Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-01-08
EFFICIENCY RATINGS
PROVE STRICT CURB
Federal Employees Can Be
SummariIy Dismissed for
inefficient Work.

Operation of the newly established
efficiency rating, under the classified
ton act. is gradually revealing the
commanding part it is to play in the
control of pay, and even to dismissal
of employees.
Employees under the civil service,
for instance who fall below the mini
mum percentage set by the efficiency
rating are TO be summarily dismissed.
The Government emplOye must come
up to scratch" or he is automatically
dropped from the rolls without even
the customary written statements
and a chance to explain himself,
which, under other dismissals, is
granted by the civil service laws.
The only opportunity an employe
who has been dismissed on grounds of
low efficiency has of appealing to the
Civil Service Commission, it is pointed
out, is where he can present proof
that the dismissal was not because of
inefticiency, but on account either of
political or religious" prejudice.
Affected Four Ways.
The classification act provides that
the efficiency rating affects the pay
of Government workers in four diff
ferent ways: "(a) Increase in the
rate of compensation for employees
who have not attained the maximum
rate of the class to which their po-
sitions are allocated; Cb) Continuance
at the existing rate of compensa ton
without increase or decrease; (c) de-
crease in the rate of compensation
for employees who at the time are
above the minimum rate for the class
10 which their positions are allo-
Gated, and (dl dismissal"
The Personnel Classification Board
has drawn up an efficiency rating as
provided by the law. 1t has commu-
Eicated it to the departments. 1t has
obtained from the Attorney General
an Interpretation of the law which
decided that the ratings should be
made public to all employees of a de-
partment-
Now the situation develops into the
possibility of handling reductions in
salary and dismissals should the de-
partments in rating their employees
ind inefficient individuals
increase in salary. or stability of
salary may be graded by the de-
partments, it i ssaid without recourse
TO the Classification Board.
But when it comes to reductions in
salary, or in dismissals from the serv-
Ice for ratings below the minimum
set down by the board the law has
this to say:
Reductions in compensation and
dtsmissals for inefficiency shall be
made by heads of departments in all
cases, Whenever the efficiency ratings
Warrant, as provided herein. subject
TO the approval of the board" 1t is
pointed out that the laws saws shall"
1t Is not known how many Gov
eminent employees have been found
by their rating officers to he so far
below standard as to come in line for
reduction a dismissal
The Civil Service Commission, it
was emphattcally announced today,
will not interfere in the operation of
the rating as relates to reductions
and dismissals.
No Protection fer inefficient.
In fact, it was said on behalf of
the commission, that there seems to
exist generally an erroneous notion
that the Civil Service laws protect
the inefficient worker, or those who
are clogging up the pay roll. Moth
ing is further from the fact, it was
explained.
The Civil Service laws provide for
two things in the case of employees
who are up for dismissal, it was
amplified.
First, if the employee is to be dis
missed after the six-month proba-
tionary period, while he is being tried
out, the employe has d right TO a
written statement from his chief as
to why he is being dismissed. And
he has right also to submit writ
ten statement in his defense.
Second. If an employe who is about
to be dismissed or has been dismissed
can furnish convincing proof that the