Pay-for-performance harder than it looks, managers say
For years, federal managers have taken flack for poor leadership and people skills. But now, with laws granting broad new powers to managers at the Homeland Security and the Defense departments, Congress and the Bush administration have put their faith back in bosses. Managers are getting real control over hiring, disciplining and firing employees.
At the core of the changes is pay for performance -- the belief that federal employees, like their private sector counterparts, should be rewarded, or not, based on how well they do their jobs. And the link between salaries and performance is the manager's evaluation of how well each employee is doing.
On its face, pay for performance could not seem more logical, and, to be sure, there are strong arguments in its favor. But in the February issue of Government Executive, Shawn Zeller reports that federal managers who are already using performance-based systems and private sector human resources managers readily agree that it's not easy.