Does your permitting office have a "performance culture"?

[Eric]

One of DOGE's reforms is for the federal government to adopt a performance culture a la Silicon Valley. As stated in the "Fork in the Road" email that went out to all federal workers on Jan 28:

Performance culture: The federal workforce should be comprised of the best America has to offer. We will insist on excellence at every level — our performance standards will be updated to reward and promote those that exceed expectations and address in a fair and open way those who do not meet the high standards which the taxpayers of this country have a right to demand.

How does your office "reward and promote those that exceed expectations"? And how do you "address...those who do not meet the high standards which the taxpayers of this country have a right to demand"?

Right now, most federal offices probably don't have anything approximating the performance culture that DOGE is envisioning. For instance, the on-the-spot awards we give out to high performers range from $200-$500 and are awarded quarterly...it's something but not super impactful in my opinion. And all federal workers get regular 3% step increases in salary without any real performance standards attached. So there is room for improvement here. Curious about others' experience and your thoughts on what DOGE might have in store.

 

[Jeff]

We really don't have a reward system for performance. Someone receiving "Meets Expectations" on an evaluation will get the same step increase as someone who receives "Outstanding". Performing well may help in the future when it comes time for promotions but its not a guarantee. There are some of us who are high performers because that's just the way we are. We do have an Employee of the Year award in my department but Ive been told that staff would rather have $ than a plaque I do buy pizza and donuts now & then

 

[High Voltage]

Performance cultures always work best without favoritism, and that's always hard to come by. Maybe if AI gets involved somehow we could have a true system that rewards the top performers regardless of who they are.