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Officer employed in more than one department during the year.
165. On return of the completed forms, the Establishment Branch should extract the forms of officers who have been less than one year in a Department and should obtain completed Annual Report forms from all previous Departments within the year.
Signing Officer.
166. The form should be signed by the officer's immediate superior provided he is of a higher grade than the officer reported on.
Countersigning officer.
167. The countersigning officer should be the Colonial Secretary, the Head of Department and the Chief Clerk for the respective categories. In the case of form Appendix K for minor, manipulative, etc., grades there is no countersigning officer.
Report form-meaning of the terms used.
168. The list of definitions on Appendix N should be used as the official meaning of the terms of the report form.
Report form-Part III. Performance in present grade.
169. (1) The "Remarks" and "Further remarks" spaces should be freely used. A note must be made if the marking is in column A for any item.
(2) Where the marking of any item is in column D, the officer should be given a verbal warning by the countersigning officer, who should note in the "Remarks” space that this has been done.
(3) Where the marking of any item is in column E a note must be made. The officer should be informed in writing in duplicate by the countersigning officer, and the officer reported on should be required to sign one copy and return it for attach- ment to the Report with any observations he wishes to furnish. If he prefers to be interviewed by the officer who issued the notice, he should be given every facility, and a record should be made of the interview and filed with the Report.
Report form-Part IV. Recommendation for promotion.
170. (1) The front of the form is a description on how the officer performs his work, the back of the form is an estimate of how he would fare in the grade above. The two are not necessarily connected, for instance, an officer may have gone as far as his capacity will take him, that is to say, he may be thoroughly competent on his existing work but be considered unable to undertake satisfactorily the more onerous work of the grade above. On the other hand, it would be a very unusual officer who was recommended for promotion in spite of being below average in his existing work, or who was considered not qualified for promotion though his existing work was reported to be well above average.
(2) In Part IV of the Report the significance of Items 1, 2 and 3 is self evident and 3 includes the officer, junior in service, but with more than 12 months in the grade, who is potentially promotable in due course.
(3) Items 4(a) and (b) show a situation which is no fault of the officer and no special action is required. 4(c) and (d) mean “not recommended at present" but express no opinion on the future; they imply that it is not really the officer's fault but his misfortune. Nevertheless because there is a possibility, however remote, of improve- ment, the officer should be told in as kindly a way as possible by the countersigning officer that this has been done. If he wishes to submit observations in writing he should do so within seven days and they should be attached to his report. It is not necessary on the occasion of subsequent Annual Report to inform the officer of the marking, if it is unchanged, but he should be told if the marking is altered, or if he asks.