As DoD prepares to launch the first phase of a three-level rating system that ultimately will encompass the large majority of its employees, a recent MSPB report underscored the differences in ratings patterns currently existing among the military services.
Where standard five-level ratings systems are used, for example, the Army rates 68 percent of employees at level 5, compared with 34 percent for the Air Force, 11 percent for the Navy and 31 percent for other functions.
In contrast, the Navy rated 65 percent at level 3, compared with 8 percent for the Army, 28 percent for the Air Force and 32 percent for the other functions. The Air Force and other functions each rated 37 percent at level 4 while the Navy and Army rated 24 and 23 percent, respectively. That left less than 1 percent rated as a 1 or 2 in each case.
Under the “New Beginnings” rating system set to start April 1 at mostly headquarters level functions and small DoD entities as the first step of the department-wide phase-in, there will be three levels—1, 3 and 5—with an emphasis on level 3 being considered a valuable, well-functioning employee and level 5 reserved for only truly superior performance. That emphasis, and the elimination of level 4, could significantly change ratings patterns for employees working at level 3 or higher proficiency.
However, the data suggest that there will be little impact on ratings at the bottom. The MSPB found that “failure rates” are about the same regardless of how many rating levels are used; in two-level (pass/fail) systems examined, the fail rate similarly was less than 1 percent.
