Performance Planning And Review

5 Level PPR System

Agencies are required to use Chapter 10 of the Civil Service Rules for planning and evaluating employee performance.  The Chapter 10 rules on PPR clearly provide for a 5-level rating system.  An agency may request approval to use an alternate system; however, any alternative must be approved by this Department prior to use.

We very often hear from supervisors that their agency management prohibits the use of any rating above a “Meets Requirements.”  This type of internal policy has the effect of changing the 5-level PPR system to a 3-level system.    We believe that any agency that has changed the PPR system in this way is in violation of the rules because, in effect, the agency is using an alternate system without proper approval.

Agencies must use the full range of ratings described in Chapter 10 of the rules.  Our standard recommendation is that supervisors provide written comments to support any factor rating given, and the rules require documentation for any rating below “Meets Requirements.”  Generally speaking, the higher or lower the rating, the stronger the documentation should be in support of the rating. An agency, if it wishes, may legitimately require some sort of review process for factors rated above or below “Meets Requirements” to ensure that consistent standards of documentation are met within the agency for ratings above or below the “Meets Requirements” level.