Re: APPRAISALS/RATINGS

Did you ever consider that the same people get recognized every year because they are the consistently high performers? Are you suggesting that data showing that different people received recognition every year would be more indicative of a "fair" system? I suppose if one believes that equitably rotating recognition regardless of merit is fair, then you are right. The majority of Federal employees will always believe that ratings are unfair because the alternative is to admit that others are better performers.

Re: APPRAISALS/RATINGS

I’m actually responding to the HR consultant. Many times people don’t stand out because they are not given a chance to stand out. The same people get the same high appraisals every year because they do in fact excel. but others do not excel because they do not get the opportunity. I spent several years plugging along with sat and highly sat appraisals, while I saw the exceptional ratings going to the same people who stood out because they got chosen for projects where they could stand out. I finally made it into that august group when the union asked me to help out with a joint labour/management project. Management was impressed enough to promote me to a position where I could do more analysis and design work, and my appraisals went from highly sat to outstanding.

Re: APPRAISALS/RATINGS

I agree with the original post in this series. Several years ago, I performed an audit on awards. Yep, same people and their friends, each and every time. Others got 8 hour awards, one manager got over $5k in awards in a year; including 2 step increases. Raise red flags. Certainly. Did the IG do anything, nope; nothing at all.

It's mostly about cronyism.

Now, I usually get awards and exceptional ratings and I know I'm not liked by management. But I work my butt off and make them look good. Very little monetary reward but good evals.

Re: APPRAISALS/RATINGS

I just wonder how these "star" performers can consistently earn high appraisals and awards when the team that supports them is barely "avrage". That is my gripe: ONE person gets recognition (and ALL the goodies!) when it took an entire team. Now, the team doesn't even get a raise they can count on.

Re: Keeping notes

If I am understanding what you said correctly I believe you just said that you had too many employees doing too many complex tasks to possibly be able to rate them fairly and objectively.

But in the NSPS the livelihoods of the employees will be based on someone's primarily subjective judgement.

I hope most supervisors in the NSPS are as honest as yourself, but if they admit what you just did then their own appraisal will be lowered. chances are pretty good they will not admit it - not anywhere their bosses could see it.

It is a complex question. I am glad I am not a supervisor.

Re: Keeping notes

Actually, what I said is that I had too many people to keep good notes on them. I certainly knew who was doing a good job and who wasn't, and I believe I could have, and did, rate them fairly and objectively. The problem is that everyone likes to think they're doing a terrific job, and they tend to get upset when the boss tells them they're really not. That's only going to get a hudred times worse under PFP, when people's raises are on the line. Without documentation, a supervisor is not going to be able to withstand all challenges to his or her ratings that will inevitably come up under a PFP system, and no supervisor will be able to maintain that kind of documentation when he or she has too many employees to manage.

Re: Keeping notes

That's exactly why the employee's self assessment is so important! Let your employees help your memory. You'll certainly know if the employee is inflating their performance, but the burden of remembering all their accomplishments doesn't fall on you.