TNAG-0916-FCO40-1127-Policy-on-salaries-and-pensions-for-civil-servants-in-Hong-K-1979 — Page 155

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efficient by his Head of Department.

They usually appear in

long entry rank scales but there is at present some inconsistency in their pattern of use.

39.

40.

Efficiency bars have the following advantages

(a) they require management to think carefully about an

officer's performance and to make a conscious decision on whether an employee is fully capable of fulfilling the duties of his rank;

(b) they induce an awareness in civil servants themselves

that their incremental progression may be halted if they fail to maintain a satisfactory standard of efficiency.

(a)

(b)

(c)

The problems with efficiency bars are

they do not appear in all recruitment ranks nor is there consistency in the point in the scale at which they exist;

since they appear only once, or at the most twice, in a long scale, an inefficient civil servant can still receive increases in salary for a number of years;

in practice reporting officers are reluctant to use efficiency bars to hold back an officer's progress.

A majority of the representations received by the Commission recommend the abolition of efficiency bars. A number expressed indifference to their continuation or otherwise and a few favoured their retention. The Commission would now appreciate views on whether, if efficiency bars were to be abolished, other satisfactory means of halting the progress of an inefficient officer should be introduced. For example, according to Civil Service Regulations, increments are awarded for conduct and diligence. It could be argued that efficiency should also be taken into account and that a Head of Department should be able to recommend that any increment be withheld where he is satisfied that an officer is inefficient.

Bracketed Points

41.

Most recruitment ranks provide for an officer to receive an extra increment, or exceptionally two extra increments, on confirmation to the permanent and pensionable establishment. It has been suggested to the Commission that this practice should be discontinued since an officer who is confirmed in his appointment has only established his ability to perform the basic duties of his rank and confirmation should be a sufficient reward in itself. The Commission would therefore appreciate views on the value or otherwise of the grant of additional increments on confirmation.

/Omitted