GAO to seek input from employees on changes to new pay system

The Government Accountability Office is seeking input from its employees on potential changes to its controversial pay-for-performance system next year.

In a letter sent to employees on Wednesday, acting Comptroller General Gene Dodaro said he plans to hold a series of meetings with employees, managers and other stakeholders to discuss the system.

"We believe the key to a successful evaluation is establishing a transparent and inclusive process whereby we synthesize all the input we have received from employees to date, obtain additional employee input, and develop proposals that lay out various options for change," Dodaro wrote.

Former comptroller general David M. Walker began implementing major changes to GAO's pay system in 2002. The most controversial of those reforms came in 2005, when the agency split one of the paybands into which employees are divided. Those assigned to the lower half of the band were denied pay raises, even though most received ratings of "meets expectations." The changes fueled complaints that led to a congressional hearing and an employee unionization effort.

Dodaro said employees and managers have expressed concerns about the performance appraisal system at various meetings and in surveys. He also pointed to a forthcoming report by Ivy Planning Group, a management consulting and training firm, aimed at determining the factors contributing to disparities in performance ratings between African-American and white employees at GAO.

Any short-term changes made to the system would take effect in the fiscal 2009 performance cycle, Dodaro noted, since the agency already is halfway through the current performance management year. He said he also would consider longer-term changes.

Lawmakers already have sought to address pay issues at GAO through legislation. Last week, Rep. Danny K. Davis, D-Ill., introduced a bill that would provide lump-sum payments to employees who were denied pay increases in 2006 and 2007. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee approved the measure on Wednesday.

A GAO employee said on Thursday that a representative group of union members has been chosen to help determine what the reevaluation of the appraisal system will involve.

"Many people in management have realized the [appraisal system] is far below what it ought to be," the employee said. "This indicates open-mindedness on the part of the management … and represents the different tone that became immediately apparent as soon as Walker left."

Dodaro plans to host an information meeting for all agency employees in May to begin laying out a project plan that will allow management to "continue to listen, learn and understand from employees and then begin to take action," he said.

"I look forward to working with you to ensure that every GAO employee has an equal opportunity for a fair and unbiased assessment, and that each individual has confidence that our system provides equitable treatment for all," Dodaro said. "Working together, we can strengthen our performance appraisal system for the future."