'Govt must apprise employees of their annual performance'
New Delhi: In a significant verdict having bearing on the careers of millions of government employees, the Supreme Court Monday ruled that the government must apprise its employees of the annual assessment of their performance, irrespective of it being good or bad.
A bench of Justice H.K. Sema and Justice Markandey Katju said it is mandatory for the government to let its employees know about their annual appraisal to enable them represent to the government if they did not find the evaluation satisfactory.
The bench gave the ruling on a lawsuit by retired Executive Engineer Dev Dutt of the Boarder Road Organisation (BRO), who was denied promotion to the next rank of superintending engineer in 1993 simply because his performance was not rated as "very good" during one of the five years preceding the year in which he became eligible for promotion.
His performance was rated as merely "good" in 1993, while the BRO service rules stipulate that employees with only "Very Good" five entries in their Annual Confidential Records during all the five years before the year of their promotion can be promoted.
Posted in one of the north eastern states, Dutt challenged denial of his promotion before the Gauhati High Court, contending that had he been apprised that his performance was rated as merely good in 1993, he would have made a representation against it and could have succeeded in getting his performance re-evaluated to his satisfaction.
But BRO contended before the high court that a "good" entry in the A.C.R. is not an adverse entry and as per a September 1987 order of the Ministry of Personnel and Public Grievances, BRO was liable to convey only adverse A.C.R. entries to its employees to give them a chance to make representation against it and possibly get it upgraded.
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Reader’s comments
Comment 1: Hi everybody,
It doesn't matter what the Supreme Court says or does. In the end, it is for the administration to act on it. In India, we dont utilise our brains for doing something good, But just wait and see, some one will come up with a better idea to beat around the system.
In Armed forces, it is heard that the ACRs are intimated to the personnel after a period of three years and that too the marks (which are in a very wide range) is not intimated, just the grade is intimated, which is just the same as i have mentioned above (beating around the bush). Even getting a very good grade does not assure one of promotion, since the range in the particular grade is very high. Also, the chamchagiri (as it is properly known) will not reduce, since the number of promotions are very less compared to the number of aspirants. Further, as commented by suma, the average thinking of Indians are very less and the boss always thinks negative about his sub-ordinate if he refuses to do his personal work. Any way hoping to see a bright future atleast fifty years from now.
Posted by : Rangaraja - Wednesday, May 14, 2008
It doesn't matter what the Supreme Court says or does. In the end, it is for the administration to act on it. In India, we dont utilise our brains for doing something good, But just wait and see, some one will come up with a better idea to beat around the system.
In Armed forces, it is heard that the ACRs are intimated to the personnel after a period of three years and that too the marks (which are in a very wide range) is not intimated, just the grade is intimated, which is just the same as i have mentioned above (beating around the bush). Even getting a very good grade does not assure one of promotion, since the range in the particular grade is very high. Also, the chamchagiri (as it is properly known) will not reduce, since the number of promotions are very less compared to the number of aspirants. Further, as commented by suma, the average thinking of Indians are very less and the boss always thinks negative about his sub-ordinate if he refuses to do his personal work. Any way hoping to see a bright future atleast fifty years from now.
Posted by : Rangaraja - Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Comment 2: It is time the government and defence sector proacted and moved onto a 360 degrees feedback system.It is vital that an appraisal system should not discriminate on lines of who is the " favourite of the boss" over and above parameters of performance. Often team spirit, competency levels in an organisation is confused by the rating official as the person who can “play favourites to whims of the boss” to the maximum/ more than the team and is awarded to be the top performer. And hence an appraisal system should try and minimize this gap to make it an attractive organisation to work for.The number of people going to court would definitely come down for this purpose.
We do hear that in the government and defence sector the result of an appraisal system is known to an official for the first time after a period of 5-10 years, where he picks up his first rank. ( this is really long and would breed chronic ill health in a work environment). Conducting of examinations on understanding of the appraisal system on both `rating officers’and` being rated officials’ would minimize any dissatisfactions or biased feeling on the officials in the system.
I am sure this is food for thought for both, officials in a government setup as well as the legal system in the country. Every job should give a fair platform for career development and empower a person to perform better for the organisation and country at large.
Posted by : Roma Ahuja - Tuesday, May 13, 2008
We do hear that in the government and defence sector the result of an appraisal system is known to an official for the first time after a period of 5-10 years, where he picks up his first rank. ( this is really long and would breed chronic ill health in a work environment). Conducting of examinations on understanding of the appraisal system on both `rating officers’and` being rated officials’ would minimize any dissatisfactions or biased feeling on the officials in the system.
I am sure this is food for thought for both, officials in a government setup as well as the legal system in the country. Every job should give a fair platform for career development and empower a person to perform better for the organisation and country at large.
Posted by : Roma Ahuja - Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Comment 3: It is time the government and defence sector proacted and moved onto a 360 degrees feedback system.It is vital that an appraisal system should not discriminate on lines of who is the " favourite of the boss" over and above parameters of performance. Often team spirit, competency levels in an organisation is confused by the rating official as the person who can “play favourites to whims of the boss” to the maximum/ more than the team and is awarded to be the top performer. And hence an appraisal system should try and minimize this gap to make it an attractive organisation to work for.The number of people going to court would definitely come down for this purpose.
We do hear that in the government and defence sector the result of an appraisal system is known to an official for the first time after a period of 5-10 years, where he picks up his first rank. ( this is really long and would breed chronic ill health in a work environment). Conducting of examinations on understanding of the appraisal system on both `rating officers’and` being rated officials’ would minimize any dissatisfactions or biased feeling on the officials in the system.
I am sure this is food for thought for both, officials in a government setup as well as the legal system in the country. Every job should give a fair platform for career development and empower a person to perform better for the organisation and country at large.
Posted by : Roma Ahuja - Tuesday, May 13, 2008
We do hear that in the government and defence sector the result of an appraisal system is known to an official for the first time after a period of 5-10 years, where he picks up his first rank. ( this is really long and would breed chronic ill health in a work environment). Conducting of examinations on understanding of the appraisal system on both `rating officers’and` being rated officials’ would minimize any dissatisfactions or biased feeling on the officials in the system.
I am sure this is food for thought for both, officials in a government setup as well as the legal system in the country. Every job should give a fair platform for career development and empower a person to perform better for the organisation and country at large.
Posted by : Roma Ahuja - Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Comment 4: Irrespective of the rules it is very difficult for the conditions in India to change. I have
been in the govt service for sufficient time and now understand that
a) true to the nature and standard of a "under developed country" an average superior expects only people who say 'yes' since he himself was doing the same.
b) since we have so much manpower there are sufficient number of people who will
satisfy the above criteria.
c) those people who do not meet the above guidelines will be sidelines and will never become bosses and the system will continue like that.
d) since in an average middle class we were never taught to say "no" (right of diagreement)
I think it is in our blood.
e) so do not expecte miracles and you bring thousand more rules/guidelines out country wil not change since the average integrity levels are quite low and people know how to break/bend the rules.
best regards
Posted by : suma - Tuesday, May 13, 2008
been in the govt service for sufficient time and now understand that
a) true to the nature and standard of a "under developed country" an average superior expects only people who say 'yes' since he himself was doing the same.
b) since we have so much manpower there are sufficient number of people who will
satisfy the above criteria.
c) those people who do not meet the above guidelines will be sidelines and will never become bosses and the system will continue like that.
d) since in an average middle class we were never taught to say "no" (right of diagreement)
I think it is in our blood.
e) so do not expecte miracles and you bring thousand more rules/guidelines out country wil not change since the average integrity levels are quite low and people know how to break/bend the rules.
best regards
Posted by : suma - Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Comment 5: it will have favoufable and adverseimpact.
but a good judgement
Posted by : mkg - Tuesday, May 13, 2008
but a good judgement
Posted by : mkg - Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Comment 6: natas allways try to prove themself to me above the law.this is also one stunt which they will not do as if the govt employes are ranked by there performance,the nata's of india will not be able to stay as nata's
Posted by : anurag saxena - Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Posted by : anurag saxena - Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Comment 7: This is regarding the NEWS "Supreme Court Monday ruled that the government must apprise its employees of the annual assessment of their performance, irrespective of it being good or bad". Even before Hon'ble Court has given this verdict, it was expected to be an integral part of an annual assessment. But in reality, it takes several years by the system to inform an employee that he was good or bad leaving no scope for any improvement. Hon'ble Supreme Court has to appoint a committee to see it is implemented and is adopted by each and everyone in the larger interest of improvement.
Posted by : Dr HN Dutta - Monday, May 12, 2008
Posted by : Dr HN Dutta - Monday, May 12, 2008
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