A legislative inquiry reveals that the system to evaluate the performance of public employees is deficient, discourages good officials and rewards the incompetent ones.
The research was carried out by legislator Mario Redondo’s office, based on data from the evaluations made in 2015 by 42 state institutions included in the Civil Service regime.
Some of the results are the following:
-Ministry of Public Security: 13,715 employees were evaluated. deficient: 0; good: 1,774; regular: 9.202; excellent: 1,930.
-Ministry of Public Education: 78,246 staff members were evaluated (62,503 were teachers and 15,743 non-teaching staff). Only 21 teachers and 16 non-teachers did not receive the payment corresponding to the annuity incentive for not reaching the established limit.
-Aqueducts and Sewers: it has not been evaluated in the last 25 years. In 2016, it developed and trained staff to be evaluated this year.
-Board of Port Administration and Economic Development of the Atlantic Area: 1,355 employee were evaluated, 1,252 reached more than 70 points, and 740 reacged from 70 to 80 points.
-RECOPE: 1,654 employees were evaluated and only 9 obtained less than 70 points; 420 obtained more than 90. All, including those who reached less than 70, received the annuity payment.
-National Children’s Board: 675 staff members were evaluated. All of them received the annuity payment.
-CONAVI: all employees received the annuity.
-IAFA: Out of 313 officials, only one did not get the annuity.
-Costa Rican Social Security Fund: Out of 51,358 workers, 154 obtained a grade below 75, while 99.7% achieved a grade above 75. In this institution, the annuity payment does not depend on the result of the evaluation, but on the the time officials work for the institution.
Redondo said that such a system encourages mediocrity and makes it very difficult to improve efficiency and good management.