A NEW SYSTEM is being instituted to review the performance of senior public officers.
Martin Cox, the acting head of the Civil Service, said the appraisal system known as 360-degree feedback was being implemented under the Performance Review and Development System and should be in place by next month.
It would allow for “objective criteria to assess the performance of the permanent secretaries”, he said, and would also address both strengths and weaknesses.
“It will present opportunities for officers to be counselled and to be provided with any relevant feedback and in worst case scenarios for performance improvement plans to be implemented to address issues of poor performance,” Cox added.
At a general level, 360-degree feedback is a method that provides employees the opportunity to receive performance feedback from among supervisors and selected peers, reporting staff members, co-workers and customers. It may also include self-evaluation.
Cox also revealed that officers seeking to move up the ladder for senior positions must be exposed to certain in-service training in addition to formal qualifications required.
This would include industrial relations management for permanent secretaries, finance for non-finance managers, managing human resources and the Caribbean leaders development programme for senior civil servants. (ES)
