RCSC working on new PMS for executive level civil servants

RCSC: At least six senior civil servants holding executive positions are reporting to the Royal Civil Service Commission since August as they await their next appointment.

Although the commission denied notifying any executives about non-performance, it was learnt that the executives did receive reminders about their non-performance.

RCSC Chairman, Karma Tshiteem said the commission has asked the six executives to report to the commission for their next assignment, since they have completed the minimum number of four years service in their present positions.

The commission is expecting a change of executives in six organisations. Moreover once the executives have completed four years in one organisation, they are liable for transfers as per the Bhutan Civil Service Rules, 2012.

“We’ll be posting them to appropriate organization,” he said. “Since they are on the waiting list they will continue to be paid.”

Latest record with the RCSC show 147 civil servants at executive level, of which nine are female.

The commission is also working on a new Performance Management System where the performance of the organisation against its plan targets will be the proxy of the performance of the executives. Performance will have a major impact, in addition to integrity and all round leadership abilities on executive’s further career prospects.

“The only message we want to send, and something all executives agree on, is that going forward, getting results and leaving behind strong and sound institutions is all that matters,” chairman Karma Tshiteem said.

According to the commission annual report 2015, RCSC will closely monitor the performance of executives, which will be assessed using evaluation from the Government Performance Management System. This, the report stated was because the performances of employees are largely influenced by the performance of the head.

Additionally a 360-degree online feedback system will also be institutionalized. This will allow the RCSC to develop a more complete picture of the abilities of its executives so that they can be suitably placed.

The commission has also discontinued the past practice of executives “applying” for promotion. At the executive level, every promotion is a meritorious promotion, irrespective of time.

Initially when the OD exercise was initiated, it was supposed to identify non-performing civil servant who would receive Human Resource action in the form of trainings to improve. If that did not help they would be shown the exit door.

The chairman said the OD exercise through the study of the daily logs helped RCSC gain an insight into what civil servants were doing on a day-to-day basis.

The same method will be used for human resource planning and development so that civil servants are fully utilised and that their productivity is continuously enhanced.

Similarly for executives, to ensure that there is clarity on the expectations from people in this critical leadership group as well as ensure they have a set of key skills, a compulsory leadership training called Bhutan Executive Services Training has been developed and launched at the Royal Institute of Governance and Strategic Studies (RIGSS) in July.

“We hope this will have a big impact on the performance of executives and through them, on the civil service as a whole,” he said.

Nirmala Pokhrel

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