Education Department employees tired of biting their tongues when it comes to the performance of their managers and fellow employees will have a chance to tell all under a new performance rating program.
For two years, Education has allowed a handful of employees to test the General Performance and Appraisal System (G-PASS), computerized system in which they rated fellow workers and supervisors. Now, department officials have expanded the computer system's capacity to allow every employee a voice in the rating process.
Twice a year, each employee will type comments about their bosses and co-workers into the program and give each person a rating of pass or fail. The computer system will then compile reports for each employee. Supervisors will see the anonymous ratings for each employee and use that information in formulating the employee's performance review. Each employee and supervisor will also receive a copy of his or her performance report.
Education Secretary Richard Riley ordered the expansion of the system to improve the accuracy of employee appraisals, says Education spokesman Jim Bradshaw.
"It's definitely 90s-style management," he said. "It's very refreshing."
Bradshaw said that employees have been receptive to the new system. "There have been no major complaints. It just took a little bit of getting used to, because usually supervisors just gave us report cards," he said.
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