In the ranks of the federal government, 99 percent are really good at their jobs — and almost two-thirds exceed expectations or do outstanding work.
That’s the conclusion of a new report by the Government Accountability Office, which also found that 78 percent of high-level civil servants — those in GS grades 13 through 15 — were given top performance scores of outstanding or fully successful. Senior executives were not covered in this data.
The glowing picture of everyone in calendar year 2013, the most recent data available to auditors, is, on one level, good news for federal agencies. But it underscores a more likely reality to many in and outside of government. Rather than so many federal workers being exceptional, the system for rating them isn’t working right.
“Does anyone truly believe that 75 percent of employees rated on a five-level system are outstanding or exceed fully successful?” asked Jeffrey Neal, former personnel chief for the Department of Homeland Security and now a senior vice president for ICF International.
