PPS called for a quick and streamlined review and appeals system. Image: Lisa-S/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek Staff“There are ways to update and simplify the current system that would make it easier to remove poor performers” in federal agencies short of subjecting employees to firing for “politically motivated or unjust reasons,” the Partnership for Public Service has said.
In a “vision for a better government” document, the Partnership said that “the current process for addressing poor performers in government is difficult for managers and confusing for workers, leading to a lack of accountability for government employees who do not carry out their roles and responsibilities effectively.”
That is indicated, it said, by the four-tenths of respondents in the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey who say that poor performers usually remain in their work unit and continue to underperform, and reflects issues including under-use of the probationary period and the length of the disciplinary and appeals process.
However, rather than an approach such as reinstating a “Schedule F” type system that would remove civil service protections, it said that “ there needs to be a quick and streamlined review and appeals system, one that provides due process protections and ensures decisions are not politically motivated.”
Further, managers “should be familiar with how to fairly address performance issues and be trained and provided with support on using disciplinary and removal procedures,” it said.
Regarding the probationary period, it says that “Supervisors should be required to determine whether employees are qualified, unqualified or the right fit during their first year on the job. If an employee is not performing well, agencies should have a process to provide them with additional training, move them to a different position or terminate them before the probationary period ends.”
“New hires should not be automatically advanced to full-time employment if their supervisor does not formally decide whether they are qualified or unqualified. Rather, supervisors should have to evaluate these new employees and conclude that they meet the expectations of the job to move them to full-time status,” it says.
Other priorities in the vision document include better leadership development, improving the hiring process, greater use of data and tech, and improved customer service to the public.
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