey installed other stream gages). The NWS installed five automatic weather stations in each of the countries of Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador as well as an upper air observing system in Honduras. Using NOAA contractors, NWS also improved data communications by installing local area networks, voice radio networks, repeater stations, and extensive use of internet for data and forecast product distribution.

Finally, the NWS committed to extensive training and capacity building of the country meteorological and hydrologic services. Weakened meteorological services are now stronger. Previously non-existent real-time river and flood forecast programs are now in place. "NOAA has now officially completed our project goals," said Barrett. "Our hope is that the countries and regions can not only build on NOAA's work but, more importantly, sustain current operations far into the future."

Have an example that illustrates how we work together to save lives? Send it to NWS.Focus@NWS.gov.

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Communication Toolbox:Know Your Audience and Tailor Your Message

Remember when developing a presentation, that unless you are delivering information on a hot issue or crisis, most of your audience will be indifferent or only mildly interested in what you're trying to say, according to the Communicators Guide, issued by the Federal Communicators Network, www.fcn.gov.

The Guide says, "One of the most common errors we make is to try to speak to everybody when we want to reach a target audience. As a result, we reach almost nobody. We can do better if we tailor our messages, rather than shotgunning to everyone. When we know our specific audience,

we know why and how we are trying to reach them-and we can evaluate whether we were successful."

Keep a member of your audience in mind while writing your message. Know all you can about this person's interests, values, and lifestyle characteristics. By using demographics to understand your audiences, you can discover what motivates them to respond to what you offer.

Keep your expectations reasonable. Changing behavior and attitudes can be slow and time-consuming. You may need to repeat the same message often and regularly to create awareness.

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Employee Milestones

• Click here to see NEW APPOINTMENTS/TRANSFERS to NWS through January 31, 2002.
• Click here to see RETIREMENTS/DEPARTURES from NWS through January 31, 2002.

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