Efficiency Rating Boards of Review in the Federal Civil Service
| Published date | 01 December 1949 |
| Date | 01 December 1949 |
| Author | Randolph J. Jouno |
| DOI | 10.1177/106591294900200407 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
610
EFFICIENCY
RATING
BOARDS
OF
REVIEW
IN
THE
FEDERAL
CIVIL
SERVICE
RANDOLPH
J.
JOUNO
Chairman,
Efficiency
Rating
Boards
of
Review
Eighth
U.
S.
Civil
Service
Region,
St.
Paul,
Minnesota
O
BE
efficient,
government
must
have
productive
employees
in
both
t
managerial
and
subordinate
jobs.
To
supervise
adequately,
manage-
.
ment
must,
in
addition
to
its
daily
contacts
with
employees,
make
formal
periodic
checks
on
the
effectiveness
with
which
employees
are
per-
forming
in
their
jobs.
Good
personnel
management
requires
periodic
em-
ployee
evaluation
as
a
basis
for
promotions,
within-grade
salary
increases,
reassignments,
demotions,
force
reductions,
and
dismissals.
To
insure
the
making
of
periodic
appraisals,
Congress
made
them
mandatory
by
law
in
1912.1
Efficiency
ratings
are
of
benefit
to
employees
as
well
as
to
manage-
ment.
Employees
are
interested
in
having
their
performance
appraised.
The
competent
employee
wants
recognition.
He
is
entitled
to
the
re-
wards
of
good
work.
As
formal
records
of
the
supervisor’s
evaluation,
efficiency
ratings
prevent
arbitrary
actions
inconsistent
with
the
record.
Although
based
partially
on
production
records,
where
such
figures
are
available,
performance
ratings
rest
substantially
on
the
personal
judg-
ment
of
supervisors.
Recognizing
that
supervision
is
not
perfect
and
de-
siring
to
give
employees
who
are
dissatisfied
with
their
ratings
an
inde-
pendent
body
to
which
to
appeal,
Congress,
in
the
Ramspeck
Act
2 of
1940,
amended
Section
9
of
the
Classification
Act
3 of
1923
to
provide
for
boards
of
review.
Efficiency
rating
boards
of
review
are,
therefore,
in-
dependent
statutory
bodies
whose
decisions
are
not
subject
to
review
by
other
administrative
bodies.4
4
Under
the
Ramspeck
Act,
boards
of
review
were
to
be
established
only
in
the
departmental
service
(Washington,
D. C.).
The
Mead-Rams-
peck
Act
5 of
1941
authorized
the
extension
of
boards
of
review
to
the
field
service
so
far
as
practicable.
Funds
for
oral
hearings
were
not
avail-
able
until
July
1,
1948.
Actual
establishment
of
efficiency
rating
boards
of
review
in
the
field
service
began
shortly
after
that
dante.6
The
boards
are
established
cooperatively
by
the
employing
agencies
and
the
United
States
Civil
Service
Commission
to
the
extent
permitted
by
the
resources
available
for
such
work.
Before
funds
for
oral
hearings
became
avail-
1
37
Stat.
413.
2
54
Stat.
1215;
5
U.
S.
Code
669.
3
42
Stat.
1490;
5
U. S.
Code
669.
4
40
Op.
Atty.
Gen.
476.
5
55
Stat.
614;
5
U. S.
Code
669.
6
Efficiency
rating
board
of
review
regulations
appear
in
13
F.R.
6833.
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