Letter: Bosses don’t like ‘bad news’

Regarding “DOD adjusts to new pay rules”: The Office of Personnel Management needs to find out what is the IMPROVEMENT in employee work from this performance-based pay system. I've worked corporately on the outside for a long time, so I believe that the THEORY of the system is sound, but it is only as good as it IMPROVES performance and as there is money to spread around for that improvement.

No one I've spoken with at the Army or Navy sees any difference in qualitative or quantitative output from the National Security Personnel System, and I would be hesitant to trust any conclusion that senior managers (political appointees) report to OPM on that score. The bosses don't like "bad news."

Francis J. Clifford
Navy Department


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