The SES pay for performance system is a potential model for
applying pay-for-performance more broadly in government,
said Ronald Sanders, Office of Personnel Management
associate director for human resources policy. In a
conference call with reporters, Sanders noted that a
tighter link between pay and performance is one of the
Bush administration’s goals and said “it’s important that
they demonstrate it and lead the way for the rest of
government.”
“It tells me that it can be done. We’ve got plenty of places
in government where pay for performance has worked,” he
said.
Sanders said that although ratings for execs tend to be
bunched at the high end of the scale, agencies have shown
discipline in payouts of bonuses under those performance
ratings. “I believe they’ll be able to apply that same
rigor to pay,” he said.
