Two new bonuses for public employees

Benchmarking among employees is at the core of the presidential decree presented today at noon by the Administrative Reform Minister, Dimitris Reppas.

Within the presidential decree there is a specialized mode of evaluation, as described in the relevant law passed in the House.

During his presentation, Mr. Reppas stated: “It is very important that in order for the employee to be promoted now, it is not sufficient to receive a positive evaluation, to be a good employee, but he also has to be better than the rest of his colleagues, depending on the rank he wishes to achieve, given that for the first time there are quotas in the new evaluation scale for the promotion of employees to the next rank. This means that it is not enough for the employee to be good. He must be better than his colleagues. There is an element of benchmarking in order to achieve career advancement.

The presidential decree also includes a number of innovations, including:

-The “performance contract” which each employee will sign with his or her superior. In the contract there will be a detailed analysis of the targets set, the time frame within which these targets must be achieved, the anticipated results and the assessment indicators whereby we can conclude whether the targets have been met.

- A quarterly check on individuals and services to determine the course of the goals set. Each goal will have a specific performance indicator. According to Mr. Reppas, “the assessment of the employee's performance is obtained by using a formula from the aggregate score of goals on a scale of 0 to 100, divided by the number of targets in order to extract the so-called average”. Each employee will not be evaluated by their immediate superior, but by the head of the immediately overlying organic unit which the employee is assigned to”.

The employee will be entitled to appeal the final assessment. The process will be supervised by the newly established 7-member Supervisory Council of Evaluation.

The decree also provides for the granting of benefits associated with the evaluation process: an incentive allowance to meet objectives and a bonus for achieving financial objectives.

The evaluation will commence in late 2012 and bonuses will be awarded in 2013.

Finally, Mr. Reppas described the main objectives of the Presidential Decree, which will be:

1.    The evaluation and comparison of employee qualifications to determine their rank and salary advancement.
2.    Providing motivation to each evaluated employee to improve the skills and performance of staff.
3.    The proper management and utilization of human resources in a service towards more efficient operation.
4.    Rational and efficient organization and staffing of the organic units of government and other public sector bodies.