At DoD, No Raises for Underperformers

If you're in the approximately 1 percent of Defense civilian employees whose job performance is rated "below satisfactory," the House of Representatives wants to send you a message: You're not getting a raise.

Stephen Losey reports in Federal Times that the 2012 Defense authorization bill, which passed the House Thursday, contains a provision that would deny poor performers annual across-the-board pay increases approved by Congress (well, the raises that used to be approved before the pay freeze went into effect). Under the measure, underperforming civilians still would be eligible for step increases within the General Schedule system.

"An incentive is necessary to entice these employees to improve their job performance," the House Armed Services Committee said in its report on the Defense bill.