GOVERNMENT is revamping the appraisal system in the Public Service towards one which is more objective and transparent.

Minister of Labour and the Civil Service, Rawle Eastmond, told the DAILY NATION in a recent interview there were complaints about the previous system being inefficient and antiquated, and Government was now developing the performance review and development system.

He said that among the complaints by many civil servants were allegations of subjective assessments, infrequent comment and supervision, and claims that they were subjected to evaluations after 12 months, but were never told in between of their performance.

However, the new appraisal was aiming to change these things, he added.

"The new system is aiming at constructive feedback where, rather than evaluate a given employee on a one-off basis at the end of 12 months, at periods in the year the employee would be given an account as to how he or she was being perceived. That employee would be allowed to make input," he said.

The minister said the new system was also geared at rewarding those public sector employees who did an outstanding job, and within another 12 weeks his ministry would reveal a major initiative in this regard.

"This ministry is aware that in many non-governmental institutions you get employee of the quarter, employee of the half-year, employee of the year. We are going to do something like that in the Ministry of Labour."

Eastmond said the purpose of the new system was to link an officer's individual performance to the key tasks and key results of their departments, and to provide a set of behaviours aimed at developing the person's skills and behaviours.

The new system, apart from defining the appraisal process, should also help to create a more efficient office environment, he said..

"The new system is intended to improve work planning, to clarify authority, responsibility, reporting relationships and to identify officers' competencies and to pick up where training priorities and training development needs really lie." (WB)