GS System Gets Mixed Review

The GS system received mixed reviews at a House hearing this week, where familiar criticisms and defenses were raised. Critics, including many Republicans and outside conservative groups, argued that the 65 year old system is not well suited for today’s workplace and rewards longevity over performance—almost no one is denied a regular within-grade increase on performance grounds. They favored a system that more closely reflects both performance and the marketplace for skills, which could work to the benefit of some employees but to the detriment of others. GAO said that creating such a system “is both doable and desirable” but “experience has shown it certainly is not easy.” Employee associations including the AFGE union and the Federal Managers Association reminded the House federal workforce subcommittee of the problems that arose the last time the government tried a widescale revamp of pay for white-collar employees, the national security personnel system that operated for several years late in the Bush administration. That system suffered from lack of trust in employee ratings that were at the heart of its pay for performance philosophy, witnesses said. They also said that the GS system does promote internal equity, as seen in recent OPM statistics showing virtually no pay gap by gender within the government that could not be attributed to factors such as higher concentration of men in occupations that are higher-paying. OPM made no recommendations other than repeating the administration’s long-standing proposal to create a civil service reform commission, while pointing out that it is urging agencies to use flexibilities already in place.