A chronology of the major milestones in the evolution of employee performance
management in the Federal Government is presented below.
Year |
Actions |
1883 |
Pendleton Act, or Civil Service Act
- Attempted to provide a merit system to end favoritism.
- Required promotions by merit competition, but no centralized appraisal system was
established.
|
1912 |
First Law on Appraisal
- An appropriations act directed the U.S. Civil Service Commission (now the U.S. Office of
Personnel Management) to establish a uniform efficiency rating system for all agencies.
|
1923 |
Classification Act of 1923
- Resulted in establishment of a "graphic rating
scale" in 1924, which was used until 1935.
- Was effective, but unpopular.
- Supervisor marked along a scale for each "service
rendered."
|
1935 |
Uniform Efficiency Rating System The Civil Service
Commission established the Uniform Efficiency Rating System by regulation, which was used
until 1950.
- Factors were grouped under the headings Quality of Performance, Productiveness, and
Qualifications.
- There were five rating levels for each of the three categories, and also five summary
rating levels.
|
1940 |
Ramspeck Act
- Directed establishment of independent Boards of Review to decide rating appeals in each
agency.
- Boards included the Civil Service Commission and employee representatives.
|
1950 |
Performance Rating Act
- Purpose was to identify the best and weakest employees and to improve
supervisor-employee relations.
- Required the establishment of appraisal systems within all agencies with prior approval
by the Civil Service Commission.
- Established three adjective summary rating levels: Outstanding, Satisfactory, and
Unsatisfactory.
- Employees could still appeal ratings, but now through a statutory board of three
members, one from an agency, one selected by employees, and the Chairman of the Civil
Service Commission.
|
1954 |
Incentive Awards Act
- Authorized honorary recognition and cash payments for superior accomplishment,
suggestions, inventions, special acts or services, or other personal efforts.
|
1958 |
Government Employees'
Training Act
- Provided for training to improve performance and to prepare for future advancement.
|
1962 |
Salary Reform Act
- Required an "acceptable level of competence" determination for granting General Schedule
within-grade increases.
- Provided for the denial of the within-grade increase when performance is below the
acceptable level.
- Authorized an additional step increase for "high
quality performance."
|
1978 |
Civil Service Reform Act Agencies required to develop
appraisal systems for all Federal employees.
- Office of Personnel Management approval of appraisal systems required.
- Appraisals must be based on job-related performance standards.
- Agencies must encourage employee participation in establishing performance standards.
- Appeal of appraisals outside an agency was eliminated.
- Results of the appraisal must be used as a basis for training, rewarding, reassigning,
promoting, reducing in grade, retaining, and removing employees.
- Employees can be removed for unacceptable performance on one or more critical elements,
but only after being provided an opportunity to demonstrate acceptable performance. The
standard of proof was reduced from preponderance of the evidence to substantial evidence.
- Reductions in grade and removals are appealable to the Merit Systems Protection Board.
Established a separate performance appraisal system for Senior Executive Service
employees.
- One or more fully successful rating levels, a minimally satisfactory level, and an
unsatisfactory level required.
- Agency Performance Review Boards to make recommendations to appointing officials on
final ratings required.
Established performance-related pay authorities.
- Provided for performance awards for career executives; at least a Fully Successful
rating required, and recommendation of the Performance Review Board.
- Provided for Senior Executive Service Meritorious (career) executive awards ($10,000 for
sustained accomplishment over a period of years; limited to 5 percent of executives) and
Distinguished (career) executives awards ($20,000 for sustained extraordinary
accomplishment, limited to 1% of executives).
- Merit Pay established for supervisors and management officials in Grades GS 13-15 with
funding for merit increases limited to what would have been paid as within-grade
increases, quality step increases, and half of comparability adjustments (employees were
guaranteed half of comparability adjustments only).
|
1984 |
Civil Service Retirement Spouse Equity Act
- Established a 5 percent minimum performance award for Senior Executive Service
employees.
- Merit Pay System abolished and Performance Management and Recognition System (PMRS)
established.
- PMRS Employees rated Fully Successful or higher guaranteed full comparability increases, with
Minimally Successful getting half, and Unacceptable getting none.
- PMRS Employees guaranteed merit increases of specific amount based on their performance
ratings and position in pay range for their grade level.
- Performance awards program for PMRS employees established, with a minimum funding level from .75 percent to
1.15 percent of estimated aggregate salaries over five years and a minimum performance
award of 2 percent of employee's salary required
for an Outstanding rating. Maximum award funding was set at 1.5 percent of estimated
aggregate salaries.
- Performance appraisal revisions in PMRS include five summary rating levels required, no forced
distributions of ratings allowed, and joint participation in setting standards required.
|
1985 |
Final Performance Management and Recognition System
appraisal and pay regulations issued.
- Implemented legal provisions regarding general increases, merit increases, and
performance awards.
- Established procedures for determining merit increases and performance awards for
"unrateable" employees.
- Described pay-setting procedures when employees move between pay systems.
- Established minimum appraisal periods and procedures for rating employees who are
detailed to other positions.
- Required higher level approval of ratings and performance-based personnel actions.
|
1986 |
Final Performance Management System regulations issued.
- Appraisal regulations for General Schedule and Prevailing Rate employees and for SES
employees issued, which paralleled Performance Management and Recognition System appraisal
regulations of 1985.
Regulatory pay-for-performance system established.
- Fully Successful rating required for within-grade increases.
- Outstanding rating required for quality step increases.
- Fully Successful rating required for career-ladder promotions.
- Performance award program required for General Schedule and Prevailing Rate employees.
|
1989 |
Legislation extends the Performance Management and
Recognition System (PMRS).
- Revised merit increase amount for Fully Successful employees in the middle third of the
pay range from one-third to one-half of a merit increase, to parallel step increases in
the General Schedule.
- Set minimum performance awards funding at 1.15 percent of estimated aggregate salaries
for duration of the extension.
- Allowed for the reassignment, removal, or reduction in grade of PMRS employees who did
not attain a fully successful level of performance after being given an opportunity to do
so.
Revised Senior Executive Service appraisal regulations.
- Permitted three to five summary rating levels. Must include an "Unsatisfactory,"
"Minimally Satisfactory" and "Fully
Successful" level.
- Deleted requirement for rating period to end between June 30 and September 30.
|
1991 |
Legislation again extends the Performance Management and
Recognition System.
- Allowed using a written statement of work objectives to establish performance
requirements.
- Removed requirement for mandatory performance award for employees rated Outstanding and
the accompanying 2 percent minimum award.
Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act
- Provided specific legislative authority for payment of rating-based cash awards to
General Schedule employees like those authorized under the Performance Management and
Recognition System.
- Provided authority to grant time off as an incentive award.
|
1992 |
Revised regulations on summary rating levels for General
Schedule and Prevailing Rate appraisal systems.
- Allowed summary ratings at 3, 4, or 5 levels but required agencies to include "Unacceptable,"
"Fully Successful," and "Outstanding" levels.
|
1993 |
Performance Management and Recognition System (PMRS)
terminated.
- Provided for orderly termination of the PMRS and payout of merit increases and
performance awards based on October 1993 ratings.
- Provided for phased conversion of employees not on a step rate back to step rates based
on specified personnel changes.
- Retained authority to pay employees at non-step rates until changes occur to place all
employees on a step rate.
|
1995 |
Performance management regulations revised.
- Further decentralized the performance management program to allow agencies to develop
programs to meet their individual needs and cultures.
- Established 8 permissible summary rating patterns allowing from two to five levels for
summary ratings.
- Combined all award authorities in one part of the regulations, 5 CFR 451.
- Streamlined the appraisal system approval process.
|
1997 |
Revised regulations on reduction in force and performance
management.
- Allowed flexible crediting between 12 and 20 additional years of service retention
credit for ratings of record given under different summary level patterns.
- Retained traditional 12-16-20 year crediting when all ratings of record being credited
were given under a single summary level pattern.
- Revised credit averaging to use actual ratings of record given without "filling in the
blanks" with presumed fully successful.
- Removed use of presumed fully successful ratings and replaced them with credit based on
the modal rating when employee had no ratings of record.
- Provided for immediate or delayed implementation at agency discretion to allow for
education, partnership, and automated system revision efforts.
|