The Washington herald., 1915-02-14
Uncle Sans Job Holders
Must Make Good Or Quit
Application Of Strict Efficiency Test Will Result Wedding
Out of Unfit and in Basng Promotions and De-
motions on Scientific Basis

Complete revolution in the system of
! promotion. demotiOns and dismissals
! in the executive departments of the
| Federal government at Washington is
to occur within the next year or two.
Practically every government EN-
ploye will he affected to greater or
! less extent.
1 These changes will result from the
application of a scientific system for
| the measurement of the efficiency of
Uncle Sans servants. The efficiency of
every employe will be tested by the
modern scientific means. and a general
readjustment of salaries on the basis
| of actual work performed will be the
result.
The system now is in the formative
state. but will be ready for application
to all the executive departments with
in the next two years. Experimental
Investigation now is being conducted
by efficiency and economy experts. and
tests are being made at the PostOficc
Depa rtment with a view to perfeCting
the system. which soon will be intro
duced in certain branches of the Treas
ury Department
Old systems Defective.
The plan of determining the eficien-
cy of Federal employees is not ii new
lOtds LOT IL llISl was duN dHCtl 1" flll }
or more years ago. since which time
numerous experiments have been con-
Quoted by the individual executive de-
partments in the National Capital But
most of these experimental systems
have been sadly defective and have
fallen far short OF determining with
any degree of accuracy the real eff
cheney of employees.
They have been based principally
upon Judgments rendered by superior
officials and the noticeable defect has
been the personal cquation-the grave
danger of favoritism and unjust sizing
| up of individuals. So the need of a
better system of ratings or else the ut
ter abandonment of the attempt to
cope with the situation became the two
| horns of serious dilemma confronting
officials interested in greater economy
and efficiency.
Two elements were essential to sue
cess-application of scientific princi-
pies and uniformity of operation
These elements scarcely could be in
/ jcctcd into individual systems operated
| by inexperienced officials of the vari-
Gus departments. So Congress decided
to place the matter in the hands OF
experts. and in 1912 it passed an act
authorizing the Civil Service Commits
| sion to make a thorough investigation
and establish a system of efficiency
ratings for the classified service in the
District. The commission organized an
efficiency division to handle the work
and members OF this branch now are
conducting important experiments Ia
determine the most suitable and most
practicable system of ratings.
Ratings Now Taken.
An experimental system OF ratings
was established in the PostofiCe De-
rartmrnt a few months ago and rat
tngs now AZ" being taken. II is pro-
posed TO apply the same system to Ger
tain divisions of the Treasury De-
pa rtmcnt within the next month or
two. These systems are not perma-
nent; they are instituted for the sole
purpose of permitting the efficiency eX-
Perts to notice how the plan works.
what its defects are, and how they can
! be remedied.
The Civil Service Commission is not
attempting to force the experiments
upon the executive departments. Its
plan is to work with their co-opera-
tion. and only with this cooperation
will it bc possible to establish a sue
Cessful system. The ratings will be
taken by officials of the various de-
partments. hut with the advice and aid
OF experts of the commission. These
ratings will be taken with such fire.
quency as to make them as nearly as
possible records of fact. which means
they will be determined two or three
times a year.
All promotions. demotions and dis
missas will he based upon these rat
ings. and salaries will he readjusted
in accordance with the quantity and
quality Of work done. After consider
able experiments tiOn. standards will be
iiNcd. and employees must keep their
work up to these standards in order to
retai their status. There will be es-
Ia blished a minimum rating of eff
cheney which an employe must attain
before being eligible to promotion; a
standard rating below which no en-
ploye may fall without being denoted.
and another standard rating below
which no employe may fall without be-
ing discharged for ineficiency.
Service Rates to Govern.
All promotions. demotions and dis
missals will be governed by provisions
of the civil service rules. According
to the provisions of the law, the eXecu-
tive departments will be compelled to
furnish the commission with their ef-
f1CienCy ratings at stated intervals. II
any employe violates the rules to be
promulgated for the determination OF
the efficiency ratings he will be re-
moved from office and may also be
punished by a fine of not more than
$1,000 or by imprisonment for not
more than a year
The system will involve a reorganI-
zation OF the work OF many of the di-
visions of the executive departments.
At present there is much duplication
according to the results of investiga-
tion, and there is a sad lack of special
ization of work. To insure the sue
cess of any efficiency rating plan it
will be necessary so to specialize the
work as to render the application Of
measurement methods possible.
The system also will play havoc with
many of the aged employees. Oficials
of the efficiency division feel sympa-
thetic toward these. and they realize
that the discharge of many will add to
the misery and poverty of the world,
but they also have agreed that If any
system of efficiency and economy is to
be applied. it should be applied without
the showing of favor to any one.
whether on account of age or for other
reasons. They declare that the major
ity of the older employees are inefh-
cient. and maintain that the work Of
the departments should not be handi-