RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- In AFPC's ongoing effort to improve consistency and efficiency across the Air Force, supervisors will now receive an e-mail notification when one of their civilian employees is within 90 days of completing a probationary period.

New employees and new supervisors serve an established probationary period during which time supervisors evaluate employees' suitability and capability for fulfilling the duties of the position. The Air Force normally sets a one-year probationary period.

"The Air Force, in conjunction with the Department of Defense, has been working to streamline and automate the way supervisors receive notice that their employees are nearing the end of their probationary/trial period or supervisory/manager probation period," said Kathy Houston from the Civilian Future Operations Branch at the Air Force Personnel Center here. "This ground-breaking initiative opens the door to automate all (Defense Civilian Personnel Data System) suspense notifications and we hope this is the first of many."

Previously, a supervisor received a hard copy suspense notification and would certify in writing if the employee was recommended to be retained in the position. For supervisory/managerial probationary period certifications, the hard copy certified notification would be forwarded to civilian personnel and to AFPC to be scanned into the employee's electronic Official Personnel Folder.

Under the automated process, supervisors will receive a system-generated e-mail notification directing them to use My Workplace to certify that the employee is recommended for retention in the position. Employees performing at an acceptable level will automatically have the required documentation filed in their eOPF.

Supervisors will continue to contact civilian personnel for guidance if the employee is not performing at an acceptable level.

"By automating this process, not only are we providing notifications to supervisors in a timely, consistent manner, but we are simplifying the process in several ways. Civilian personnel will no longer need to print, forward and monitor these notifications. Additionally, the electronic documents automatically flow into the employee's eOPF, removing the former scanning requirement," said Ms. Houston.

As more personnel transactions move to My Workplace, it's important for supervisors to review their My Workplace information for accuracy.

"To ensure receipt of e-mail notifications, supervisors should verify that they can see all employees assigned to them, regardless of pay plan, by logging into My Workplace and reviewing My Employee Information. Necessary corrections should be reported to the local civilian personnel office," Ms. Houston said. "Supervisors should also verify and update their work e-mail address using the Update My Information and Profile tab."

Ms. Houston explained that if there is no supervisor assigned for the employee, or if the supervisor does not have an e-mail address in My Workplace, a paper notification will be generated, distributed and processed as they were before this new capability.

With the anticipated success of this initiative, AFPC's Civilian Future Operations Branch has already identified additional notifications that can benefit from this automation, including notifying a supervisor when an employee's appointment or temporary promotion is about to expire.

My Workplace can be accessed through the AFPC "Ask" Web site, under "Civilian Quick Links."

For more information, visit AFPC's "Ask" Web site and search for "Probationary Completion" or "Trial Completion," or call the Personnel Systems Operations Control Center at DSN 665-5044 or toll free at 800-525-0102, press 8, then press 2, for assistance with accessing My Workplace.