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Federal News Radio
You’re (almost)
all winners. Literally!
By Mike Causey
November 4, 2016
I once worked at a place that had an employee of the month award. I
forget what the prize was. Maybe because I never won it.
But I digress …
There were only about 25 people in the operation. The top managers, I
assumed, were not eligible for the monthly award. I think the pool of
potential winners was like 17 or 18 people. A couple of interesting
things happened during those days:
For one, we all figured out quickly that there are 12 months in the
year. And 17 to 18 eligibles . That’s a pretty small gene pool. Do the
math.
Secondly, we quickly noticed that the same person kept winning over and
over. I think she won 80 percent of the time. She was good at her job
and it showed. Still, it seemed a bit odd. I never heard anyone
complain. But if money had been involved, like a month’s pay, things
could have been very different.
Did I mention that I never was named employee of the month? Didn’t
bother me a bit, and I certainly don’t dwell on it. And yet …
So I read with interest yesterday’s Federal News Radio report
that 71.2 percent of the government’s career executives (SES) got cash
performance awards in fiscal 2015. That compares with the previous
fiscal year when only 68.4 percent of the SES workforce got bonuses.
The average salary for career SES members was $170,582.
Nearly half of the career executives were rated “outstanding,” which is
as good as it gets.
The story said the average award was $10,746, up slightly from the
previous year. That may be relatively small compared to the ridiculous
bonuses handed out on Wall Street. But, as they say, not bad for
government work.
Did I mention that I never got an award like that? No big deal, but it
got me thinking. And what I thought was this:
If 71.2 percent got an award of some kind that means that 29 percent
didn’t. How do the 29 percenters feel about that? How do their peers in
the SES feel about it? Is there a stigma to not winning? Particularly
if you consistently are passed over. How should they feel? Are people
who get the awards on a regular basis that good?
The story said that the Department of Justice gave the highest bonuses,
of just over $14,000 followed by Treasury, $13,000-plus; Agency for
International Development, $12,226 and the Department of Education, at
just over $12,000. Agencies giving the most awards are Department of
Transportation , followed by Agriculture, Homeland Security, Nuclear
Regulatory Commission and the Department of Energy.
So what about USDA, HUD, Interior, Commerce and State? Are they stingy
with their rewards? Or just more careful as to who, and how many,
deserve them?
The report also showed that only eight (not 8 percent, but eight
people) in the SES got unsatisfactory ratings. That certainly says
something. But what?
Talking with and knowing SES members over the years, you hear all sorts
of things. Most believe, or say, the system is fair. But some say they
sense favoritism. Two, now retired, said that in their agencies the
practice was to give anybody who was retiring that year a cash bonus.
Both said they got the awards and thought they deserved them.
By the time people make the SES (at least most people) they are
considered the best of the best. So maybe the high percentage of awards
and the small number of gigs makes sense. But lots of people on Capitol
Hill are looking at the system.
Any thoughts about how it works — or not — at your place? No names, but
we’d love to hear what insiders think of the system. Send an email to:
mcausey@federalnewsradio.com.
Read this and other articles at Federal News Radio
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