U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Ensuring the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce

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Presidential Memos Spotlight Performance Management

In March 1995, President Clinton issued two memoranda to heads of departments and agencies that directly affect performance management programs, and in particular, awards programs. Agency performance managers need to be aware of the important messages contained in these memos.

• Regulatory Reinvention
• Customer Service Standards
• Measuring Performance

Regulatory Reinvention. In his March 6 memo on regulatory reinvention, the President stresses the importance of rewarding results, not red tape. The memo requires that performance elements and standards for frontline regulators be revised to measure results, rather than processes, and that recognition programs reward achieving results and meeting goals. By June 1, 1995, agencies are expected to submit timetables for implementing their revised performance standards and reward programs.

Customer Service Standards. The President's memo of March 22 addresses Executive Order 12862, Setting Customer Service Standards. He asks agencies to set, update, and improve customer service standards and to recognize employees for their customer service efforts. The President states, "Agencies shall continue to survey employees on ideas to improve customer service, take action to motivate and recognize employees for meeting or exceeding customer service standards, and for promoting customer service."

Measuring Performance. These memos highlight one of the basic principles of performance management: to promote improved organizational performance, employee appraisal and awards programs must be aligned with organizational goals and strategic plans. If employees are not all pulling in the same direction toward the same goals, they may be pulling against each other and the agency will never reach its desired outcomes.

The President's memos also stress the importance of measuring performance against established goals and standards. Determining customer expectations, establishing standards and goals, and measuring and rewarding based on those goals are now required. Performance management programs can help agencies meet their goals by planning employee performance, monitoring performance through measurement and feedback, assessing performance against established goals, determining employee development needs, and recognizing and rewarding goal achievement.

The changes required by the President should be phased in to coincide with the employees' next performance appraisal cycle. This phasing in will also allow agencies to develop new performance appraisal and awards systems and programs in accordance with the revised performance management regulations that OPM expects to issue this summer.

Originally published on April 1995.