Skip to main content

Human Capital: Implementing Pay for Performance at Selected Personnel Demonstration Projects

GAO-04-83 Published: Jan 23, 2004. Publicly Released: Feb 25, 2004.
Jump To:
Skip to Highlights

Highlights

There is a growing understanding that the federal government needs to fundamentally rethink its current approach to pay and to better link pay to individual and organizational performance. Federal agencies have been experimenting with pay for performance through the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) personnel demonstration projects. GAO identified the approaches that selected personnel demonstration projects have taken to implement their pay for performance systems. These projects include: the Navy Demonstration Project at China Lake (China Lake), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Department of Commerce (DOC), the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), the Naval Sea Systems Command Warfare Centers (NAVSEA) at Dahlgren and Newport, and the Civilian Acquisition Workforce Personnel Demonstration Project (AcqDemo). We selected these demonstration projects based on factors such as status of the project and makeup of employee groups covered. We provided drafts of this report to officials in the Department of Defense (DOD) and DOC for their review and comment. DOD provided written comments concurring with our report. DOC provided minor technical clarifications and updated information. We provided a draft of the report to the Director of OPM for her information.

Full Report

GAO Contacts

Office of Public Affairs

Topics

CompensationEvaluation criteriaHuman capitalPay for performancePerformance appraisalPerformance managementPerformance measuresPersonnel managementProductivity in governmentProgram evaluation