PCS Manual - Royal Civil Service Commission

Position Classification System Manual 2006 

Chapter I: ABOUT THIS MANUAL 

This manual provides an overview of the major components that make up the Position 

Classification System (PCS). 

Its main objective is to help managers and human resource officers understand and apply 

the core principles, concepts and practices underlying the Position Classification System. 

In addition to this, it serves as a broad guideline on how to utilize existing human 

resources structures within the context of PCS. For example, activities such as position 

identification, job analyses, job descriptions, job evaluations and associated tasks. 

Amongst other HR systems that relate to the PCS, ‘Performance Management’ is 

presented in a separate chapter because it closely impacts many of the basic principles of 

the PCS, namely: Professionalism, Meritocracy, Efficiency and Accountability. 

In terms of responsibility, Chapter XI outlines the overall responsibilities of key 

stakeholders, namely: the Employee, Manager, Human Resource Officer, Head of Agency 

and the Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC). It is important the people who fulfill 

these roles understand the significance of their part in the successful implementation of the 

PCS and the wider requirements of an effective human resource management system. 

The Position Classification System Manual will be maintained as an ‘open file’ which will 

be regularly updated as and when required. It is not intended to be an exhaustive guide to 

the internal human resource administrative systems of the Civil Service, and should be 

read in conjunction with the Position Classification System Policy, the Bhutan Civil 

Service Rules and Regulations 2006, and other subsequent rules/guidelines as released by 

the RCSC and the Ministry of Finance. 

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Chapter II: POSITION CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM 

2.1 What is Position Classification? 

Position Classification is a process of grouping together positions that are 

sufficiently similar with respect to duties and responsibilities so they can be treated 

the same way for the purpose of all human resource actions. 

In the process, duties and responsibilities are defined and analysed according to 

their similarities and differences, which enables each position to be assigned to a 

specific occupational group. The assignment of the positions to a particular group 

permits them to be treated similarly for various aspects of human resource 

administration. 

2.2 The Position Classification System (PCS) is based on the premise Equal Pay for 

Equal Value of Work, which means that employees, with the required 

qualifications and experience, performing comparable jobs must be compensated 

similarly. Corollary to this principle is “more pay for a more difficult and more 

responsible job”. This principle recognizes the fact that the requirements and 

demands for performance vary in relative degrees from one job to another. 

Therefore, the major considerations in a position’s classification are: 

(a) Knowledge - skills required (including qualifications and experience); 

(b) Complexity of the work; 

(c) Scope and effect of the work; 

(d) Instructions and guidelines provided; 

(e) Contacts with others in relation to the work 

(f) The level of supervision given or received; and 

(g) The job environment in which the work occurs. 

2.3 Objective 

The broad objective of the PCS is to promote Good Governance through enhancing 

accountability, efficiency and professionalism in the Civil Service by linking 

individual performance to organisational goals and objectives. 



2.4 Principles 

The PCS embodies the following key principles: 

• Professionalism 

• Meritocracy 

• Efficiency 

• Fairness 

• Transparency 

• Accountability 

2.4.1 Professionalism means that employees possess the knowledge and skills to 

provide high standards of service within their positions, that they take pride 

in their profession and are conscientious in carrying out their 

responsibilities. This requires the qualifications of employees to match their 

job requirement based on the principle of “right person for the right 

position” and supported by training and education opportunities to enhance 

their career and professional competencies. 

2.4.2 Meritocracy means that individual performance, skills, commitment and 

competence will carry greater weight than years of service in determining 

recruitment, promotion and remuneration within the Civil Service. It 

implies induction of employees through “open competitive selection” and 

encouraging the pursuit of excellence throughout their career. 

2.4.3 Efficiency means effective use of human resources, right-sizing of 

organisations, control of costs, and quality of outcome and services to the 

satisfaction of the public. 

2.4.4 Fairness. The PCS creates an environment where all employees are treated 

equally and objectively. 

2.4.5 Transparency means clarity of intent and processes of human resource 

management and the meaningful involvement of those that may be effected 

by the decisions. This also promotes a system wherein employees and the 

public understand clearly the rationale behind the management decisions. 



2.4.6 Accountability means all employees understand their roles and 

responsibilities and that they are fully answerable for their actions 

These principles are intended to promote both the satisfaction of the citizens who 

benefit from improved public service delivery, and the employees themselves who 

benefit from a fair and encouraging environment. 

2.5 Position Structure 

The PCS classifies all Civil Service positions into 19 Major Occupational Groups 

and approximately 70 Sub Groups which can be further expanded or contracted, 

based on organisational need. 

2.5.1 The most significant feature of this system is that every post and every 

employee shall have a job description which is based on organisational 

goals and objectives. These job descriptions, besides the duties and 

responsibilities, include other features such as the minimum competency 

requirements, complexities of work, scope and effect of the position, 

supervisory/management responsibilities and job environment. This enables 

both the employee and the manager to understand and plan the job well. 

This also facilitates better productivity, accountability and transparency in 

the system. 

2.5.2 The general structure of the Civil Service is that each position is placed at a 

particular position level which represents a certain level of difficulty and 

responsibility of work. These position levels form the basis for valuing 

positions according to similarities and differences in duties, responsibilities, 

and qualifications required; as well as determining compensation. 



2.5.3 Civil Service positions are categorized into the four areas as shown below. 

To facilitate the transition phase, each position level may contain sub-levels 

to reflect a ‘stepped approach’ to remuneration: 

CODES: POSITION 

CATEGORIES: 

EX Executive 

(Bachelors/Masters)* 

ES 

Specialists 

(Masters/PhD)* 

P Professional and 

Management 

(Bachelors/Masters)* 

S Supervisory and Support 

(Diploma/Certificate)* 

O Operational 

(Class 10)* 

POSITION 

LEVELS: 

EX1 

EX2 

EX3 

ES1 

ES2 

ES3 

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P1 

P2 

P3 

P4 

P5 

S1 

S2 

S3 

S4 

S5 

O1 

O2 

O3 

O4 

* the minimum qualification required for each position category.


2.5.4 All Civil Service positions are aligned with one of these four categories based on 

the overall functional responsibilities of the position. The definition of each position 

category is as follows: 

CODE POSITION 

CATEGORIES 

EX 

ES 

P 

EXECUTIVE 

AND 

SPECIALISTS 

PROFESSIONAL 

AND 

MANAGEMENT 

DEFINITION 

The Executive/Specialist (EX/ES) category requires 

advanced professional mastery (breadth/depth) of 

managerial and/or technical job specific responsibilities. 

The EX/ES category has management and/or technical 

authority over all other categories. 

Executives: Its scope of authority and impact is 

significant both within and outside of Government. These 

positions have the authority to make decisions; and 

develop, influence or otherwise affect policy. 

Responsibility and accountability are focused primarily at 

the strategic level with appropriate tactical overview and 

action. Executive positions can negotiate the scope of an 

entire organisation's responsibilities and can use resources 

to define goals and objectives of their departments and 

organisations. 

Specialists: Specialists are recognized as leaders and 

experts in their fields. These positions are responsible for 

leading research, analysis and tasks requiring top-level 

expertise which can drive development in their particular 

field, set trends and impact policy. All Specialists will 

report to a management executive. 

The work scope requirement of the Professional and 

Management (P) category goes beyond the day-to-day 

issues and activities and more towards influencing larger 

range outcomes. Provides input to major policy issues and 

decisions. The focus is primarily on determining tactical 

level issues and/or decisions with appropriate 

consideration of the EX/ES. Decision-making is within 

broad guidelines established within existing policies. 

Relies on precedent, but some original thinking and 

planning is required. Implements decisions as determined 

by the EX/ES, develops, and recommends changes in 

policies and procedures. Has budgetary responsibility and 

is held accountable for team outputs. Interaction with 

others involves individuals or groups outside their 

Agency, with the purpose to influence, motivate, question 

or control. Has direct, formal supervision of subordinate 

employee work, conducts performance appraisals, and has 

the responsibility of taking disciplinary action of the 

supervisory, support and operational categories. 



S 

O 

SUPERVISORY 

AND SUPPORT 

OPERATIONAL 

Supervisory: Has the accountability for supervising 

employees (formal and informal), to include the 

scheduling and assigning of work, training, and decisions 

impacting daily job functions to ensure quality assurance 

and service delivery. Implements day-to-day decisions 

determined by the P category. Decision-making is within 

defined guidelines established within existing policies. 

Interaction with others usually involves employees within 

the same Agency and direct contact with the general 

public. If direct supervision is involved, may conduct 

performance appraisals of direct reporting employees, has 

input into disciplinary actions, and has responsibility of 

hiring employees within established guidelines. 

Support: responsibilities may include initial public 

contact, responding to phone calls and routing to 

appropriate respondent. Typing and use of computers to 

input and prepare reports for management analysis, 

accounting and statistical data. Supervision is immediate, 

and may include setting objectives, methodology, specific 

task assignment, scheduling and evaluation of work 

product quality. The technical responsibilities may require 

interpreting and analyzing data in various levels of 

completion. Approaches may include various levels of 

uncertainty in methods in addressing problems of varying 

complexities. Work can impact multiple departments. 

Responsibilities may include initial public contact, 

responding to phone calls and routing to appropriate 

respondent. Typing and use of computers and other office 

machines to input information/data and prepare reports. 

Duties are routine and often repetitive. Supervision is 

immediate, and staff is required to comply to set 

objectives, methodology and specific task assignment. 



2.6 Importance and Uses 

The PCS will be particularly useful to managers and employees involved with the 

implementation of human resources management and development activities in the 

following areas: 

• It outlines information on duties and responsibilities of the position and its 

job requirements in terms of minimum qualifications, training, relevant 

experience and such other requirements that will enable a person to do this 

job to a high professional standard. This in turn, provides role clarity, focus 

and direction to both the employee and manager. 

• It ensures recruitment, selection and placement of the ‘right person’ for the 

‘right job’ is based on objective criteria by specifying the requirements of 

the job, including the specific qualities which the employee must possess to 

fill the job. 

• It serves as an index for improving working conditions – from the job 

description the potential sources of job hazards can be identified and safety 

procedures can be developed to minimize them. 

• Jobs are clearly identified and distinguished within the organisational and 

labour market structure. It also serves as an effective tool in determining 

equitable compensation. 

• It serves as a basis for planning, administering and evaluating performance 

knowing the job content and responsibilities, the employee and manager 

will have a good understanding and appreciation of job demands/targets, 

and will have an objective basis for comparing and measuring the 

achievements against the pre-determined performance standards to be used 

in performance appraisals. 

• It serves as an aid for deciding transfers and promotions - the detailed job 

information will provide a basis for career mobility by identifying career 

ladders and promotional lines. This will also facilitate placement of the 

right person in the right job. 



• It forms a basis for revising organisational systems, structures and work 

distribution - the complete information on the nature of all the jobs in an 

organisation may indicate how existing personnel can be re-allocated and 

better utilized which will minimize faulty procedures and duplication of 

efforts. It will be useful in translating broad organisational plans into the 

assignment of duties and responsibilities. 

• Training and competency gaps can be identified, and specific training 

programmes can be developed or arranged based on the detailed job 

description which specifies the knowledge, skills and abilities required for 

the job. 

• The system serves as an aid to better supervision and promotion of 

accountability - an awareness of the job content of each position can 

provide the manager with proper direction and enable effective planning. 

• Finally, it serves as a morale builder - employee morale will be higher when 

they know their jobs completely and accurately and their salaries are fairly 

determined in relation to other jobs. 

2.7 Process of Classifying Positions 

The Position Classification process mainly consists of four distinct processes: 

• Job Identification 

Every job shall be identified from the goals and objectives of the 

organisation. The collective responsibility of an organisation is divided into 

positions. Therefore, a position is the smallest functional unit of the 

organisation. 

• Job Analysis 

Job analysis is a process by which we understand the critical and important 

facts about the job to produce a detailed statement of duties and 

responsibilities and other information relevant to the job useful for 

personnel management functions. 



• Job Description 

A Job-Description is a complete set of information, which clearly defines 

all aspects of the position that are considered important to understanding 

the position. A Job Description template is included in Appendix B of this 

manual. 

• Job Evaluation 

Job Evaluation is a systematic means or process of determining the relative 

worth or value of a specific position in relation to other positions in the 

organisation and its placement into the appropriate position level. 

Each of these processes will be fully discussed in the subsequent chapters. 



Chapter III: JOB IDENTIFICATON AND JOB ANALYSIS 

3.1 What is Job Identification? 

Every job shall be identified from the goals and objectives of the organisation as 

well as its organisational structure. The collective responsibility of an organisation 

is divided into positions. Therefore, a position is the smallest functional unit of the 

organisation. 

3.2 What does Job Analysis involve? 

Job analysis is a process by which we understand the critical and important facts 

about the job to produce a detailed statement of duties and responsibilities and 

other information relevant to the job and useful for human resource management 

functions. It can be conducted in varying degrees of detail depending on need. 

3.3 Preparing for the Job Analysis 

The available background information should be reviewed before gathering 

specific information about work and the position requirement. The review may 

cover information such as: 

3.3.1 Relevant Organisation Chart 

This will provide an understanding of how the job in question relates to 

other jobs and where it fits into the overall organisational structure. 

3.3.2 Existing Classification 

An understanding of the current occupational group, sub-group and position 

level will enable building an overall perspective of the job by comparing 

what is to be achieved by the post. 

3.3.3 Job Descriptions 

In the case of a position already existing, the available job description will 

serve as background information; also, this will facilitate analysis and 

updating of that job description. Where no relevant job description can be 

utilized, an analysis of the organisation’s specific requirement will enable a 

new job description to be created. 



3.3.4 Position Work Outputs 

A position’s duties and responsibilities should be focused on achieving 

particular outputs. These are concrete and tangible results the position is 

expected to achieve if it is functioning effectively. Outputs are usually 

established by direct observation. However, in the case of functions such as 

“analysing trends” which is a mental process, the achievement can only be 

assessed by work outputs as the processes and the requirements are not 

observable. 

3.4 Selection of a Sample of Positions to be Analysed 

The Job Analyst must be able to determine which representative sample should be 

analysed that will provide the required information about the position. A number 

of factors must be considered in determining which positions would make up a 

representative sample of the work performed. These are: 

3.4.1 Location of the Position 

National headquarters, field, a relatively rural or urban setting. 

3.4.2 Organisation 

The number of samples available will vary depending on the size and type 

of organisation the position is expected to operate within. In large 

organisations, work may be distributed or spread among a greater number 

of workers; while in small organisations, a smaller group of individuals will 

perform all the tasks. It is important to get the right representative sample to 

determine what major duties are performed. 

3.4.3 Competence and Experience of Respondents 

The individuals who participate in the survey should not be fresh candidates 

in the job, in which case they may not be sufficiently knowledgeable about 

the work. Their ability to express what they do should also be taken into 

consideration. 



3.5 Method for Collection of Data 

There are at least four different methods for gathering data required for job analysis 

which can be combined or used separately. 

The following factors should be considered in selecting a method: 

• The number of jobs to be analysed 

• Time restrictions 

• The educational attainment of respondents 

• The type of jobs to be analysed 

3.5.1 Interview Method 

Interviews are normally considered the most efficient way of gathering 

information about desk jobs and those positions involving less observable 

physical activity. Individual interviews may be held with workers, 

managers or anyone who has intimate knowledge about the work; or 

alternatively a group interview of personnel performing the same tasks may 

be considered. 

3.5.1.1 Who to interview 

Ideally both the employee fulfilling the position and his 

manager should be interviewed. Meet with the manager to 

obtain an overview of the job. The manager can indicate any 

special problems with the employee and may also select 

suitable employees for interview. The employees selected 

should know the job fairly well and range from at least 

average to superior performance. Then meet each employee 

alone. The presence of others, especially of managers, may 

create some distractions. 

Another approach is to hold a Group Interview. This is 

helpful when jobs at several levels in an occupational group 

or sub group are to be analysed. When a particular job is 

found in several organisations, representatives from various 



organisations should be included in the group interview. If 

there is already some ideas about the job, present that 

information to the group and seek comments for validation. 

3.5.1.2 Guidelines for conducting the interview 

Use an orderly system to structure the interview. This is to 

ensure that it covers every important area and obtains all key 

information in a systematic fashion. Make the person at 

ease. This will provide a situation for the interviewee to 

speak and answer questions freely and well. 

3.5.1.3 Suggested structure (Ask manager/employee to…) 

• Define the job. State briefly what is done by the unit in 

which the position resides. Explain how the job fits in 

with others in the organisation, and make clear the 

purpose of the position. 

• State the duties the position is responsible for and 

describe each briefly. Start with the most important 

duties and then estimate the percentage of work for each. 

• If there is responsibility for others, explain the nature of 

the supervision and guidance of their work. State the 

kinds of jobs the employees are responsible for and to 

what extent. Identify the number of people that report 

directly and indirectly to the position. 

• Explain the nature, scope and effect of the work. Explain 

how and to what extent the actions, recommendations, 

and decisions affect the organisation, the clients or the 

public. Explain the consequences of possible mistakes or 

errors in judgment. Describe how the position influences 

the quality of work of others. Explain the extent of 

authority to speak out or act for the organisation. 

Describe the effects of the work on policy, procedure and 

the organisation and use of people, materials, equipment 

and funds. 



• Describe the supervision and guidance received. State 

what supervision and help is received before, during and 

after doing assignments from the manager, written 

guides or instructions from others. Describe other guides 

for doing the work, such as regulations, procedures, 

manuals and standards, and describe how directly they 

affect the work. 

• State the nature and extent of the mental demands of the 

position. Include any or all of the following: 

- Initiative: taking action without instructions, 

- Originality: the creativity and originality 

demanded by work, 

- Judgment: the selection of the best course of 

action, 

- Other mental demands 

• What is the knowledge, skills and abilities required for 

the position to function effectively? 

• Identify those internal and external contacts regularly 

made in the position other than with the manager or 

subordinates. State the nature and purpose of those 

contacts. State whether the work contacts are to 

exchange information, to make explanations, to 

persuade/influence or to take part in a group action. 

• Provide anything additional that affects the job like 

environmental conditions that can affect responsibility 

and difficulty. 

3.5.2 Direct Observation 

This involves simply observing the employee carry out the tasks involved 

in the job and the analyst takes necessary notes. This method is normally 

used for mechanical type of work where the analyst observes the work 

while the employee performs it. Once the observation is completed it is 

important to discuss the functions with the worker and their manager to 

validate completeness and accuracy. 



3.5.3 Questionnaire 

A questionnaire is useful when a large number of positions are to be 

analysed within a fixed time frame. However, the problem with this method 

is retrieval and reliability. Therefore, the method should be supported with 

simple and clear instructions to the respondents. 

A set of questions should be provided for the employee and/or manager to 

answer. This is probably the least expensive way of gathering data. 

A well-designed questionnaire may be the most efficient method in a 

relatively short period of time. This method however, may not be 

appropriate for general services, trades and crafts jobs. In general it will be 

more successful when used for white collar, professional, managerial, and 

higher level technical jobs. 

3.5.4 Respondent Diary/Log 

The employees here are asked to record their daily tasks and activities in a 

log or diary. This will give the analyst the information about what the 

employees do and the amount of time spent on various aspect of the 

position. 

3.5.5 Comparative Research 

This is where a comparative research is conducted of similar roles in other 

organisations and other countries to ensure developing trends are taken into 

account and an internationally recognised professional standard is 

maintained. 

3.6 Information Needed for Job-Analysis 

The following information is to be collected for analysing the job: 

3.6.1 The Purpose of the Job. What does the position produce? What are the 

outputs of the job? What does it achieve? How does it relate and achieve 

the mission and key performance indicators of the organisation? 



3.6.2 Duties and Responsibilities including the tasks performed by the position. 

Questions such as “what does the employee do, what is officially 

assigned”? What is produced, what materials, tools or procedures or 

equipment are used, what percentage of time is allocated to do the job? 

Such questions must be asked clearly to obtain adequate information. 

Include only the major duties. A Major duty is generally defined as that 

which represents the primary reason for the existence of the position. It is 

usually that which occupies a sufficiently large portion of the employee’s 

time whether in a regular or recurring activity. 

3.6.3 Knowledge, Skills and Abilities required to carryout the job. A simple 

question which can be asked may be “what knowledge, skills and abilities 

should the employee have at the time of joining the position, without which 

he/she would not be able to perform the work?” This requirement is further 

crystallized from the following questions. 

In order to avoid large variations in the qualification and experience 

requirements among the comparable positions, qualification and 

experience standards have been adopted, as shown in the Appendix C at 

the end of the Manual. 

3.6.3.1 Knowledge Required 

• What subject matter areas are covered by each task? 

• What facts, data, information, principles or theories must an 

employee know or understand in this subject matter? 

• What level or degree of knowledge is required in these areas or 

subjects? 

• What qualifications are required for the position? 

3.6.3.2 Skills Required 

• What important activities must the employee perform with ease and 

precision? 

• What are the manual skills required to operate machines, vehicles, 

and equipment? 



3.6.3.3 Abilities Required 

• What is the nature or level of language ability, written or oral, 

required of the employee on the job? Are there complex principles 

involved in performing the task, or just simple instructional 

materials? 

• What mathematical ability must the employee have? Will he/she use 

simple arithmetic or advanced theories? 

• What reasoning or problem solving ability must the employee have? 

• What instructions must the employee follow? Are they simple and 

clear, complicated or abstract? 

• What interpersonal abilities are required? What supervisory or 

managerial abilities must the employee have? 

3.6.4 Work Relations 

This refers to the manner in which each duty is performed. Are personal 

contacts involved? How often and with whom? Are personal contacts made 

with general public and/or other agencies? What staff from within and 

outside of the office does this position mostly relate to? 



Chapter IV: JOB DESCRIPTIONS 

4.1 What is a Job Description? 

The immediate output to be generated from the Job Analysis is a Job Description. 

A Job Description is a statement of duties and responsibilities with an outline of 

their relative importance which will help clarify accountabilities, determine the 

qualification and skill requirements, and define relationships of the position in 

relation to other positions across the organisation. 

It usually contains the following details: 

• Job identification 

• Job purpose, duties and responsibilities 

• Minimum qualifications and experience 

• Complexity of work 

• Nature, scope and effect of work 

• Instructions and guidelines available 

• Work relationships 

• Supervisory/Management responsibilities (if any) 

• The job environment 

Please note that job descriptions are not static documents and are updated on a 

periodic basis, especially when a vacancy occurs, to ensure it continues to meet 

the organisation’s needs. 

4.1.2 The difference between a ‘generic’ job description and a ‘specific’ job 

description. 

A ‘generic’ job description covers the basic duties and responsibilities 

shared by all civil servants fulfilling the same position in whatever 

organisation they are employed. For example: Planning Officers and 

Human Resource Officers. 



Whereas a ‘specific’ job description is more contextual and outlines duties 

and responsibilities specific to the needs of the organisation the position is 

affiliated to. For example: a Human Resource Officer within the Ministry 

of Finance may have the additional responsibility of looking after a new 

project like implementing a new payroll system, which may not be covered 

in the generic job description, but is still a requirement by the Ministry of 

Finance. 

Each section below will provide guidelines on how to complete each aspect of a 

generic job description. See Appendix B for both the ‘generic’ and ‘specific’ Job 

Description templates. 

4.2 Job Identification 

The basic information relating to the position is found in this first section. This 

section usually contains the following details: Position Title, Major Occupational 

Group, Sub-group, Position Level, Position Code Number, Job Location and Title 

of First Level Manager. 

4.3 Job Purpose, Duties and Responsibilities 

Firstly, a statement of the position’s purpose should be provided. No longer than a 

short paragraph, it sums up the position’s reason for being. Link it to the mission 

and relevant goals of the organisation and outline the position’s specific outputs. 

Next describe the main duties and responsibilities, indicating what is done and how 

it is done. Duties and responsibilities should: 

• Be presented in decreasing order of importance; 

• Be consistent with the defined goals and objectives of the organisation; 

• Reflect what the employee should be actually doing, contain only critical 

and important tasks and focus on duties that substantially contribute to the 

defined objectives; 

• Require at least 5% of one’s time to be listed separately. Those requiring 

less time should be combined with other miscellaneous responsibilities; 

• Number no less than 6 and no more than 14; 



• Avoid using uncommon abbreviations, acronyms or technical terms without 

explaining their meaning; 

• Describe the full cycle of work performed, normally at least a one-year 

cycle; and 

• Be clear and specific; describing accurately what the work is but not too 

specific to represent every minute activity. Thus, avoid the use of words 

that will have more than one meaning as they tend to be ambiguous and can 

be misunderstood. 

SOME ACTION WORDS THAT WILL HELP TO WRITE THE DUTIES AND 

RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Decision making Management Change Studying 

Approve Execute Modify Review 

Require Approve Upgrade Analyse 

Test Direct Create Report 

Accept Change Stimulate Conclude 

Authorize Organize Improve Change 

Terminate Meet Compare Recommend 

Render Establish Design Guide 

Consider Preside Make Evaluate 

Solve Anticipate Activate Compare 

Review Evaluate Establish Assemble 

Evaluate Plan 

Analyse Adjudicate 

Analyse 

External activity Supervision Administration Communication 

Negotiate Adhere Purchase Write 

Cooperate Request Requisition Inform 

Represent Review Reject Declare 

Discuss Maintain Store Interpret 

Publicize Delegate Ship Contact 

Strengthen Encourage Furnish Issue 

Counsel Supply Testify 

Assess Procure Speak 

Develop Secure Display 

Report Justify Critique 

Foster Engage Edit 

Define Process Prepare 

Demonstrate Insure Design 

Meet Receive 

Assign Record 



Planning Research Personnel Helping 

Develop Identify Train Guide 

Forecast Evaluate Select Counsel 

Assume Determine Interview Serve 

Allocate Review Promote Contribute 

Schedule Analyse Transfer Initiate 

Control Research Communicate Solve 

Measure Define Counsel Give 

Progress Develop Employ 

Formulate Prepare Appraise 

Acquire Recommend Recruit 

Extend Submit Screen 

Monitor Propose Discharge 

Analyse Investigate Seek 

Compile Inform 

4.4 Knowledge and Skill Requirements 

Based on the knowledge and skills identified through the job analysis, one may 

determine the following: 

4.4.1 Education 

Indicate the minimum qualification that is required for the position. If 

secondary education is only required, indicate the Class year and any areas 

of relevant study. If it is tertiary education, indicate the level of attainment 

(Masters, Bachelors, Diploma or Certificate) and the specifics of the 

appropriate field of study, if required. List the length of the tertiary study 

especially in relation to Diploma or Certificate level qualifications. (See 

Appendix C at the end of the Manual for the Qualifications Framework to 

be used under the PCS) 

4.4.2 Training 

List any specific training required for the position. This could be 

operational, supervisory, professional and/or managerial. 

Include any specific knowledge and/or skills that are required for the 

position. Specify the level or extent of any knowledge or skills required. In 



terms of knowledge, the level could go from basic to extensive, to 

professional, to theoretical. In terms of skills, the level could go from that 

of an apprentice, to a journeyman, to a professional, to a specialist. Be 

clear about the areas and levels of knowledge and skills required. 

4.4.3 Length and type of practical experience required 

The requirement to complete a specified number of years in a previous 

relevant position will continue to be a critical factor for recruitment and/or 

promotion under the PCS. The reasoning behind this requirement is as 

follows: 

• Experience within a relevant position and within the Civil Service as 

a whole has been shown to affect one’s potential for promotion and 

one’s current and future performance. 

• The development of competence in a position normally takes some 

years of experience in that position. 

• To provide value to employees and to the Civil Service as a whole, 

the career development process needs to be managed with a level of 

stability. 

Under the PCS, four years (determined to be the minimum number of years 

to become competent in one’s position) is deemed to be the required years 

of experience for all positions before movement to another position can be 

considered. (See Appendix C for the Experience Framework for Position 

Classification) 

4.4.4 Knowledge of language(s)/other specialized requirements 

Provide any specialized requirements not listed above, especially 

knowledge of languages and dialects, if required. 



4.5 Complexity of Work 

Describe the nature, number and intricacy of tasks, steps, processes or methods 

involved in the work. Also describe the difficulty and/or originality involved in the 

work. 

Does the work typically consist of: 

• Clear-cut and directly related tasks requiring little or no choice in deciding 

what needs to be done; or 

• Related steps, processes or methods with choices relatively obvious based 

on information provided; or 

• Several different and unrelated processes requiring decisions to be made 

sometimes without all the information available; or 

• Many different and unrelated processes across a broad range of activities 

requiring decisions where analysis into new areas is required; or 

• Broad functions and processes involving concurrent pursuit of a number of 

outcomes requiring decisions on undefined issues and requiring extensive 

analysis? 

4.6 Nature, Scope and Effect of Work 

Describe the breadth and depth of work performance expected by the employee and 

its impact, or effect, on the work of other employees, functions in the organisation, 

or the wider community. For example: whether the work is self-contained, or 

whether it involves processes or services which are of greater importance in the 

design or operation of higher level organisational activities. 


• Simple routine operations with few tasks or procedures affecting mainly the 

immediate organisational unit; or 

• Execution of specific rules, regulations or procedures affecting the 

accuracy, reliability or acceptability of other processes or services; or 

• Dealing with a variety of conventional problems, questions or situations 

affecting the design or operation of systems or equipment; or 



• Establishing criteria, formulating projects, assessing programme 

effectiveness or analysing unusual problems affecting a wide range of the 

organisation’s activities or activities outside the organisation; or 

• Developing new theories, resolving critical problems that affects the work 

of other experts or the development of major administrative or scientific 

programmes; or 

• Planning, developing and carrying out vital administrative or professional 

programmes essential to the mission of the organisation. 

4.7 Instructions and Guidelines Available 

Describe the instructions and guidelines available to assist or guide the employee. 

In terms of instructions, describe controls exercised over the work by the 

employee’s manager and how the work is assigned, reviewed and evaluated. In 

terms of guidelines, indicate what written or unwritten guidelines are available, and 

the extent to which the employees may interpret, adapt or devise new guidelines. 


• Specific assignments with clear, detailed instructions or covered by such 

detailed guidelines which must be followed with direct supervision; or 

• Recurring assignments without specific instructions but within general 

guidelines, with finished work reviewed; or 

• Defined objectives, priorities and deadlines with the employee planning and 

carrying out the work in accordance with those instructions and based on 

guidelines which may need to be adapted to specific cases; or 

• Defined objectives with manager and employee jointly developing work 

plans and employee completing work independently in accordance with 

limited guidelines; or 

• Broadly defined mission/functions with employee planning, designing and 

carry out the work independently without adequate guidelines and the work 

accepted as technically authoritative. 



4.8 Work Relationships 

Indicate the frequency, nature and purpose of contacts with others within and 

outside the employee’s organisation (other than contacts with the position’s 

manager or subordinates). The purpose of those contacts should provide 

information as to its importance by indicating why such relationships exist and 

making such statements as: to obtain; clarify or exchange information; perform a 

service; negotiate transactions; resolve conflicts; justify or defend decisions; etc. 

Are personal contacts normally with: 

• Employees within the immediate office or with the general public, but only 

to give or receive factual information; or 

• Employees within the same Agency or with the general public with the 

purpose to obtain, clarify or give factual information; or 

• Individuals or groups outside their Agency or the government with the 

purpose to influence, motivate, question or control; or 

• High-ranking officials or representatives of foreign governments, 

international organisations, or news media with the purpose to explain, 

justify, defend, negotiate or settle matters of significance. 

4.9 Supervision over Others 

Describe this position’s responsibilities for the supervision of others within the job. 

Cover such areas as the number and position titles of subordinates, both direct and 

indirect, including both employees and contractors; the nature of those 

supervisory/management responsibilities; the type of work supervised; and the 

frequency of supervision. 

Be clear whether the supervision over others is as a line manager (the employees 

are this person’s direct subordinates) or as a technical expert (the employees 

formally report to someone else) and one provides technical oversight only. 

Positions supervising work of less than three subordinates, exercising irregular 

supervision, or supervising others only in the absence of the regular manager are 

considered to be primarily non-supervisory in nature. 



4.10 Job Environment 

Describe any extenuating physical demands placed on the employee, such as 

excessive walking, standing, lifting; and/or the risks or discomforts like exposure 

to hazards such as chemicals or other difficult working conditions. Is the work 

normally: 

• Sedentary and imposes no special physical demands other than some 

walking, standing or light lifting with little risk or discomforts that cannot 

be controlled by observing standards practices; or 

• Involves some physical exertion such as long periods of standing, walking, 

or moderate to heavy lifting and/or moderate risk or discomfort which 

require special safety precautions; or 

• Requires strenuous physical exertion, or working in very uncomfortable 

positions for long periods and/or high risks in uncontrollable situations. 



Chapter V: JOB EVALUATIONS 

5.1 What does a Job Evaluation involve? 

A job evaluation is a systematic means or process of determining the relative value 

of a specific position in relation to other positions in the organisation or across the 

Civil Service. The Factor Evaluation System (FES) is the method chosen to be used 

under the PCS to assign position levels to positions. This system analyses all 

positions according to seven key factors. Several of these factors have two or more 

sub-factors or concepts that together represent the intent of the whole factor. The 

FES factors are as follows: 

Weightage: 

• Knowledge and skill required - 33% 

• Complexity of work - 9% 

• Scope and effect of work - 9% 

• Instructions & guidelines - 25% 

• Contacts with others - 7% 

• Supervision over others - 14% 

• Job environment - 3% 

Job descriptions provide the primary source of information about the position for 

evaluation of the factors to determine the appropriate position level. 

5.2 Sub-factors or Concepts defining the Factors 

Factor 1 – Knowledge and skill required 

• Level of formal qualification and/or equivalent experience required for the 

position. 

• How knowledge and skills are applied in performing the work. 

• Nature of knowledge and skills needed to be effective in the position. 

Factor 2 – Complexity of work 

• Nature of the assignment. 

• Difficulty in identifying what needs to be done; level of decision-making 

expected in the role. 

• Level of initiative and originality required in performing the work. 



Factor 3 – Scope and effect of work 

• Breadth and depth of the work. 

• Impact the work product or service has on surrounding people, organisations 

and/or nation-wide. 

Factor 4 – Instructions and guidelines 

• Nature of guidelines utilized for performing the work. 

• Judgment and initiative needed to apply the guidelines or develop new guides. 

Factor 5 – Contacts with others 

• People and conditions/setting under which contacts are made 

• Purpose of contacts: to give and receive information, influence, control and/or 

motivate. 

Factor 6– Supervision over others 

• How the work is assigned. 

• Level of employee’s autonomy and responsibility for carrying out the work. 

• How frequently is the work reviewed and monitored? 

Factor 7 – Job environment 

• Nature, frequency, and intensity of physical activity. 

• Risks and discomforts caused by physical surroundings and the safety 

precautions necessary to avoid accidents or discomfort. 

5.3 Who Evaluates the Position? 

Job evaluation is normally completed by specialized trained staff at the central 

government level. 

The reasoning for this is that: 

• Training and regular application of the model is required to ensure the 

results maintain consistency; 



• Detailed knowledge of other job evaluations both within the organisation 

concerned and in other organisations that have comparable positions is 

required; and 

• Objectivity cannot be compromised by relationships to the parent 

organisation or the individual fulfilling the position being evaluated. 

Therefore, it will be the responsibility of the RCSC to select, train and organize an 

“Appeals and Review Committee” to undertake all job evaluations. One or more 

members of this Committee or a representative of the RCSC will provide additional 

training to guide and chair the Committee’s deliberations. 

5.4 How is it done? 

The first step is to ensure that the position description is complete, accurate, in the 

prescribed format and approved as the official description of the position. 

5.4.1 All requests for a job evaluation to be undertaken must be submitted to the 

RCSC with the recommendation of the Agency concerned. Any additional 

documentation, other than the approved job description, that would assist 

the job evaluation process should be submitted at that time. 

PLEASE NOTE: ALL NEW POSITIONS MUST FIRST BE 

APPROVED THROUGH A SEPARATE PROCESS (USUALLY AT 

THE AGENCY EXECUTIVE LEVEL AND RCSC) BEFORE BEING 

SUBMITTED FOR EVALUATION. THIS APPROVAL MUST BE IN 

WRITING AND SUBMITTED ALONG WITH THE POSITION 

DOCUMENTATION TO THE APPEALS AND REVIEW 

COMMITTEE. 

5.4.2 The RCSC will, at regular intervals throughout the year, call the Appeals 

and Review Committee together to evaluate new positions. 

The Committee will review the approved job description and any other 

supporting information provided in order to assess the position against each 



of the seven job evaluation factors. They will also take into consideration 

other positions more senior and junior in the Agency to the position being 

evaluated and comparable positions in other Agencies. 

Based on that analysis, they will determine the factor levels and the 

corresponding number of points for each of the seven factors in the position 

description and record the results in a Factor Evaluation Form. Then the 

total point value of all the factors will be converted to a position level using 

the established FES point conversion table; and results of the evaluation 

recorded. 

5.4.3 If the job evaluation appears to be inconsistent with the factor definitions or 

other comparable evaluations, it will be returned to those who undertook 

the evaluation for their reconsideration. 

When shown to follow factor definitions and be consistent with other 

comparable evaluations, it will be passed on to the approving Agency for 

their review and approval. Then it will be circulated to the parent 

organisation for their consideration. 

5.4.4 If the review process is not instigated by the parent organisation or when 

resolved, the job evaluation will be confirmed and any personnel actions 

required undertaken. 



Chapter VI: DIRECTORY OF POSITIONS 

The current directory of Major Occupational Groups and their definitions are provided 

below. In the PCS, these groups are divided into sub-groups (specialized areas of work) 

and then into positions (general roles undertaken across the Civil Service). The position 

titles are standard ones to be used throughout the Civil Service. 

Additional titles may be incorporated after completing the required processes of: job 

identification; job analysis, approval of new position, writing of a job description and job 

evaluation. 

6.1 Major Occupational Groups 

Subject to incorporation or removal of one or more group, there are currently 19 

Major Occupational Groups as listed and defined below: 

1 Agricultural & Livestock Services Group 

2 Architectural & Engineering Services Group 

3 Arts, Culture & Literary Services Group 

4 Education & Training Services Group 

5 Executive Services Group 

6 Finance & Audit Services Group 

7 Foreign Services Group 

8 Forestry & Environment Protection Services Group 

9 General Administration & Support Services Group 

10 Human Resource Development & Management Services Group 

11 Information Communication & Technology Services Group 

12 Laboratory & Technical Services Group 

13 Legal & Judiciary Services Group 

14 Library, Archives & Museum Services Group 

15 Medical Services Group 

16 Planning & Research Services Group 

17 Sports & Youth Services Group 

18 Trade, Industry & Tourism Services Group 

19 Transportation & Aviation Services Group 



6.2 Definitions 

1. Agriculture and Livestock Services Group 

This group covers a broad range of agricultural functions associated with the 

provision of scientific and technical assistance programmes to agricultural 

production and related rural activities. These include assisting farmers and rural 

communities in the planning, implementing, and maintaining of agricultural 

technology, methods and processes. Activities range from: 

• Crop production and marketing 

• Production of livestock and poultry 

• The identification, treatment and prevention of animal diseases 

• The protection and maintenance of animal health 

• The enforcement of quarantine laws, rules and regulations. 

Sub-groups* 

− Extension Services 

− Livestock Production Services 

− Livestock Health Services 

− Agriculture/Horticulture Production Services 

− Agriculture Regulatory Services 

− Bio-diversity Services 

− Plant Protection Services 

− Post Production Services 

(*Note all sub-groups are subject to change) 

2. Architectural & Engineering Services Group 

This group covers occupations that advise, administer, supervise or perform work 

concerned with engineering and architectural programmes. This requires the 

application of engineering fundamentals such as strength and chemical 

characteristics of engineering materials, systems, methods and processes in 

horizontal and vertical construction, water resources and other energy and power 

systems development. Other tasks involve drafting detailed architectural and 

engineering plans and designs, dredging, surveying, zoning, inspection and 

mapping. 



The provision of general services such as repair, maintenance and security of 

government buildings, roads, bridges and facilities including equipment, is also 

included in this group. 

Sub-groups 

− Engineering Services 

− Architectural Services 

− Geology and Mines 

− Survey Engineering Services 

− Map Production Services 

− Land Record Services 

− Urban Planning Services 

− Technical Support Services 

− Meteorological/Hydrology Services 

3. Arts, Culture & Literary Services Group 

This group deals with the development, promotion and preservation of the 

indigenous culture through the literary, visual and performing arts. 

Sub-groups 

− Arts and Culture 

− Literary and Translation 

4. Education & Training Services Group 

This group is responsible for teaching and training-related activities such as 

education planning and development, teacher-training, inspection and supervision. 

It also includes the supervision and administration of schools, colleges, institutes 

and centers. 

Sub-groups 

- Education Management and Administration. 

- Education Support Services 

- Teaching Services 

- Training/Tertiary Teaching Services 



5. Executive Services Group 

The general responsibility of this occupational group is to plan, administer, 

supervise and coordinate the activities of a government agency. In particular, this 

group is concerned with: 

• Organizing, staffing, directing, controlling and executing policies, rules and 

regulations of the national or local governments; 

• Formulating policies and standards to ensure government entities are run 

efficiently and effectively in accordance with established laws, rules and 

regulations; 

• Approving development plans, programmes and projects to carry out 

governmental objectives and functions; 

• Advising on government acts, rules and regulations affecting matters of 

national or local importance. 

Sub-group 

- Executive Services 

6. Finance & Audit Services Group 

This occupational group is concerned with the generation, allocation and 

management of financial resources. This is achieved through a systematic and 

organized process of recording, examination and interpretation of financial 

documents and reports. Activities include: 

• reviewing, formulating and implementing accounting, auditing and 

management control policies and procedures; 

• budget evaluation, planning, forecasting and execution; 

• revenue, customs, tariff and treasury administration; 

• cashiering and the processing of financial claims; 

• property appraisals, loans and grants assessments; 

• assets liquidation; 

• credit and license inspection. 

Sub-groups 

- Finance, Accounting and Budget Services 

- Audit Services 

- Revenue Services 

- Internal Audit Services 



7. Foreign Services Group 

This group is responsible for the planning, formulating, administering, 

coordinating, managing and implementing of the country’s foreign policies. It is 

also involved with maintaining relations with foreign countries and international 

organisations as well as protecting and advancing economic, trade, commercial, 

social and political interests of the country. 

Sub-groups 

- Embassy, Missions & Secretariat 

- Protocol Services 

- Consular Services 

8. Forestry & Environment Protection Services Group 

The functions within this group are to focus on activities pertaining to the 

development, conservation and utilization of the natural resources of the forests 

and associated lands, including their protection against fire, floods, erosion and 

other dangerous man-made activities and natural events. Other activities involved 

are: 

• assessments of projects that may impact the environment, prescribing 

corrective measures 

• the development and enforcement of regulations and standards to safe-guard 

against undertaking any activities which will have an adverse effect on the 

ecological balance of the environment or cause harmful impact. 

Sub-groups 

- Environment Services 

- Forestry Services 

9. General Administration & Support Services Group 

This group includes positions which administer, supervise and perform general 

administrative support work and clerical services. Activities range from project 

management and support, typing, stenography and secretarial work; to mail sorting 

and distribution, records-keeping and property management. 

Sub-groups 

- General Administration 

- Secretarial Services 

- Programme Services 

- Property Management 



10. Human Resource Development & Management Services Group 

This group includes positions, which advise, administer, develop and evaluate 

policies and programmes pertaining to labour and employment activities. 

Activities support the various phases of human resources management and 

development and include such areas of work like recruitment, training, salary and 

performance management. 

This group is also concerned with the execution of work involving the census and 

registration of population. 

Sub-groups 

- HR Management Services 

- Immigration Services 

- Labour Relations Services 

- Census Services 

11. Information Communication & Technology Services Group 

This group is concerned with the creation, management and dissemination of 

information. From an information technology standpoint, network infrastructure 

development and software applications are utilized to provide the necessary 

support to both the public and private sectors. 

The group is also involved with formulating and implementing ICT and Media 

policies, legislation and regulations to promote the growth of ICT and the Media 

industry. 

Sub-groups 

- Development Communication Services 

- ICT Services 

- Media Services 

12. Laboratory & Technical Services Group 

This group covers occupations whose primary purpose is to advise, administer and 

supervise activities pertaining to the examination of biological, physical and 

chemical samples for diagnostic and analytical purposes. 

Sub-groups 

- Analytical Services 

- Diagnostic Services 

- Laboratory Support Services 



13. Legal & Judiciary Services Group 

This group provides legal advice and services with regard to the interpretation of 

laws and statutes, administrative order, rules and regulations affecting Agency 

operations. 

It includes the preparation of cases for trial before court, as well as the drafting of 

decisions, opinions and discussion of courts or commissions. 

Sub-groups 

- Judiciary Services 

- Registration Services 

- Judiciary Support Services 

- Legal Services 

- Legislative Services 

14. Library, Archives & Museum Services Group 

This group performs administration services for public libraries, including the 

establishment, maintenance and preservation of public records and historic 

documents. Activities also include accessing, classifying, describing, preserving 

and providing bibliographic and readers’ services from printed, written and audiovisual 

materials. 

The Museum Services section is responsible for administering professional, 

technical work related to the collection, establishment, maintenance and 

preservation of exhibits in museums. 

Sub-groups 

- Library Services 

- Archives and Cultural Properties 

15. Medical Services Group 

This group provides professional and technical expertise in the areas of medicine, 

surgery, dentistry, optometry, indigenous medicine and allied or related health care 

services such as nursing, physiotherapy, dietetics and pharmacy. 



Other activities are concerned with health sanitation and public health services 

including the prevention and cure of diseases and epidemics, and the regulatory use 

of pharmaceutical drugs. 

Sub-groups 

- Medical Services 

- Medical Technical Services 

- Nursing Services 

- Public Health Services 

- Traditional Medical Services 

- Pharmaceutical Services 

16. Planning & Research Services Group 

This group’s primary purpose is to design, monitor and evaluate short, medium and 

long-range development projects. 

Activities are concerned with: 

• The research, analysis and evaluation of data; 

• The fore-casting of events and situations affecting sectors such as agriculture, 

health, education, trade and labour etc; 

• The collection and analysis of numerical data and other factors that may impact 

the social, economic and cultural development in the country. 

Sub-groups 

- Planning Services 

- Statistical Services 

- Research Services 

17. Sports & Youth Services Group 

This group’s primary duties are to administer and supervise sports and recreational 

activities. Activities also include guiding and counseling youth on job opportunities 

and career development. 

Sub-groups 

- Sports Services 

- Counseling Services 

- Scouts Services 



18. Trade, Industry & Tourism Services Group 

This group’s purpose is to advise and administer work pertaining to trade, tourism 

and industry practices. 

In the trade and industry sector, positions will be required to apply knowledge of 

industrial equipment, methods and production processes. Other activities also 

include the development and enforcement of business regulations, standards and 

controls. 

In the tourism sector, positions will be responsible for formulating and enforcing 

policies, standards and regulations of the tourism industry; as well as conduct 

analyses of tourism related information and promotional activities. 

Sub-groups 

- Trade Services 

- Industry Services 

- Tourism Services 

- Marketing Services 

19. Transportation & Aviation Services Group 

This group’s primary function is to provide aviation and general transportation 

services. It ensures standards and regulations for the operation of land and air 

transport services are developed and maintained to a high standard. Activities 

include: 

• Provision of aviation and general transportation services 

• Ensuring the technical fitness of aircraft and vehicles; 

• Monitoring the use of air space; 

• Management and security of airports; 

• Provision of fire and safety services; 

• Regulation of the land and air transportation services; 

• Freight handling. 

Sub-groups 

- Aviation Safety Services 

- Aviation Communication and Navigation Services 

- Land Transport Services 



Chapter VII: BROAD-BANDING OF POSITIONS 

Broad-banding is a mechanism which will enable employees to continue achieving a 

certain level of career progression and provide opportunities to increase earnings without 

employees having to wait for vacancies to arise and/or to change occupations. 

7.1 Two Functions of Broad-banding 

Broad-banding can be used in two ways: 

1. To internally ‘promote’ someone through broad-banded positions to reward 

excellence in performance, development of skills and increased 

responsibilities within a particular sub-group; 

2. To recruit at a particular position level; i.e. recruit a Senior Officer, Officer 

or Assistant Officer, depending on the needs of the organisation. 

Note: When an employee moves through a broad-banded position this does NOT 

mean that the position they have been promoted from automatically creates an 

actual vacancy. 

7.2 Purpose of Broad-banding 

Broad-banding of identified positions in the Civil Service is a strategy which 

adapts the PCS in such a way that: 

• Agencies maintain some stability in their staffing by providing in-house career 

progression for their staff through a series of related positions; and 

• Employees are enabled to progress their careers to more responsible positions 

without having to apply, compete and possibly move to a new employer for 

every promotion. 

This concept stretches the normal PCS requirement that all positions be filled 

through competitive selection processes. 



7.3 An Example: 

In the Engineering and Architectural sector there are the following positions: 

• Senior Urban Planning Officer 

• Urban Planning Officer 

• Assistant Urban Planning Officer 

All of these positions require the same qualification and are very similar jobs 

(especially their roles and responsibilities). These positions are valued at P3, P4 

and P5 respectively. The only significant difference is that the position at P3 

requires prior experience in the role (or an equivalent position) and may have 

additional responsibilities that may include supervision of others. 

Such positions could be broad-banded as it meets the broad-banding criteria listed 

below. If accepted, then an employee starting as an Assistant Urban Planning 

Officer, would after a period of time and depending on his performance, be 

considered for promotion to Urban Planning Officer without having to wait for an 

actual vacancy to arise. 

7.4 Criteria to move through Broad-banded Positions 

All the following criteria would need to be met by the employee seeking to be 

‘promoted’ to the next level within a broad-banded position: 

• Completion of the minimum years’ experience requirement in their current 

position level 

• Acquisition of the minimum level of knowledge and skills identified for the 

higher position level; where a greater level of responsibility and autonomy 

within the role is also required and this may include supervising others 

• A clear service record 

• Performance ratings at least ‘good’ or above for at least the last three years as 

shown on the Civil Service Performance Review and Evaluation Form. 



7.5 Criteria for identifying Broad-banded Positions 

• Have the same qualifications being the minimum requirement. 

• Are similar in their purpose, duties and responsibilities (around 80% the same). 

• Only encompass a maximum of 3 levels. 

• Differentiate more in length of experience required rather than minimum 

qualifications or roles and responsibilities. 

7.5.1 To assist identifying positions for broad-banding purposes, it is also 

important to consider the following questions: 

- For which positions would it be appropriate to encourage some form of 

career development? 

- Which positions require more grooming of existing staff in preparation 

for more senior positions – especially if a particular skill-set is scarce? 

- Which positions rely on a systematic approach to skill development and 

increased responsibilities? For example, in some positions it is far 

easier for someone to immediately step into a role with minimal 

preparation as long as they have the content knowledge and some 

experience; whereas, other positions – usually more technical ones, 

require a more systematic approach in terms of training on the job 

before people become fully competent in a particular occupation. 

7.6 Advantages of Broad-banding 

• Agencies will maintain a level of stability in their staffing by being able to 

provide in-house career progression for their staff through a series of related 

positions. 

• Employees will be enabled to progress their careers to more responsible 

positions without having to apply, compete and possibly move to a new 

employer for every promotion. 

• Recruitment and selection costs would be reduced as not all promotions would 

need to go through the formal selection process. 

• Morale of employees will improve in that their career progression will not be 

limited by the lack of vacancies at the journey-man level. 



• The disruption caused when a vacancy occurs and a formal selection process is 

required will be limited to only those positions where the benefit of such a 

thorough process and the need for a large pool of candidates is likely to justify 

the outcome. 

7.7 Application of HR Systems 

With broad-banding, consistent application of the following human resource 

systems will be required to ensure broad-banding is applied fairly and objectively. 

Two of those systems include: 

7.7.1 Approved Staff Strength 

As many employees will have the potential to move through broad-banded 

positions within their occupational path, such positions when identified in 

each Agency’s staff strength will need to be shown in total and not 

individually with defined staff strength for each. For example the 

Department of Immigration would need to be authorized X number of 

positions in total for Immigration Officer positions, rather than a specific 

number each of Seniors, Officers and Assistants. 

7.7.2 Performance Appraisals 

Assessing performance will need to be a priority and management will be 

required to ensure processes used are effective and the evaluations 

produced are fair, transparent, objective and valid. 

7.8 Promotions through Broad-banded Positions 

Proposals to promote employees through broad-banded positions must be 

submitted by the employing organisation in the prescribed Promotion Form to the 

Head of Agency. Proposals will then be reviewed jointly by the HR Committee 

within the Agency and the RCSC. 

All promotions through broad-banded positions would be approved by the Agency, 

with effective date either 1 January or 1 July yearly. 



7.9 Implementation 

All proposals for broad-banded positions must meet the criteria specified in 

paragraph 7.5 above. The RCSC will be responsible for the approval of broadbanded 

positions. The Appeals and Review mechanism will apply to 

disagreements in this area. 

7.9.1 Proposals may be forwarded to RCSC to revise any position in relation to 

whether or not it should be broad-banded. Such proposals will require a full 

justification including the submission of an approved job description, 

organisational charts and information on the position’s relationship with 

similar positions in its occupational group. 



Chapter VIII: PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT 

Performance management is the process of creating a work environment in which people 

are enabled to perform to the best of their abilities. It is a whole work system that begins 

when a job is defined as needed and ends when an employee leaves your organisation. 

Performance management is something managers should practice on a daily level through 

providing on-going coaching and feedback, as well as identifying appropriate training to 

meet the development needs of their staff. 

8.1 Policy 

• To enable fairness in career advancement and promote merit, productivity and 

morale; 

• To enhance both organisational and individual effectiveness by introducing 

objective performance management criteria. 

• To promote a positive performance culture. 

8.2 Performance Appraisal System 

The Performance Appraisal is a key feature of an organisation’s performance 

management system, and is used to record and analyse employee performance on 

the job in accordance with their assigned responsibilities and achievements. It is a 

formal process that helps to manage performance by communicating 

responsibilities and performance expectations, monitoring performance and 

providing feedback. Employees perform better when they know their job 

responsibilities and expected level of performance. Such feedback enables the 

employee to foster good work habits and modify poor work habits. 

The Performance Appraisal also forms an objective basis to reward and reinforce 

performance of employees who grow professionally as they contribute to the 

accomplishment of organisational goals. 

8.2.1 Objectives: 

• Foster performance of the employee through continuous and objective 

performance planning, monitoring, reviewing and recognition; 



• Enhance productivity by aligning employee performance to the 

organisational goals; 

• Provide an objective basis for rewarding good performance and 

managing poor performance. 

8.3 Scope 

The Performance Appraisal System covers all employees, including personnel on 

probation, contract and other employees. However it shall not cover the 

Elementary Service Personnel. 

8.4 Appraisal Instruments 

The Performance Appraisal system consists of two sets of appraisal instruments 

(see Appendix E). 

8.4.1 Executive Appraisal Form 

This is an appraisal form designed to be completed by the manager of the 

executive whose performance is being appraised. The form enables the 

executive’s manager to record the performance ratings pertained to the 

performance of the executive. This form shall be completed on an annual 

basis. 

Secretary: Where the executive is the Secretary, a written assessment shall 

be sought from the Minister concerned, and the RCSC will be the reviewing 

authority. 

8.4.1.1 Appraisal Process for Executives 

The appraisal of the executive is done once during the entire 

appraisal cycle, where the Executive Performance Appraisal Form 

is completed by the manager. Feedback forms will be distributed 

to the executive’s immediate subordinates and returned to the 

manager, so as to give the manager additional information he can 

use in their assessment of the executive’s performance. 



• The HR Officer shall determine the number of feedback forms to be 

distributed to subordinates according to the size and number of 

employees in the organisation so as to ensure such feedback is an 

adequate representation. 

• The HR Officer shall distribute the appraisal form to the manager of the 

executive for necessary completion. 

• All completed appraisal and feedback forms shall be returned to the HR 

Officer who shall file them accordingly on both a central database and 

personnel files. 

• The manager will determine an appropriate mechanism for feedback to 

the executive, regarding the appraisal outcome. 

8.4.2 General Civil Servant Appraisal Form 

There are two phases to the appraisal process for general civil servants: 

8.4.2.1 Phase 1: The Work Planning and Review Phase 

The Work Planning and Review Form is to be completed jointly 

by the employee and manager to record and review performance 

outputs that are to be the key focus for a given six month period. 

Expected performance outputs are agreed at the beginning of a six 

month period. At the end of these six months, the employee and 

manager jointly make remarks regarding employee progress 

against each performance output. The performance outcomes for 

the next six month period are also then determined. 

The other aspect of this form is the identification of core 

competencies. This is done on an annual basis only. The 

manager and employee jointly determine six core competencies 

relevant to the employee’s position. These are then rated at the 

end of the appraisal cycle in the Summative Review phase. 



Guidelines: When completing this form, the following guidelines 

shall be used: 

1. The employee and manager shall jointly set expected 

performance outputs against each major task defined in the 

employee’s job description and annual work plan. The 

expected performance output should relate to the position’s 

duties and organisational needs. 

2. The expected performance outputs shall be established every 

six months starting from the beginning of the appraisal cycle. 

The agreed performance outputs shall be recorded in the Work 

Planning and Review Form (see Appendix E). 

3. The performance output may be changed and or modified by 

the employee and manager depending on the changes resulted 

from new mandates and new circumstances. The changed or 

modified performance output shall be immediately be recorded 

on the form. 

4. At the end of every six month period, the manager and 

employee shall review the performance output at a joint 

sitting. Remarks regarding each of the expected performance 

outputs shall be recorded on the form. 

5. During the joint review session the manager and employee 

shall focus on problems encountered and on ways in resolving 

them. 

6. The Head of Agency and the manager may record comments 

that elaborate on the employee’s key strengths and weaknesses 

which may impact on the employee’s performance. 



7. Identification of core competencies 

Core competencies are the necessary abilities essential to 

delivering performance of a particular position at an 

expected level. The abilities may be expressed in terms of 

knowledge, skills and attitude. The following guideline shall 

be used to identify the core competencies: 

- The core competencies may be identified from the 

suggested list of core competencies that is provided 

in this manual (Appendix I); or the manager and 

employee may identify those that are not included in 

the manual. The organisation may also establish core 

competencies against each of the position in the 

organisation, in which case the identification must be 

from those established by the organisation. 

- The manager shall communicate to the employee that 

the general performance including work habits of the 

employee will be judged based on the agreed core 

competencies. 

8.4.2.2 Phase 2: Summative Review Phase 

The summative review form is designed to enable the manager 

and employee to reflect on the performance outcomes and 

achievement during the entire appraisal cycle and to record their 

respective judgments. This shall be completed on an annual basis. 

There are three components of the summative form viz. ratings on 

performance factors, ratings on core competencies and space for 

general comments. 

Process: In the first instance, the employee is to complete the 

Summative Review Form as best they can with reference to the 



Work Planning and Review Forms. Performance Outputs and 

Core Competencies are to be listed/described and a ‘self-rating’ 

given along with supplementary information where necessary. 

Note: under Performance Outputs, a separate rating is required for 

both the ‘quantity’ and ‘quality’ sections. The employee should 

also write comments regarding his own development needs in the 

space provided. When complete, the form is then submitted to 

their manager. The manager will review the form and make 

appropriate notes. A meeting between the manager and employee 

is then arranged to discuss the Summative Review Form in more 

detail and finalize ratings. 

Guidelines: Review of Performance Factors 

The review of performance factors should be especially focused 

on the quality and the quantity of work accomplished by the 

employee. The following guidelines shall be used: 

1. Based on the performance output remarks made in the 

Work Planning and Review Forms, the employee shall 

self-rate their performance and provide supplementary 

comments as appropriate. The manager, upon discussion 

with the employee in the Summative Review meeting 

will confirm the final rating on each performance factor. 

2. For the description of the performance factors quality 

and quantity, refer to the definitions provided in the 

manual (see Appendix A). 

3. Ratings are to be based on the Performance Factor 

Rating Matrix (see Appendix G). Assign separate 

ratings for quantity and quality of work. 



4. The manager shall make comments on the general 

quality and quantity of the employee’s performance in 

the space provided on the form. The comments must 

include substantive reasons for the good or poor 

performance pertained to the factors under review, and 

discussed thoroughly with the employee directly. 

5. Review of Core Competencies 

The employee is to first conduct a self-rating against 

each of the agreed core competencies and give some 

explanation that supports the self-rating. The manager, 

upon discussion with the employee in the Summative 

Review meeting will confirm the final rating on each 

core competency. 

- The ratings are to be based on the Core Competency 

Rating Scale (see Appendix H). 

- In determining the ratings on core competencies, the 

manager may refer to any previous records and/or 

feedback forms that he may have. 

Note: The Performance Factor Rating Matrix and Core 

Competency Rating Scale can be found in Appendix G and H 

respectively. 

8.5 Final Ratings Calculation 

After the appraisal meeting, the manager shall calculate the overall final ratings. 

This determines whether a performance increment, if any, is to be awarded to the 

employee. This needs to be signed off by the manager, and the entire form then 

needs to be submitted to the Head of Agency/Secretary for final approval and 

endorsement. Once approval has been given, it is the manager’s responsibility to 

have a follow-up meeting and communicate the outcome to the employee. 



If approval is not forthcoming in spite of a good final rating, the Head of 

Agency/Secretary must contact the manager directly to seek further clarification 

and discuss concerns in more detail in order to facilitate a final decision. There 

must be a strong rationale for NOT awarding performance increments to an 

employee who has scored a good final rating. 

8.5.1 Authority: The authority to grant the annual performance increment shall be 

vested with the Head of Agency for position levels P1 and below; and the RCSC 

for position levels EX3/ES3 and above. 

8.6 Feedback Forms: For those people who have management and formal supervisory 

responsibilities, additional feedback will be sought from their immediate 

subordinates and submitted to the manager using the Feedback Form (see 

Appendix E). Feedback will be kept anonymous. 

8.6.1 Assessment Forms for ‘Secretary’: There is a separate assessment form 

for people holding positions at ‘Secretary’ level that will include Ministerial 

feedback. This will be monitored and reviewed by the RCSC Commission. 

NB: This includes the Secretaries from Autonomous Agencies. 

8.7 Roles and Accountability 

For effective implementation and management of the appraisal system, the 

following civil servants are individually and collectively responsible and 

accountable. 

8.7.1 The Employee 

• The employee shall determine his performance outcomes jointly with 

the manager using the Work Planning and Review Form every six 

month period. 

• The employee shall determine six relevant core competencies jointly 

with the manager at the beginning of the appraisal cycle using the Work 

Planning and Review Form. 



• The employee shall participate with the manager in all appraisal 

sessions and accordingly record his ratings and comments in the 

appropriate forms. 

• The employee shall notify the manager should there be any problems 

that affect performance and hence may require changing the 

performance outcomes. 

• The employee shall submit in writing to the Head of Agency, or to the 

next in chain of command above the manager, should he disagree with 

the manager’s final ratings and requires a review by a competent 

authority. 

8.7.2 The Manager 

The manager is the person whom the employee directly reports to and 

receives instruction from. 

• The manager shall take the initiative to establish the employee’s 

performance outcomes at a joint sitting with the employee on a biannual 

basis. 

• The manager shall jointly with the employee identify six core 

competencies relevant to the position of the employee at the beginning 

of the appraisal cycle. 

• The manager shall maintain custody of the performance appraisal 

document of the employee during the appraisal cycle and submit it to 

the HR Officer as and when required. 

• The manager shall constantly monitor the employee’s performance 

during the appraisal cycle and provide feedback on performance 

outcome achievements and shortfalls as may be relevant. 

• The manager shall document critical incidents that reveal the 

employee’s strengths and weaknesses and how these might impact on 

performance. 

• The manager shall initiate performance-rating sessions jointly with the 

employee on time as required by the appraisal system. 

• Should the employee disagree with an outcome of a performance 

appraisal, the manager shall provide the employee with an opportunity 

to express his dissatisfaction to the Head of Agency or next in the chain 

of command above the immediate manager. 



8.7.3 The Head of Agency 

• The Head of Agency shall communicate organisational goals and any 

assignments to the relevant organisational units to facilitate 

performance planning by the employee and the manager. 

• The Head is responsible for ensuring the appraisal system is effectively 

implemented and managed in the organisation. 

• The Head shall ensure every employee and manager participates in the 

appraisal system. 

• The Head shall ensure all civil servants undertake appropriate training 

so they are enabled to perform their roles as established in the appraisal 

system. 

• The Head shall study individual or aggregated performance appraisal 

reports and communicate appropriate feedback to an employee or 

groups of employees as may be deemed necessary. 

• The Head shall either individually or form a review committee to study 

and resolve any written appeals received from any employees relating to 

any aspect of the performance appraisal. 

8.7.4 Human Resource Officer 

• Under the overall guidance of the Head of Agency, the HR Officer is 

responsible for providing expert HR advice and facilitating the effective 

implementation and management of the appraisal system in the 

organisation. 

• The HR Officer shall facilitate the managers and employees in making 

work plans and undertaking performance reviews by notifying the time 

line for such activities and distributing appropriate forms. 

• The HR Officer shall maintain and ensure safe custody of all appraisal 

documents. 

• The HR Officer shall ensure all managers, employees and the head of 

organisations conform to the time schedule for each activity as outlined 

in Appendix M). 



• The HR Officer shall record, maintain and update performance 

appraisal information as required. This shall be computed through the 

use of appropriate software, which shall be used to generate quantitative 

data as well as document critical incidences. 

• The HR Officer shall release appraisal information to approved parties 

as may be advised by the RCSC or the Head of Agency. 

8.7.5 For Organisations without a Human Resource Officer 

Where the position of HR Officer does not exist: 

• The Head of Agency shall either undertake the role and accountability 

of the HR Officer or assign a qualified person within the organisation to 

undertake the role of HR Officer. 

8.8 Managing Non-Performance 

The performance appraisal reports of employees should form a good basis for 

managing non-performers. For this to happen, the documentation and archiving of 

performance reports is essential. 

Depending on the performance appraisal reports, a number of measures can be 

applied to address the management of non-performers. The following measures 

can be taken by organisations in consultation with the RCSC. 

• Staff development in the form of training, counselling, mentoring and 

coaching. Staff training on performance management shall be given a priority. 

• Review job descriptions. Positions could be enriched through reviewing and 

updating of job descriptions, making sure they are still relevant to the 

organisation and within the capabilities of the incumbent. 

• Review external variables. It should be recognised that external variables can 

affect an employee’s performance. For example, job environment and 

management technique. These should be looked into and improved where 

required. 



• Transfer to another job. If an employee does not improve despite management 

support and training, the employee shall be considered for transfer to a different 

position. 

• Written warnings. Repeated non-performance despite corrections and coaching 

will result in a written warning/reprimand. 

• Withholding rewards. Salary increments, training and promotions can be 

withheld from the employee for poor performance. 

• Termination of employment. Eventual non-performance beyond correction will 

result in forced voluntary resignation, compulsory retirement and/or 

termination of employment. 

For more detailed guidelines on managing poor performance, please refer to 

Appendix J. 

8.9 Appraisals, Disputes and Appeals 

The purpose of this guideline is to establish general mechanisms and procedures 

for reviewing and resolving employee disputes concerning performance appraisals 

in accordance with the requirements and guidelines established by the Bhutan Civil 

Service Commission. 

The following situations would amount to a dispute and hence may deserve 

consideration for review: 

1. The manager and employee disagree with a final rating, particularly if there is a 

significant difference in opinion. For example, when the manager believes 

‘improvement is needed’, and the employee believes his performance is 

‘outstanding’. 

2. When the employee does not agree to any comments written on the performance 

appraisal form by the manager. 



8.9.1 Role of the Employee 

i) An employee who chooses to appeal his appraisal should file a written 

application to the Head of Agency or to the immediate manager of the 

Head, in case where the Head is also the manager. 

ii) The application shall mention specifically the areas of dispute and put 

forward supplementary evidence. 

iii) The application shall be submitted within ten working days counted 

after the end of the appraisal cycle. 

iv) The employee may request a meeting with the Head to discuss his 

objections and to seek advice regarding settlement of the dispute. 

8.9.2 Role of the Head of Agency 

i) The Head of Agency shall meet the employee if requested and render 

appropriate advice on whether to initiate a formal settlement process, or 

to drop the case depending on the seriousness and soundness of the 

charges. 

ii) Upon receipt of the formal application for appraisal review, the Head of 

Agency may choose any of the following courses of action: 

a. The Head may individually study the appeal and dispense decision 

as may be deemed fit; 

b. The Head may discuss either jointly or individually with the 

manager and employee and dispense decision as may be deemed fit; 

c. The Head may institute a review committee with relevant 

membership and commission a study into the appeal. The Head may 

then dispense decision upon the advice of the committee. 

iii) The Head shall communicate his decision to the employee and manager 

within a reasonable time which allows for a thorough study of the 

dispute. 

iv) The decision shall then be communicated to the HRO who will 

accordingly reflect the changes on the appraisal documents. 



Chapter IX: APPLICATION THROUGH OTHER HR SYSTEMS 

The principles of PCS are embedded into various human resource systems. The major 

areas and the process of application are described below. 

9.1 Determination of Annual Staff Strength 

The staffing pattern and strength for each Agency shall be developed coinciding 

with the Planning Period. Staff strength shall be reviewed on an annual basis. The 

strength for each organisation, including the staff requirement, valid for the 

following financial year shall be sanctioned by the RCSC and shall be included in 

the budget proposal of the organisation concerned. The practice of creation of posts 

on ad hoc basis shall be discontinued, except in the event of an emergency. 

9.1.1 Human Resource Auditing 

As decision-making for human resource actions is progressively 

decentralized, the RCSC shall introduce a system of human resource 

auditing. Such auditing is expected to achieve the following objectives: 

• Confirmation of the validity of positions and their job descriptions 

• Assessment of position workload as against staff strength 

• Monitoring the optimum utilization of human resources 

• Monitoring the compliance to Civil Service rules and systems 

9.2 Recruitment, Selection and Promotion 

The recruitment, selection and promotion of all candidates (including graduates) 

will be primarily determined by the number of vacancies available in any one 

organisation, using a competitive selection process (excluding broad-banded 

positions). The available vacancies based on the sanctioned strength of various 

organisations shall be compiled periodically by each organisation in conjunction 

with the RCSC. This shall form the basis for monitoring the expansion of the Civil 

Service and conducting job auditing. 



9.2.1 Recruitment and Selection Process 

The recruitment process is briefly outlined in 9.2.5. With regard to the 

selection process, it is important to ensure the selection process used is 

open, transparent and fair; and results in the most suitable applicant 

being selected. Appendix D has a sample interview approach and 

questions. 

9.2.2 Movement across positions 

Movement across positions can occur through: 

• Promotions (broad-banded and non-broad-banded positions) 

• Transfers 

• Competing for vacant posts (new or vacated positions) 

The above methods enable employees to move to different and/or more 

senior positions. Therefore movement across positions always entails a 

change of job responsibilities. 

9.2.3 Promotions 

Aside from promotions occurring within a broad-banded area (see 

Chapter VII), promotions (movement into more senior posts) occur only 

when a vacancy arises and must operate within an open competitive 

environment. 

When a vacancy for a post arises, it will be advertised accordingly 

throughout the Civil Service and all interested applicants asked to 

apply. In this type of situation, the applicant’s manager can submit a 

letter of recommendation alongside the applicant’s other data. 

Considerations for promotion include the applicant’s: 

• Current performance ratings, skill and experience 

• Qualifications 

• Clear service record 

• Written recommendations from management 

These have to be considered alongside the actual needs of the vacant 

post and other selection criteria to ensure a successful match. 



9.2.4 Transfers 

Transfers of employees usually occur when a department requires 

additional resource/skills in a particular area for a period of time; or 

when a restructuring takes place and staff need to be re-distributed; or 

when an actual vacancy arises and the department is unable to obtain 

additional staff strength, they may choose to move staff from one area 

to another to improve efficiencies. 

Normally transfers take place within the same occupational group 

and/or department. However, employees may be considered for transfer 

to another occupational group/department provided they meet the 

qualification, skill, abilities and experience requirements of the post to 

which they are being considered. Transfer can take place in a non- 

competitive environment provided: 

• The transfer does NOT involve a promotion to a higher position 

level (i.e. the employee’s current position level and salary is 

maintained). 

If the transfer involves promotion to a higher position level, the 

position must be openly advertised throughout the Civil Service to 

encourage applicants to apply through an open competitive selection 

environment. The procedure is briefly outlined in 9.2.5. 

In the situation where a transfer may be to a position that is in a lower 

position level than currently held, remuneration will be dependent on 

the circumstances of the situation: 

a. When a transfer is in the public’s interest, the employee shall be 

entitled to maintain his existing salary, even if his position and 

position level changes; 

b. When a transfer is of the employee’s personal choice, remuneration 

will be based on the new position and position level; 



c. When a transfer is due to demotion, the employee’s remuneration 

will be based on the new position and position level. 

Any transfer must meet all other previously agreed employment 

conditions. 

9.2.5 Vacancies 

Ideally a vacancy in an authorized position needs to be identified as 

early as possible to allow such time as required to fill the position 

without leaving a gap in the fulfillment of that position’s duties and 

responsibilities. The filling of vacancies is normally within an open 

competitive environment and shall generally require the following 

activities: 

• The vacancy is identified and audited to ensure a requirement still 

exists (Agency); 

• Executive approval is given to recruit for vacancy (Heads of 

Agency and RCSC); 

• All new positions are required to have job descriptions drawn up 

and then reviewed and evaluated by the Appeals and Review 

Committee (see Chapter X); 

• Announcement of vacancy via a variety of media, across the Civil 

Service (HR Officers and/or senior management of hiring 

Agency); 

• Compilation of all applications from eligible candidates 

throughout the Civil Service (HR Officers and/or senior 

management of hiring Agency); 

• Selection process to assess candidates; and selection of the most 

suited candidate for position (senior management of hiring 

Agency and RCSC if required). 



9.3 Human Resource Development 

Under the PCS, it is important to ensure employees have access to continuing 

education so as to update their existing qualifications and skills in accordance with 

the requirements of their current position, as well as enable the employee to pursue 

other positions in the future. All training and development programmes must be 

aligned with the HRD Master Plan and based on agreed budget plans. 

9.3.1 Employees will only be considered for the next position they apply for if 

they meet the minimum qualifications, skills and experience outlined in the 

job description. 

9.3.2 Training and development of staff will be guided by the knowledge and 

skill requirements section of the generic job description. However, it is 

important to remember that this will not be representative of all training 

requirements and some programmes will have to be customized to meet 

individual/team needs. 

9.3.3 The HR Officers within each Agency, will work closely with their 

managers and general staff to identify specific training needs. Once 

established, the HR Officers in conjunction with the HRD Division of the 

RCSC will identify the means by which the training requirements can be 

met. (See Appendix N for guidelines on Training Needs Analysis) 

Please refer to the PCS Policy Document, the BCSR and the HRD Master Plan for 

more detailed information relating to Human Resource Development. 

9.4 Remuneration and Benefits 

The core objectives of a remuneration and benefits system under PCS are to attract, 

retain and motivate civil servants. In particular, this will be achieved by ensuring 

that compensation for jobs reflects their true value, where jobs of equal value 

receive equal pay. 

Another key aspect is “pay for performance” where the emphasis will be to 

reinforce the link between pay and performance, and employees will be rewarded 

directly for their performance. This practice promotes the PCS principle of 

meritocracy. 



The development of an appropriate remuneration and benefits system will be based 

on the following guidelines: 

9.4.1 Using the Factor Evaluation System, each position in the Civil Service will 

be placed at a specific position level which denotes the salary range at 

which that position is to be remunerated. 

9.4.2 Performance increments will be paid to employees based on annual 

performance ratings of individual performance appraisals. Performance 

increments will form part of the base salary. 

9.4.3 Performance bonuses will be paid to employees based on annual 

performance ratings of individual performance appraisals. Performance 

bonuses will be a variable amount and not a permanent feature of salary. 

Please refer to the PCS Policy Document and the BCSR for more detailed 

information relating to Remuneration and Benefits. 

9.5 Organisational Development Review 

Organisational development reviews are an important monitoring and evaluation 

exercise which help to assess the overall health of the Civil Service across each of 

the core human resource management areas. 

• Every Agency shall with an interval of three to five years or when needed, 

conduct an organisational review assessing its achievements, formulating 

vision, mission, values and strategies, and revising its structure, staff 

strategies, etc; 

• Every Agency shall annually appraise the achievement of the following 

year’s targets and set targets for the following year. This pertains to the 

Agency as a whole and each of its departments and divisions. Targets will 

be applied for performance appraisals; 



• Every Agency shall promote a positive organisational culture to the benefits 

of clients and citizens through cultural events and other motivational 

measures, and through a high level of information services; 

• Every Agency shall develop a high performance culture through thorough 

training and performance management; 

• Executives in each Agency shall personally take responsibility for 

organisational development and performance culture; 

• All executives and managers shall avail themselves of appropriate training 

in organisational development, leadership and performance managed with 

the support of the RCSC, managed institutes and the HR Officers. 



Chapter X: APPEALS AND REVIEW SYSTEM 

As a dynamic system, the PCS is designed to respond to the changing needs of the Civil 

Service. Positions will be added and subtracted according to structural changes or changes 

in job requirements within respective Agencies. Further recommendations regarding key 

aspects of the PCS may also be made by the Agencies. In recognition of both these 

factors, an Appeals and Review Committee has been established. 

10.1 The Appeals and Review Committee (ARC) is a permanent committee established 

by the RCSC to clarify doubts and address on-going issues and appeals related to 

job descriptions and positions under PCS. 

10.2 Appeals by Agencies will be received by the ARC. 

10.3 Appeals by individual employees with or without support by their respective 

employing Agency will also be considered by the ARC. 

10.4 Appeals must be submitted in writing to the ARC (c/- RCSC) in the format given 

in Appendix O at the back of this manual. 

10.5 The findings and recommendations of the ARC shall then be submitted to the 

Commission for a final decision. 

10.6 The Commission’s decisions shall be communicated to the respective Agency 

and/or individual. Modifications shall be incorporated in the relevant records as 

may be necessary. 



Chapter XI: KEY STAKEHOLDER RESPONSIBILITIES 

11.1 Key Stakeholders 

• Employees 

• Managers 

• Human Resource Officers 

• Heads of Agency 

• Royal Civil Service Commission 

Following, is an overview of what each key stakeholder is primarily responsible 

for. It is important each stakeholder understands it requires a team effort and a 

shared sense of responsibility to ensure an effective human resource management 

system is implemented and maintained across the Civil Service. 

11.2 Employees 

Employees shall: 

• Know and comply with the rules, regulations, policies and procedures of the 

Civil Service; 

• Take a pro-active role in all human resource areas, such as: 

- Identifying own training needs and seeking assistance to address them; 

- Taking responsibility for one’s own career development within the Civil 

Service; 

- Taking responsibility for improving one’s work performance; 

- Notifying the manager of any potential hazards/problems in the workplace; 

• Report to work on time and in accordance with the work schedule; 

• Be an active team member and always look to contribute to the organisation’s 

overall goals and objectives; 

• Maintain a high level of integrity and performance in the work done; 

• Present a positive public image of the Civil Service at all times through 

exemplary conduct. 



11.3 Managers 

Managers shall: 

• Take a pro-active interest in the general well-being and professional 

development of their employees; 

• Take a leading role in the implementation of all human resource management 

policies and processes; 

• Support a work environment where ethical conduct is recognised, valued and 

exemplified; 

• Ensure their employees have adequate knowledge and resources to follow all 

Civil Service rules, regulations, policies and procedures; 

• Monitor and enforce compliance with these standards; 

• Support employees who raise questions or concerns in good faith about ethics, 

legal compliance, systems and procedures; 

• Set a good example and encourage others to do likewise. 

11.4 Human Resource Officers 

Human Resource Officers shall: 

• Play an enabling role and ensure the efficacy of all human resource services 

within their Agency. For example: job analysis and design; recruitment, 

selection and promotion; training and development; performance management; 

remuneration and benefits; health and safety; and organisational development 

reviews; 

• Facilitate and provide support to the decentralization of human resource 

functions as and when required by the RCSC; 

• Be held accountable for ensuring all human resource processes are undertaken 

in a timely fashion by the appropriate people; 

• Ensure the accountability, transparency and efficiency of all human resource 

actions is maintained; 

• Advise and assist the management team in effectively managing human 

resource functions and decisions; 

• Be held accountable for keeping all human resource files up-to-date; 

• Be responsible for performing all human resource administrative actions as 

directed by their Manager, Head of Agency and RCSC; 



• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of all human resource activities, and 

provide feedback to their Agency and/or RCSC on how they can be improved; 

• Assist the RCSC in planning and implementing new human resource policies 

and systems, including Civil Service reforms. 

11.5 Heads of Agency 

Heads of Agency shall: 

• Take a pro-active interest in the general well-being and professional 

development of their employees; 

• Be held accountable for the overall implementation and monitoring of human 

resource management policies and processes within their Agency; 

• Create a work environment where ethical conduct is recognised, valued and 

exemplified; 

• Ensure employees have adequate knowledge and resources to follow all Civil 

Service rules, regulations, policies and procedures; 

• Support employees who raise questions or concerns in good faith about ethics, 

legal compliance, systems and procedures; 

• Set a good example and encourage others to do likewise. 

11.6 Royal Civil Service Commission 

The RCSC shall: 

• Be the governing authority on all human resource management policies and 

processes including the PCS and the BCSR; 

• Formulate nationwide human resource management policies and procedures in 

consultation with all Agencies; 

• Monitor and evaluate achievement of the Five Year Plan and HRD Master Plan 

targets and objectives of the Agencies; 

• Oversee the general maintenance of the Zhiyog database; 

• Monitor and evaluate Agency execution and delivery of core human resource 

functions; 

• Serve as appellate authority on disputes related to the PCS and other human 

resource functions. 



DEFINITIONS UNDER PCS 

APPENDIX A 

The following terms and definitions relate to key concepts outlined in the preceding 

chapters on the Position Classification System (PCS). 

1. Appraisal Cycle 

The Appraisal Cycle is the time-frame of one year during which an employee’s 

performance is either directly observed or verified for the purpose of providing a 

formal appraisal rating. 

2. Broad-banded Position 

A position that is linked to one or two other higher or lower level positions in the 

same occupational group that require the same minimum qualifications and are 

very similar in purpose, roles and responsibilities. 

3. Competitive Selection Process 

This means that anyone is free to apply and compete for a vacant position as long 

as long as he fulfills the eligibility criteria, which shall be advertised to ensure a 

fair and transparent process. 

Under Competitive Selection: 

a) All eligible candidates will be assessed on the basis of the vacant 

position’s job description; and 

b) All candidates will be assessed against the same set of critical factors: 

• Merit; that is their ability, knowledge and skills (performance) 

demonstrated in their current position; and 

• Potential; that is the likelihood that they will be able to perform 

the duties/responsibilities of the vacant position. 

4. Core Competencies 

Core competencies are the essential abilities that are required to perform the duties 

of a particular position to a satisfactory performance level which may be expressed 

through skills, knowledge, attitude and aptitude. 



5. Duties and Responsibilities 

A large segment of a work performed in a position and may include any number of 

tasks. Outlines key areas of accountability as well as the expected outputs of the 

position. 

6. Equal Pay for Equal Value of Work 

This means that employees with the required qualifications and experience and 

performing comparable jobs as determined through the job evaluation process, 

should be compensated similarly; that is, within the same salary range. 

7. Executive Management 

For the purpose of the Performance Appraisal System, Executives shall include the 

following: 

• Head of Ministerial Organisations (Secretary) 

• Head of Ministerial Departments (Director) 

• Head of Autonomous Agencies 

• Head of Educational Institutes 

• Regional Heads 

• Dzongdags 

• Dungpas 

• Drangpons in the Dzongkhags 

• Drangpons in the Dungkhags 

8. Job Analysis 

A process by which we understand the critical and important facts about a position 

in order to produce a detailed statement of duties and responsibilities and other 

information relevant to the position useful for human resource management 

functions. 

9. Job Evaluation 

This is a systematic process of determining the relative worth or value of a specific 

position in relation to other positions across the Civil Service. 

10. Job Identification 

The determination of a specific role/job or position within the Civil Service that is 

necessary to meet the goals and objectives of the organisation. 



11. Major Occupational Group 

A major division of the Occupational Structure which embraces a group of 

associated occupations. For example: the Audit & Finance Group, the Architecture 

and Engineering Group etc. 

12. Manager/Supervisor 

The manager/supervisor is a civil servant or a non-civil servant who is above the 

employee in the chain of command in the organisation. The manager/supervisor is 

the person from whom the employee receives the majority of instruction regarding 

his work and to whom the employee directly reports. The manager/supervisor is 

responsible for conducting formal appraisals and general performance management 

of the employee. 

13. Market Rates 

The rates of pay considered fair levels of remuneration in light of Bhutan’s cost of 

living. 

14. Minimum Experience Requirements 

The specific number of years experience required in one’s current position before 

becoming eligible to apply for notified vacancies or movement through broadbanded 

positions. 

15. Minimum Qualifications Requirements 

The specific minimum level of qualifications and training required to function 

effectively within a position. 

16. Performance Appraisal 

A performance appraisal is the process of documenting performance 

accomplishments, determining whether and how well performance outputs were 

accomplished, and assigning appropriate ratings based upon the assessment. 

17. Position 

A specific role executed by an employee on behalf of an organisation. Each 

position has a generic and specific job description and associated position level. 



18. Position Classification 

A process of grouping together positions with similar duties and responsibilities for 

the purpose of determining appropriate titles, minimum selection requirement, 

equitable compensation/salary and other personnel actions. 

19. Position Description 

This is the official description of the position including such information as its title, 

position level, location, purpose, duties and responsibilities, minimum 

qualifications and experience; and various other factors describing the position 

fully. 

20. Position Levels 

Civil Service positions shall be placed in specific position levels based on the 

approved job evaluation of each position. Each position level will have a 

corresponding salary range. 

21. Purpose of the Position 

Is one or two statements that provides an overview of what is expected by the 

position holder when undertaking the position. 

22. Promotion 

This refers to the vertical movement in an employee’s career to fill in a higher 

position vacancy with a new position title and corresponding salary. 

23. Quality 

Quality refers to efforts that consistently achieve the desired outputs with the 

minimum of avoidable errors and problems. It would also include such other 

elements as neatness, completeness, and precision of the work process and 

optimum consumption of resources. 

24. Quantity 

Quantity refers to the amount of work turned out compared to the expected output. 

It would also encompass the completion of work on the agreed time and the ability 

to self-monitor and self regulate the work rate to ensure that the task at hand is 

completed on time. 



25. Skill 

This refers to an employee’s ability to carry out the tasks, duties and 

responsibilities of a given position. 

26. Sub Group 

This refers to a division within a Major Occupational Group consisting of positions 

similar in a specialized line of work. For example: sub groups of the Finance & 

Audit Major Occupational Group include Audit Services and Revenue Services. 

27. Subordinates 

The subordinate in relation to an employee, is the civil servant who receives direct 

supervision from the manager. The subordinate reports his work directly to the 

manager. For example: if the Secretary is the manager, his immediate subordinates 

will be the Directors/Heads of Department. If the Director is the manager, his 

immediate subordinates will be the Heads of Division. 

28. Tasks 

These are activities which are necessary and logical to the performance of a duty or 

responsibility. 

29. Transfer 

This is a lateral movement of an employee either within the same Agency or from 

one Agency to another Agency to fill an existing vacancy of the same or different 

position title, but of the same position level and salary scale in the Civil Service. 

30. Vested Rights 

This key principle states that no employee’s current position and current salary 

shall be adversely affected by the introduction of the PCS. 



1. JOB IDENTIFICATION: 

1.1 Position Title: 

ROYAL GOVERNMENT OF BHUTAN 

ROYAL CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION 

JOB DESCRIPTION FORM 

1.2 Major Occupational Group: 

1.3 Sub-Group: 

1.4 Position Level: 

1.5 Job Code No.: 

1.6 Job Location (complete as appropriate): Agency: 

_____________________ 

Division: ___________________; Section/Unit: 

______________________ 

1.7 Official Title of First Level Manager: 

APPENDIX B 

2. PURPOSE, DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES (Describe the purpose, duties and 

responsibilities, indicating what is done and how it is done. Duties should be 

presented in decreasing order of relative importance): 

PURPOSE: [insert a brief statement that reflects the overall intent of this position. If 

possible, try and link this to the organisation’s vision and mission statements.] 

Duties and Responsibilities 

� 

� 

� 



3. KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS REQUIREMENTS (Minimum requirement for 

performance of work described (Level of Education, Knowledge, Skill and Ability): 

3.1 Education: 

3.2 Training: 

3.3 Length and type of practical experience required: 

3.4. Knowledge of language(s) and other specialized requirements: 

4. COMPLEXITY OF WORK (Describe the intricacy of tasks, steps, processes or 

methods involved in work, difficulty and originality involved in work): 

5. SCOPE AND EFFECT OF WORK (Describe the breadth of work performance and 

the effect the work has on the work of others or on the functions of the organisation): 

6. INSTRUCTIONS AND GUIDELINES AVAILABLE: 

6.1 Instructions (Describe controls exercised over the work by the Superior; how 

work is assigned, reviewed and evaluated): 

6.2 Guidelines (Indicate what written or unwritten guidelines are available, and 

the extent to which the employees may interpret, adapt or devise new 

guidelines): 



7. WORK RELATIONSHIPS (Indicate the frequency, nature and purpose of contacts 

with others within and outside the assigned organisation (other than contacts with 

superiors): 

8. SUPERVISION OVER OTHERS (Describe responsibility this position has for 

supervision of other employees, including the nature of supervisory responsibilities 

and categories and number of subordinates, both directly and indirectly supervised): 

9. JOB ENVIRONMENT (Describe physical demands required, such as walking, 

standing, lifting heavy objects, etc., and/or any risks or discomforts like exposure to 

hazards such as exposure to chemicals, infections, radiation, extreme weather and 

other hostile working conditions. Will the person be required to travel in this 

position? If so, how often?): 

NB: This is a generic job description only (see Section 4.1.2, Chapter IV, for 

definition). Please use the following template to record specific details 

pertaining to an Employee’s position. 



ROYAL GOVERNMENT OF BHUTAN 

ROYAL CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION 

SPECIFIC JOB DESCRIPTION 

This form is to be attached to the Employee’s generic job description 

Employee Name: 

Employee ID Number: 

Position Title: 

Manager’s Name: 

Manager’s Title: 

Job Location (name of Agency, Division, 

Section, Unit): 

Please outline below any other duties and responsibilities that are not covered by the 

generic job description, and/or duties and responsibilities specific and unique to the 

position because of its contextual environment. For example: a HR Officer within the 

Ministry of Finance may have the additional responsibility of payroll administration. 

Specific duties and responsibilities held by this position are: 

Manager’s Signature: ______________________ Date: ____________________ 



QUALIFICATION FRAMEWORK UNDER THE 

POSITION CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM 

CODES: POSITION CATEGORIES: 

EX 

ES 

Executive 

(Bachelors/Masters) 

Specialists 

(Masters/PhD) 

P Professional and Management 

(Bachelors/Masters) 

S Supervisory and Support 

(Diploma/Certificate) 

O Operational 

(Class 10) 

APPENDIX C 

Note: This framework is to be used as an overall guide. To get the specific qualifications 

required for any position, please refer to the position’s job description. 

CATEGORY 

EXPERIENCE FRAMEWORK UNDER THE 

POSITION CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM 

POSITION 

LEVELS 

NORMAL DURATION 

REQUIREMENT 

Executive and EX1 - EX3 4 years 

Specialists ES1 - ES3 

Professional and P1 – P5 4 years 

Management 

Supervisory and S1 – S5 4 years 

Support 

Operations O1 – O4 4 years 



SAMPLE INTERVIEW APPROACH & QUESTIONS 

FIRST: Get the candidate to describe past jobs in detail, including their initial 

expectations, responsibilities, accomplishments, failures/mistakes, most and least 

enjoyable aspects of their jobs and their reasons for leaving. 

APPENDIX D 

SECOND: Behaviour-based interview questions – focus on getting the candidate to give 

you specific examples of when they demonstrated particular behaviours or skills (use the 

Job Description as a guide, as well as ask some questions around some core competencies 

you would expect the successful candidate to have). 

For example: 

“Tell me about a time when you worked under tremendous stress. What was the project, 

how did you deal with the stress and what was the outcome?” 

“Describe an experience when you dealt with an angry customer. What did the incident 

involve, how did you handle it and what was the outcome?” 

What you are looking for here are specific examples/projects that the candidate can 

point to/talk about and elaborate on. Sometimes it is difficult for the candidate to 

come up with specific examples, give them some time. 

Please note: you should not ask any questions that are not related to the job the 

candidate is applying for. For example: it is not appropriate to ask questions around 

marital status, religion, sexuality – as these are highly unlikely to relate to their 

ability to do the work. 



General Candidate Questions 

• What is your ideal role? 

• What attracted you to this role? 

• What do you know about our organisation? 

• Why do you want to work for us? 

• What is your understanding of this particular role? 

• What are your expectations around the role and the organisation? 

• What skills and experience can you bring to this role? 

• What are your long-term goals? 

• Why are you seeking a change from your existing role? 

• For management/supervisory roles, ask “what is your management style? Do 

you consider yourself a leader? How so?” 

• For non-management roles, ask “how do you like to be managed?” 

• Describe a few situations in which your work has been criticised. What were 

your feelings around this? 

• What do you think your strengths and weaknesses are? 

• When can you start? 

Behaviour-based Interview Questions 

Following are some sample behavioural questions – feel free to amend them as necessary. 

These are particularly good at exploring whether a candidate has a required core 

competency for the role. 

Adaptability 

• Describe a time when you had to adapt to a wide variety of people, situations, and 

environments. How difficult is it for you to adapt to new situations? What 

techniques have you discovered to be helpful? 



• (Continuum) On a scale between liking constant sameness and liking constant 

change, where do you fit? Tell me about a job you’ve had in the past that involved 

a good deal of change. 

Assertiveness 

• We’ve all been involved in situations in which we’ve had to speak up to get our 

point across. Tell me about a time when you had to be assertive. What was at 

stake? What risks did you take in being assertive? How difficult is it for you to 

become assertive in a situation? 

Communication Skills 

• Tell me about a time when you were asked to make a presentation. What was the 

topic? How did you prepare? What things did you do to make you presentation 

interesting and effective? Did you use visual aids? Are you familiar with Microsoft 

PowerPoint? 

• Relate a story about a work situation in which your communication skills were 

really put to the test. How important of a role have communication skills had in the 

development of your career? What types of communication do you feel you are 

particularly good at? 

Conflict Management 

• Recall for me a time when you had a disagreement with your manager. What 

prompted the disagreement? What did you do to convince your manager that your 

position was the correct one? How was the situation resolved? 

• Tell me of a time when you had a conflict with a co-worker. What was involved? 

How did you handle it? Was compromise a part of your solution? 

Confrontation 

• Give me an example of a recent confrontation that you had with an employee 

whose results were unacceptable. What did you do to prepare for the 

confrontation? Where was the physical location of the confrontation? What was 

your objective in confronting the employee and was it achieved? 

• Tell me about the last time that a superior confronted you with a problem. What 

was involved? How did you handle the situation? How was the matter resolved? 



Creativity 

• Describe a time in which you were allowed to be completely creative in your work. 

How did it feel? What about the project did you find energizing? Give me a few 

examples of creative projects that you’ve been involved with in the past. 

• Tell me about the most significant creative presentation you’ve made. What was 

there about the presentation that worked? What could you have done better? 

Customer Service Skills 

• Tell me about the most difficult customer you’ve ever encountered. What did you 

do to satisfy the customer? Was it enough? What could you have done better? 

What do you think is the most important principle governing customer service? 

What kinds of things do you do to ensure that this principle is always followed? 

• Describe a situation in which you dealt with a customer who insisted that he was 

right when you knew that he was in the wrong. Were you successful? What did it 

take? What was your philosophy of customer service? 

Decision-making 

• Tell me about a situation in which you were forced to make a decision about 

something not covered by policy. How did you go about making the decision? 

How did you involve others in the process? 

• Describe the most difficult decision you’ve ever made. What was at stake? Who 

was involved? What resources did you use in making the decision? Was the 

outcome satisfactory? 

Enthusiasm 

• Tell me of a time when you needed to motivate others. How did you do it? What 

is the best way you’ve found to motivate others? 

Ethics 

• What things do you consider unethical? Tell me about a time when you’ve become 

aware that someone you knew acted unethically in one of the ways you’ve just 

described. 



Experience 

• Describe how your previous work experiences qualify you for the job you are 

seeking. Be specific. 

Foresightedness 

• Give me an example of a time when you averted a major problem by using 

foresight. What does foresight on the job involve? 

• Tell me about a time when a failure at work could have been avoided hd you only 

used a little foresight. What did you learn from the experience? 

Frustration 

• Describe the most frustrating aspect of your present job. What could be done to 

make your job less frustrating? Have you suggested changes? What do you do to 

cope with the frustrating aspects of your present job? 

Hiring 

• Tell me the biggest hiring mistake you’ve made as a manager. When were you 

first aware that a hiring mistake was probably made? In hindsight, were there any 

indications in the interview process that there may be problems with this particular 

candidate? If you had to do it all again, are there areas that you would have probed 

more intensely in the interview process? 

Honesty 

• Relate a situation in which your sense of personal honesty defined the manner in 

which you accomplished a particular task. Is absolute honesty in business affairs 

possible? 

Independence 

• Describe the amount of independence that you have in your present job. What do 

you like about working independently? What do you dislike about it? How 

important an issue is independence in the job you are seeking? 



Initiative 

• Give me an example of a time when you took the initiative to lobby for changes in 

policy or procedure. What were the risks? How did you approach the situation? 

What did you do to convince others that changes were needed? 

Interpersonal skills 

• Give me some examples of the contributions that you’ve made to create a team 

environment. What does it take to create a sense of team? What things are 

important to maintain a team spirit? How do you deal with those who simply 

refuse to be team players? 

Judgment 

• Give me an example of a time when your good judgment helped solve a problem. 

What was involved? 

• Tell me about a time when you used your best judgment in a situation and later 

found that you were wrong. How did you discover you were wrong? What did 

you do to rectify the situation? How costly was the error? What did you learn by 

it? 

Leadership 

• Of all the projects you’ve worked on during the course of your career, which one 

best exemplifies your leadership skills? How often do you have an opportunity to 

provide real leadership in your current job? What’s the difference between 

leadership and management, and which of those two terms best describes your 

approach? 

Management 

• Tell me about the most unpopular management decision you’ve ever made. What 

steps did you take in evaluating alternatives? How did you gather the facts that 

you needed? How did you explain your decision to employees? How did you deal 

with negative reaction? 

• Tell me about the things you’ve done to build morale in the department that you 

now manage. How important is employee morale? 



Managing Non-Performance 

• Tell me about the last time you had to manage the non-performance of an 

employee. What led to this situation? How did you approach the situation? What 

was the outcome? 

• Have you ever been disciplined for non-performance? What kind of job was 

involved? What led to this situation? How did you cope with it? What did the 

situation teach you? 

Motivation 

• Think of a time when things were not going well. How did you keep yourself 

going? What do you typically do to help motivate yourself? What do you think is 

the most motivating aspect of your present job? What is there in the job you’re 

pursuing that you would find motivational? 

• Tell me about the most significant failure you’ve experienced as a manager. How 

did you handle it? How did the failure affect your personal motivation? How did 

you overcome it? How did the situation affect the motivation of other members of 

the team? What did you learn by it? 

Negotiation 

• Give me an example of a particularly difficult negotiation in which you 

participated. What was involved? Was it a successful negotiation? How so? How 

often in your present job have you been in a position of negotiator? 

• Tell me about a time when you attempted to negotiate something, to no avail. 

What was involved? What were the problems? What could you have done 

differently, or better? What is your approach to negotiation? 

Objectivity 

• Tell me about an emotionally charged situation in which it was difficult for you to 

remain objective. Did you remain objective? How did you accomplish it? How 

did your objectivity help calm the situation or solve the problem? 

• Recall a time when you were dealing with a problem at work in which you lost 

objectivity and made an emotional decision. What happened? Had you remained 

more objective, what kind of decision would you have made? What lessons did 

you learn from the situation? 



Output 

• Tell me about a time when your team broke records in terms of production 

quantity. What was involved? What were the most important steps that led to 

success? 

• Give me an example of the last time that you intervened in a situation involving 

poor employee productivity. What was happening? How did you learn of the 

problem? What did you do to solve the problem? What could you have done 

better? 

Strategizing 

• Tell me about a time when it was necessary for you to develop a strategy to 

accomplish a specific work objective. What was the objective? What were the 

steps necessary to reach the objective? What was the strategy that you utilized to 

get there? 

Stress Management 

• Tell me about the most stressful job you’ve ever held. What made it stressful? 

How did you cope? 

• Give me an example of the kinds of stressors that are involved in your present job. 

What do you do to overcome them? 

Team building 

• Tell me about the team you supervise now. What makes it a team? What are the 

team’s strengths and weaknesses? What objectives have you met as a team? How 

do you foster a team spirit? 



Agency: 

Name of the Employee: Name of the Manager: 

Employee ID No: 



These performance outcomes 

are to be made priorities for the 

next 6 month period. To be 

completed jointly by the 

manager and the employee at 

the beginning of the work 

planning cycle. Use the 

employee’s job description and 

annual work plan as guidelines. 

Expected Performance 

Output / Services 

Output I: 

Output II: 

Output III: 

Output IV: 

(Use additional sheet if required) 

BHUTAN CIVIL SERVICE 

WORK PLANNING AND REVIEW FORM 

For the period: _________to _________ 

Each performance output 

should be reviewed at the end 

of each 6 month period. 

Review Date: 

______________________ 

Remarks of the Employee: 

APPENDIX E 

No ratings are required 

in this review phase, 

just remarks in relation 

to how the employee is 

progressing or not 

progressing in meeting 

each performance 

output. 

Remarks of the 

Manager: 



Instructions 

The core competencies are the special skills/qualities required to fulfill the roles and 

responsibilities of the position. The manager and the employee should jointly identify six 

core competencies relevant to the employee’s position. The core competencies may be 

identified using the Sample Competency Library provided in Appendix I. 

Each core competency will be evaluated at the of the appraisal cycle using the Core 

Competency Rating Scale (see Appendix H). 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

(Signature of the Employee) 


IDENTIFICATION OF CORE COMPETENCIES 

Agreed Core Competencies 

(Signature of the Manager) 



Name of Agency: 

Name of the Employee: 



Position Level: 


SUMMATIVE PERFORMANCE REVIEW FORM 

For the period to 

Employee / Manager Information 

Major Occupation Group: Sub Group: 

Name of the Manager: 

Position Title of the Manager: 

Process: In the first instance, the employee is to complete the Summative Review Form as best 

they can with reference to the Work Planning and Review Forms. Performance Outputs and 

Core Competencies are to be listed/described and a ‘self-rating’ given along with 

supplementary information where necessary. Note: under Performance Outputs, a separate 

rating is required for both the ‘quantity’ and ‘quality’ sections. When complete, the form is 

then submitted to their manager. The manager will review the form and make appropriate 

notes. A meeting between the manager and employee is then arranged to discuss the 

Summative Review Form in more detail and finalize ratings. The ‘final rating’ is to be 

approved and written down by the Manager. 




SUMMATIVE PERFORMANCE REVIEW FORM (CONTINUED) 

RATINGS ON PERFORMANCE FACTORS 

(Use additional sheets if required) 

(Ratings should pertain to Performance Outputs as 

outlined in Work Planning and Review Forms. Add 

additional outputs as necessary) 

PERFORMANCE OUTPUT 1: 

Quantity of Work: 

Quality of Work: 







Divide ‘Total Final Rating’ by number of individual 

final ratings = 


Employee selfrating: 

TOTAL 

FINAL 

RATING: 

AVERAGE 

RATING (A): 

Final 

rating 

(Manager): 






(To be completed by the Employee) 

Core Competency Comments: 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

RATINGS ON CORE COMPETENCIES 

Employee Selfrating: 

TOTAL FINAL 

RATING: 

Divide ‘Total Final Rating’ by 6 = AVERAGE 

RATING (B): 

Final Rating 

(Manager): 

(Signature of the Employee) (Signature of the Manager) 

DEVELOPMENT NEED OF THE EMPLOYEE 

Comments by the Employee 

(Comment on some of your special achievement and on areas that you need to improve) 






Comments by the Manager: 

(Comment on the special achievements and/or development needs of the employee 

and suggest some measures to improve the performance of the employee) 


THE APPRAISAL MEETING WITH THE EMPLOYEE IS CONCLUDED AT 

THIS POINT. 

THE MANAGER SHALL COMPLETE THE FINAL RATINGS CALCULATION 

BELOW, AND FORWARD THE SUMMATIVE REVIEW FORM TO THE HEAD 

OF AGENCY FOR REVIEW AND FINAL APPROVAL. 

FINAL RATINGS CALCULATION: 

Average Rating (A): ________ 60% Weightage 

+ Average Rating (B): ________ 40% Weightage = Final Rating (C): _________ 

• Calculation: (A x 0.6) + (B x 

0.4) = C 

If C = [tick appropriate box to confirm Final Rating and associated Performance 

Increment (PI)]: 

3.50 – 4.00 Outstanding (2 PI) 1.50 – 2.49 Good (1 PI) 

2.50 – 3.49 Very Good (1 PI) 0 – 1.49 Improvement 

Needed (0 PI) 

______________________________ _____________________________ 

Name and Signature of Manager Approval by Head of Agency 

Comments by the Head of Agency: 

(Comment on the general performance and potential of the employee) 

(Name and Signature of 

Head of Agency) 




EXECUTIVE PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL FORM 

For the rating period: _________to _________ 

Agency: 

Name of the Employee: Name of the Manager: 




1. EVALUATION OF PERFORMANCE OUTPUT 

A) How would you rate the extent of his/her performance accomplishment 

in terms of the programmes, projects and their targets for the last 

twelve months? 

4 = Outstanding 

3 = Very Good 

2 = Good 

1 = Improvement needed 

Substantiate rating with at least one example: ___________________ 

________________________________________________________________ 

B) How would you rate the quality of his/her work output in the last 



3 = Very Good 

2 = Good 


Substantiate rating with at least one example: __________________ 

_______________________________________________________________ 

C) How would you rate the timeliness of his/her work output in the last 



3 = Very Good 

2 = Good 



________________________________________________________________ 

TOTAL RATING: _________________ 

DIVIDE ‘TOTAL RATING’ BY 3 = AVERAGE RATING (A): ____________ 



EXECUTIVE PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL FORM (CONTINUED) 

EVALUATION OF COMPETENCIES 

D) Management of Work (it includes among others the ability to plan, 

prioritize, delegate, monitor, evaluate and decision making skills) 


3 = Very Good 

2 = Good 



______________________________________________________________ 

E) Management of People (it includes among others the ability to establish 

clear vision /direction, promote professionalism, advance career 

growth of subordinates, motivation of subordinates and effective 

communications skills) 


3 = Very Good 

2 = Good 



________________________________________________________________ 

F) Management of Resources (it includes among others the ability to 

mobilize resources, effective utilization, proper management of 

facilities and equipments) 


3 = Very Good 

2 = Good 



________________________________________________________________ 

G) Management of Linkages (it includes among others the ability to work 

effectively with other peers of other organisations / departments, 

stakeholders, superiors and clients) 


3 = Very Good 

2 = Good 


Substantiate rating with at least one example: _________________ 

________________________________________________________________ 

TOTAL RATING: _________________ 

DIVIDE ‘TOTAL RATING’ BY 4 = AVERAGE RATING (B): ____________ 



EXECUTIVE PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL FORM (CONTINUED) 

Comments by the Manager: 

(Comment on the special achievements and/or development needs of the employee and 

suggest some measures to improve the performance of the employee) 


Comments by the Employee (EXCLUDING: SECRETARY) 

(Comment on some of your special achievement and on areas that you need to improve) 


THE APPRAISAL MEETING WITH THE EMPLOYEE IS CONCLUDED AT 

THIS POINT. 

THE MANAGER SHALL COMPLETE THE FINAL RATINGS CALCULATION 

BELOW, AND FORWARD THE SUMMATIVE REVIEW FORM TO THE 

SECRETARY OR MINISTER FOR REVIEW AND FINAL APPROVAL. 

FINAL RATINGS CALCULATION: 

Average Rating (A): ________ 60% Weightage 

+ Average Rating (B): ________ 40% Weightage = Final Rating (C): _________ 

• Calculation: (A x 0.6) + (B x 

0.4) = C 

If C = [tick appropriate box to confirm Final Rating and associated Performance 

Increment (PI)]: 

3.50 – 4.00 Outstanding (2 PI) 1.50 – 2.49 Good (1 PI) 

2.50 – 3.49 Very Good (1 PI) 0 – 1.49 Improvement 

Needed (0 PI) 



Name of the Employee whom the 

feedback is for: 

Employee Position Title: 

Employee ID: 

Name of the Manager: 

Manager Position Title: 

Agency: 

Date: 


FEEDBACK FORM 

(To be completed by the immediate 

subordinate for those holding 

executive,managerial and formal 

supervisory positions) 

THIS FEEDBACK WILL BE KEPT ANONYMOUS. YOU ARE REQUIRED TO 

PROVIDE HONEST AND CONSTRUCTIVE COMMENTS ON THE EMPLOYEE’S 

OVERALL PERFORMANCE AND MANAGEMENT STYLE/PRACTICE. 

1. LIST ONE OR MORE THINGS YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR MANAGER 

TO STOP DOING: 


TO CONTINUE DOING: 


TO START DOING: 

4. LIST ONE OR MORE THINGS YOUR MANAGER COULD DO BETTER: 



Agency: 

Name of Secretary: 

Name of Minister: 

Date: 


ASSESSMENT OF SECRETARIES 

BY THE MINISTER 

Key Results Areas: Rating: Example: 

(Please support rating with at 

least one example) 

1 Management of Work: Overall 

achievement of policy objectives and 

enactment of legislation 

2 Support to Bhutan’s constitutional 

process and Good Governance 

3 Timely achievement of planned sector 

targets 

4 Management of Resources: control 

of costs and efficient use of resources 

5 Quality of service delivery and 

client/citizen satisfaction 

6 Promotion of innovation, technology, 

research and global thinking 

7 Management of People: utilization of 

human resources and right-sizing of 

the workforce 

8 Management of Linkages: success in 

establishing international and national 

partnerships and cooperation 

9 High level of communication, public 

image and relations 

10 Realisation of ethical standards, GG, 

cultural heritage, environment and the 

principles of GNH 

__________________ _________________ 

Signature of Minister Date 



APPENDIX F 

GUIDELINES TO CONDUCTING A SUCCESSFUL APPRAISAL MEETING 

Before the Appraisal Meeting 

1. Plan the meeting – don’t improvise. Both parties should be prepared for the 

meeting. The employee should be notified of the meeting at least one week in 

advance. 

2. The manager should review past appraisal documentation and give some thought to 

areas for discussion with the employee. 

a. Consult the employee’s job description and annual work plan. In 

determining key performance outcomes, the employee’s job description and 

annual work plan needs to be consulted. 

b. Ensure there are no surprises. The formal performance appraisal should not 

be used to raise performance problems or issues that the employee is not 

already aware of (hence the importance of ongoing informal performance 

feedback). It should instead be a review of performance for a given period. 

The objective is to look forward in discussing how performance can be 

improved, not create a session that is confrontational. 

During the Appraisal meeting 

1. Ensure the conditions are appropriate for the meeting. It should be conducted in a 

comfortable and relaxed atmosphere to get the most benefit from the discussion. 

This includes allowing adequate time for the meeting, using a private room, 

ensuring there will be no interruptions and giving full attention to the each other 

rather than appearing distracted by other work. 

2. Manager - involve the employee. As a general rule, the manager should spend 

more time listening than talking. Use open-ended questions that allow the 

employee to expand on their experiences and may well provide them with the 

opportunity to suggest their own needs for performance improvement. 



3. Be assertive. Both parties need to ensure concerns/suggestions are heard correctly 

by speaking openly, honestly and constructively. Reflect back to the speaker your 

perceived understanding to avoid miscommunications. 

4. Balance the content of the discussion. The manager should focus on both strengths 

and weaknesses of the employee. If there are negative aspects of the performance 

that need to be dealt with, they should be addressed openly and early in the 

meeting. This leaves the latter part of the meeting to focus on improvement and 

build a future orientation. 

5. Look forwards not backwards. A performance appraisal is a review of past 

performance. Performance management on the other hand, aims to set the 

direction for future performance. Focusing too heavily on the past is unproductive 

because there is no way the past can be undone and may encourage defensive 

reactions by the person being appraised. The whole tone of the appraisal should be 

in the context that any summative review of the past period’s performance is 

simply so that it may be improved upon for the next period. 

6. Give consideration to situational variables that can affect performance. An 

employee’s performance is not something that occurs in a vacuum. There are 

always a variety of situational variables that will influence an employee’s ability to 

do the job effectively. These variables need to be taken into consideration when 

discussing the employee’s performance and in an open manner. If situational 

causes for poor performance are identified, it is the manager’s responsibility to 

address the problem. 

7. Employee feedback. The employee should be able to give constructive feedback to 

their manager to help them improve their appraisal technique/processes, 

management technique and/or systems that affect your performance. 

8. Judge the performance – not the person. The goal is to be as objective as possible. 

One way to achieve this is to focus on outputs and what the employee feels needs 

to be done to improve his contribution. 

9. Both Appraisers and employees need to be aware of and try to reduce their own 

biases. 



10. Closure is critical. The main issues discussed should be recapped and both parties 

need to agree on the issues discussed and the action plans identified. Clear and 

specific goals should be mutually agreed between the manager and the employee 

for the next time period. These goals should provide challenge for the employee, 

yet realistic enough to be obtainable and a timeframe should be set for achieving 

the goals. 

After the Appraisal Meeting 

1. Keep records. Records should be kept of the appraisal meeting with the employee, 

including any agreements made for improvement goals and any commitments 

made by the manager to the employee; e.g. an agreement to provide training. A 

copy of this record should be kept by all parties and one must be given to the HR 

Officer for filing. It is also desirable to obtain signatures from both parties to any 

record of the appraisal and any agreements reached. These records can be used as 

a basis for appraising performance in the next review period. They are also 

essential for legal reasons, should, for example, a dispute around poor performance 

arise. A record of poor performances will be essential for demonstrating 

justification for any such decision to terminate the employment contract using 

dismissal. 

2. Follow up on the appraisal meeting. Performance management and appraisal 

should be a continuous process. Performance monitoring begins afresh based on 

any new performance agreements reached and the process of informal feedback to 

help the employee reach their performance goals continues. Any training that was 

discussed should be implemented and any problems with the system that affect the 

employee’s performance should be addressed promptly. 

3. In the event of a dispute. On the rare occasion that a performance appraisal is 

dissatisfactory for either the manager and/or employee, and cannot be resolved, an 

Appeal Committee within each Agency will review such grievances and effect a 

mutually satisfactory outcome. 



PERFORMANCE FACTOR RATING MATRIX 

APPENDIX G 

Level 

Performance Factors 

Quality Quantity 

4 = Outstanding The employee always achieves The employee shows a 

desired results with exceptional consistently high work output, 

degree of quality. The work with sustained concentration and 

process is always accurate, neat endurance clearly evidenced. The 

and thorough. The work is tasks and projects are always 

innovative and able to make a completed on time. The employee 

difference to the team 

also exhibits capacity to self – 

and/organisation; it could be monitor and self – regulate his 

used as a standard for other own work to ensure the timely 

peers to adopt. 

completion of all tasks. 

3 = Very Good The employee produces work The employee displays a high 

that usually exceeds the level of work output. The tasks 

requirements. The employee and projects are usually 

exhibits talent and skills to completed on time. The employee 

produce highly effective work. also shows that he can self 

The overall error rate is regulate and self – monitor his 

minimal and usually undertakes own work rate to ensure that the 

self-monitoring and correction 

of errors and problems. The 

employee displays good 

understanding of principles of 

efficiency and effectiveness. 

tasks are completed on time. 

2 = Good The employee regularly meets The employee meets the work 

the required standard. There output requirement for the job. 

may be acceptable degree of The tasks and projects are usually 

error. The work may require completed on time. The employee 

minor revision. The employee displays the appreciation for the 

generally shows that he can self need to complete tasks and 

– correct the error and 

problems. 

projects on time. 

1 = Improvement The employee shows 

The employee shows 

needed 

inconsistency in his work inconsistency in work output. The 

effectiveness. The error and work output generally falls below 

problem rate is usually higher the acceptable level of 

than acceptable level. A large requirements. The work requires 

amount of work needs to to be completed very often by 

consistently undergo major additional resources or manpower 

revision, repeated or corrected and additional assistance to the 

by others. The employee may employee. The employee lacks 

exhibit a tendency to fail in adequate skills in self – regulating 

achieving the desired output. and self – monitoring the work. 

The resource use may not be The employee may/may not be 

optimal. The employee may be 

unaware of his inadequate work 

effectiveness and indifferent to 

problems. 

conscious of the problems. 



CORE COMPETENCY RATING SCALE 

APPENDIX H 

Outstanding (4) 

Overall performance in this core competency throughout the appraisal period was 

consistently above the expected level in the assigned position. The rating recognizes 

achievement of the core competency, which is exhibited at the highest level where an 

employee has displayed outstanding skill and aptitude using this core competency on the 

job. 

Very good (3) 

Overall performance in this core competency was above the level of expected for this 

position. The employee has a strong understanding and skill in using this core competency 

effectively on a regular basis. Routinely employee’s competency in this area exceeded the 

expected level set for the position. 

Good (2) 

Overall performance in this core competency was at a fully satisfactory level and met 

expectations set for the position. The employee has a good understanding of the value of 

this core competency and is willing to utilize it when required. This is satisfactory 

performance of this core competency at the level appropriate to the position. 

Improvement needed (1) 

Overall performance in this core competency has not met the acceptable level for the 

position but may have achieved some result and the employee may demonstrate potential 

for improving to a fully competent level. However, the employee generally displays an 

inadequate understanding and/or ability to utilize this core competency effectively and 

routinely falls below the fully competent level resulting in constant supervision in this 

area. 



SAMPLE CORE COMPETENCY LIBRARY 

APPENDIX I 

Core Competency Description 

Attendance and 

Refers to the ability of the employee to be consistently present for 

Punctuality 

duty and to attend to the assigned task on time. 

Attitude Refers to the employee’s ability to remain positive, especially in 

times of stress, and general willingness to help others to complete 

tasks on time. It also includes the ability to motivate others and 

promote discipline, economy, productivity and selflessness. 

Coaching Refers to the intent to reach or to foster the development and 

learning of one or several other people. Coaching can be undertaken 

either formally through positional requirements or informally. 

Communication Skills Refers to the ability to communicate orally and/or in writing with 

clarity and effectiveness – both in Dzongkha and in English. It also 

includes the ability to comprehend complex concepts and explain 

views, ideas and instructions, altering communication style to suit a 

wide range of people. 

Customer Service Refers to the desire to help or serve others, and also means focusing 

efforts on discovering and meeting the customer’s needs. 

Customers include both internal and external customers. 

Flexibility Refers to the ability to adapt to and work effectively with a variety 

of situations, individuals, or groups. It is the ability to understand 

and appreciate different and opposing perspectives on an issue, as 

well as adapt one’s current approach to meet unique demands of a 

situation. Flexibility also contains elements of emotional resilience 

under the pressure of change. 

Initiative Refers to one’s resourcefulness in generating new ideas and the 

ability to be self-motivated and self-directed in completing daily 

tasks without management instruction. 

Interpersonal Relations Refers to the effect the employee has on others, including ability to 

establish and maintain positive and productive working 

relationships. 

Leadership Refers to the ability to provide vision, focus and strategy to a group 

of people or to an organisation as a whole; and to model the 

behaviors required to achieve these. Leadership is generally, but 

certainly not always, shown from a position of formal authority. 

Problem-solving Refers to the ability to understand and resolve a problem/issue by 

breaking it down to smaller pieces; or tracing the implications of a 

situation in a step-by-step causal way. It includes identifying 

patterns or connections between situations that are not obviously 

related. 

Teamwork Refers to a genuine intention to work cooperatively with others. 

This includes assisting others with their work, and valuing the 

assistance and ideas of colleagues. 

Work Knowledge Refers to the work-related knowledge and skills of an employee. 

This includes the appreciation and drive displayed for acquiring 

knowledge and skills to carry out the work efficiently and 

effectively. 



APPENDIX J 

GUIDELINES TO MANAGING POOR PERFORMANCE 

Introduction 

In some instances an employee’s performance may come under scrutiny and 

dissatisfaction registered by his manager. Usually, one-off instances of poor performance 

can be managed effectively by the manager having a talk with the employee about their 

concerns and expectations, as well as listen to employee feedback. 

However, when poor performance becomes a consistent picture for a particular employee 

and it is clear there are no systemic/organisational issues contributing to the poor 

performance, much firmer steps need to be taken. This is when an employee who is 

performing poorly, will need to be put on a ‘Performance Improvement Plan’ (PIP). YOU 

NEED TO CONSULT WITH YOUR SENIOR MANAGER AND HR OFFICER 

BEFORE STARTING AN EMPLOYEE ON A PIP. 

1. Performance Improvement Plan 

A PIP can take place over 1 – 3 months, depending on what is at issue and the 

employee’s role. PIP meetings need to be held regularly, at least once every two 

weeks, to monitor progress. Discussions and action plans need to be documented in 

writing and signed off by both the employee and their manager and a copy forwarded 

to the HR Officer. The goal is always to try and turn the situation around and enable 

the employee to become more successful in the work they do for the organisation. 

In a PIP, the following steps occur: 

a. The manager indicates to the employee that a meeting will be called to 

discuss some concerns around their performance. State date and time. 

b. The manager meets with the employee in the FIRST instance to outline 

their concern and seek feedback. In this meeting, the manager: 

• Makes clear what the employee is perceived to be doing wrong. 

Be specific. 



• Outlines the impact this behaviour has on the organisation and 

other individuals. 

• Asks the employee for feedback. Consider the employee’s 

response to the situation before making a final decision. 

• What are some possible solutions? Action plans? These ideally, 

should be agreed and both parties (the employee and manager) 

need to feel they are realistic. 

• When a decision is reached by the manager – the manager’s 

expectations need to be clearly communicated to the employee. 

Be specific. 

If the explanations given by the employee concerned are deemed unsatisfactory by 

the manager, the employee needs to be told in a follow-up meeting the reasons why 

their explanation is unsatisfactory, that they will be put on a PIP for [x] period of 

time, and they will be notified of this in writing. It also needs to be made clear to 

the employee that if performance does not improve to a satisfactory level over 

the specified period of time, then his future employment with the organisation 

will be reviewed. 

2. Documentation 

The above conversation then needs to be documented on the PIP Memorandum form 

[see Appendix K for example] signed off by both parties and a copy forwarded to the 

HR Officer for filing. 

3. Frequency 

Follow-up meetings to review the employee’s performance shall occur at least 

fortnightly until the PIP period is deemed to be over. Regular meetings need to be 

structured in between the manager and employee. Depending on what needs 

discussion, these meetings can last between 15 – 60 minutes. THE MANAGER 

NEEDS TO ENSURE THESE MEETINGS ARE RECORDED IN WRITING ON 

THE PIP FORM PROVIDED (SEE APPENDIX L), SIGNED OFF BY BOTH 

PARTIES AND A COPY FORWARDED TO THE HR OFFICER FOR FILING. 



4. Intention of Meetings 

These meetings are venues where both parties can review aspects surrounding job 

expectations, performance management, work relationships and professional 

development to ensure the employee is receiving as much support as possible to enable 

them to be successful in their role. 

5. At least one week before the PIP period ends, a more formal performance appraisal can 

take place (using the Summative Performance Appraisal form, see Appendix E). The 

formal appraisal should result in the employee being removed from the PIP – assuming 

individual performance has improved to a good standard. 

6. Written Warnings 

If, during the PIP period, it becomes apparent that the employee is not succeeding, they 

need to be (re) advised as to the areas requiring improvement and these must be 

recorded in writing (i.e. ‘reminders’ or warnings need to be recorded in writing) at 

each meeting. Please liaise directly with your senior manager and/or HR Officer if the 

employee’s performance does not look as though it is improving in spite of everyone’s 

best efforts, and a termination is likely. 

7. Supporting the Employee 

At all times, the employee needs to understand the criteria against which his 

performance is to be measured, and be given appropriate time to improve. In addition 

to this, it is the manager’s responsibility to ensure the employee continues to receive as 

much support as possible in order for him to achieve a good level of performance. 



Memo 

To: 

From: 

CC: 

Date: 

PIP MEMORANDUM FORM 

Re: [insert number]-Day Performance Improvement Plan 

APPENDIX K 

Further to our discussions on [insert date], this memo serves as notification effective 

[insert date], that you are being placed on a [insert number]-day Performance 

Improvement Plan. As already indicated to you, my key concerns around your 

performance relate to [insert items]. I have considered your feedback but believe it to be 

unsatisfactory for these reasons [insert reasons]. 

Outlined below is a list of the items you will be assessed for improvement and/or expected 

to attain an acceptable performance in. You will be evaluated [weekly/bi-weekly] basis on 

the items listed below. If your performance improves then your probation status will be 

re-evaluated on [insert date]. It will be determined at that time whether you have shown 

the requisite skills you will need to continue successfully in this position. If your 

performance does not improve to a ‘good’ or ‘very good’ standard (as per the 

Performance Factor Rating Matrix) over the specified period of time, then your 

future employment with our organisation will be seriously reviewed. 

As the [insert job title], you have not attained the objectives of your position as outlined 

below. Please read each of the following objectives and initial each indicating you 

understand and accept the areas of performance you are expected to improve. 

[The following is a sample only, and needs to be amended accordingly] 

1) Weekly Reports – You are responsible for completion of your weekly 

reports. This report should be submitted to the appropriate personnel or 

before 9:00 AM every Monday. The reports are to be 100% accurate. 

______Initial 



2) Customer Service – You are responsible for providing efficient and 

courteous customer service. All customer requests need to be completed 

within a 2 day timeframe. These need to be recorded in your weekly 

reports. ______Initial 

In our discussion, we also agreed on some initial steps as a way forward to address the 

concerns I have raised with you. [list actions]. 

[Insert name of Employee], I am committed to working with you to ensure a successful 

outcome is reached, so please let me know if there is any way I can assist and support you. 

Please keep in mind that if you are successful in attaining these objectives and your 

employment continues with [insert organisation], you will be expected to continue 

acceptable performance of these responsibilities, as well as other regular responsibilities 

within the scope of a [insert job title]. 

Please discuss with me any questions or issues with this notification. 

Sincerely, 

[Manager’s name] 

[Title] 

[Department] 

[Agency] 



Name of Employee: 


Name of Manager: 

Title of Manager: 

Name of Agency: 

Date: 

PIP FORM 

APPENDIX L 

(Please write legibly in pen – use additional pages if necessary and attach to this form.) 

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION: 

AGREED ACTION PLAN: 

Our signatures mean we agree to take mutual responsibility for ensuring the Action plans 

identified are kept to: 

Signed: ________________________ Date: ____________________ 

Employee 

Signed: ________________________ Date: ____________________ 

Manager 

NOTE: This is NOT a Formal Appraisal document. 

During a PIP, meetings with the employee are to occur at least fortnightly. The manager 

must use this form to record documentation about these meetings, and a copy forwarded to 

the HR Officer for the employee’s file. 



APPENDIX M 

PERFORMANCE PLANNING CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES 

The HR Officer shall ensure that the following time schedule for Performance Appraisal 

System is followed: 

Civil Servants (excluding School Teachers) 

Activity Time schedule 

A: Work Planning for the first 6 month period By 15 th June 

B: Work Review for the previous 6 month period; 

Work Planning for the next 6 month period 

C: Work Review for the previous 6 month period; 

Complete Summative Review Form for whole year. 

Then repeat A. 

D: Generate Appraisal Reports and submit to the 

Management 

Executive Management 

By 15 th December 

By 15 th June 

30 th June 


A: Complete the Executive Appraisal Form, seek 

feedback from respective subordinates. 

B: Submit Appraisal Reports to Management for 

necessary communications. 

School Teachers: 

By 15 th June 

30 th June 


A: Work Planning till Mid-term By 28 th February 

B: Work Review for Mid-term; and Work Planning for 

the Final Term 

By 15 th July 

C: Work Review for the Final Term. By 15 th December 

D: Complete the Summative Review Form By 15 th January 

E: Submit Appraisal Reports to Management. By 31 st January 



TRAINING NEEDS ANALYSIS 

Introduction 

Training in an organisation is required because of the following reasons: 

• To determine the potential skills of the staff required to help realize the 

organisation’s goals. 

• To continuously improve staff performance. 

• To reduce performance gaps. 

• To enable the staff to cope with an increase in work. 

APPENDIX N 

• To upgrade and enhance knowledge and skills because of the changes in systems, 

technology and policies. 

Guidelines: Training Needs Analysis 

Note that training can be approached at an individual, team or organisational level. For the 

purpose of the following guidelines, an individual approach is taken, but can be equally 

applied with minor adjustments at a team or organisational level. 

Step 1: Identify Training Needs 

Before conducting a Training Needs Analysis (TNA), a manager should first understand 

the objectives determined by the Organisational Development Exercise and the Annual 

Work Plan. More specifically, what needs to be done operationally to achieve the 

Agency’s objectives, and the skills and knowledge required by individuals to achieve 

operational objectives. Use Template A below to help you in this area. 

Using Template B for Steps 2 – Steps 4, the manager should then meet with the 

employee and discuss the following: 

Step 2: Identifying Skills and Knowledge Required 

• The key results area of the employee’s job. 

• The duties and responsibilities undertaken to achieve results in the areas specified 

above and how these support the Agency’s objectives. 



• The type and level of skills and knowledge required to perform these tasks. 

• Review employee’s strengths and identify areas for improvement in terms of skills 

and knowledge. 

• Prioritize areas for training in accordance with Agency objectives. 

Step 3: Writing Training Objectives 

On the basis of the TNA, an employee’s training objectives should specify: 

• A prioritized list of the skills and knowledge to be developed for key functions of 

the job. 

• How skills applied in the job should impact on job performance. 

At the end of this meeting, the employee should understand: 

• How this skills improvement can affect operational results. 

• How the expected operational results will impact the Agency and are in line with 

the Agency’s objectives. 

Step 4: Determining and Developing Training Programme Content and Methods 

The next stage is to outline steps both the manager and employee can take to identify 

appropriate training programmes. This will be determined by time, resources, availability 

of programmes, etc. Some examples are coaching, mentoring, short-term courses, longterm 

courses, knowledge sharing with colleagues, self-teaching, etc. 

Step 5: Communicating Training Objectives 

If a training programme involves utilizing or affects other people in the organisation, they 

need to be informed of the objectives and how they are expected to assist the employee 

receiving the training. 

Step 6: Evaluating the Training Programme 

Using Template C, the participant who has undergone training (in-house and external 

courses) should evaluate the programme to provide feedback on the benefits of the 

training, as well as make suggestions to improve the training programme. 



At the management level, post-training programme performance data should be compared 

with pre-training programme data, and the close in the performance deficit measured. The 

close in the performance deficit indicates benefits of the programme to the Agency and can 

be stated in financial terms. Benefits should be compared to the cost of training to see 

whether the cost was justified, to see if training as a management tool was appropriate in 

this case, and to provide an indication to senior management that the training budget is 

being well spent and providing a return on investment for the Agency. 

Step 7: Communicating Training Programme Results 

Information on results shall be communicated to senior management. It shall also be fed 

back into the process via line management. This informs management whether the 

performance gap has been decreased, and if there remains a further need to use either 

training or other management tools to increase performance in line with organisational and 

operational objectives. 

NB: Templates A, B and C follow. 

This guideline may be updated from time to time. 



ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT OVERVIEW 

A Manager’s Tool 

Name of Manager: _____________________ 

Designation of Manager: _____________________ 

Name of Agency: _____________________ 

Date: _____________________ 

TEMPLATE A 

Note: Use the information on this form to guide the development of individual/ team 

Training Needs Analysis and programme development. 

Table A: 

I. Agency’s Objectives* 

What are the key objectives? 

1. Example 

2. … 

3. … 

4. … 

5. … 

Targets** 

Example 

* The Agency’s objectives should be based on the OD Exercise of the Government. 

** Each key objective can have one or more targets. 


… 

… 

… 

…


Table B: 

II. Operational Objectives 

To achieve Agency objectives: 

What is being done at operational 

level? 

Structure 

Systems 

Resources 

Activities 

Table C: 

… 

… 

… 

… 

What needs to be done at 

operational level? 

III. Skills Requirements 

What skills need to be developed to achieve operational results? 

Skills … 

Knowledge … 

Performance … 

Definitions: 

Goal: It is an expression of a long-term aim with some indication of how it is 

known that the aim has been achieved. 

Objective: It is a short-term aim with some expression of how if it is known it has been 

arrived at. 

Target: It is an expression that demonstrates success (or otherwise) in achieving 

what has been set out to be achieved. 

Structure: Structure is the way lines of authority, decision making and communication 

are drawn. Changing the structure of an organisation is usually an action 

which is strategic in nature and included in long-term goals. Some 

examples of structure are functional, geographic, project and matrix. 


… 

… 

… 

…


Systems: The way in which inputs to the organisation, or specific parts of the 

organisation, are processed. 

Resources: These include the following: 

• premises and actual working space; 

• machinery, equipment and tools; 

• raw materials; stock-in-trade; consumables; 

• money; 

• people; 

• time; and 

• information. 

Activities: The formal current activities within an Agency, i.e. the activities which are 

directed towards pursuing the purposes and functions of the Agency. 



TRAINING NEEDS ANALYSIS FORM 

Name of Employee: ______________________ 

Designation of Employee: ______________________ 

Employee ID No: ______________________ 

Name of Manager: ______________________ 

Designation of Manager: ______________________ 

Name of Agency: ______________________ 

Date of Meeting: ______________________ 

Table A: 

Objectives (refer to the OD Exercise/OD 

Overview and/or Annual Work Plan) 

What are the key objectives of the 

Agency? 

Objective 1: 

Objective 2: 

Objective 3: 

Objective 4: 

TEMPLATE B 

How can the employee help meet the 

Agency’s objectives through his job? 

Focus Point: 

1. 

2. 

Focus Point: 

1. 

2. 

Focus Point: 

1. 

2. 

Focus Point: 

1. 

2. 



Table B: Employee Skills and Knowledge 

In relation to the Agency objectives and focus points outlined above, identify the 

employee’s: 

Strengths Areas for Improvement 

Table C: Prioritize Training Objectives and Actions 

Prioritized 

Training 

Objectives 

Action Required Expected Outcome 

of Training (i.e. 

impact on job 

performance) 

Impact on 

Operational 

Results 



TRAINING PROGRAMME EVALUATION 

Name of Employee: ________________________ 

Designation of Employee: ________________________ 

Employee ID No: ________________________ 

Name of Manager: ________________________ 

Designation of Manager: ________________________ 

Name of Agency: ________________________ 

Title of the Training Programme: ________________________ 

Training Provided: 

TEMPLATE C 

In-house … Service Provider: ________________ 

External … Service Provider: ________________ 

Dates attending the Training Programme: _______________________ 

Table A: General Course Feedback 

1. The training course had a clearly 

defined objective. 

2. The training course was clearly 

related to my job. 

3. I feel that I learned much in the 

training course. 

4. I will apply what I learned back 

on my job. 

5. I am confident that my coworkers 

will support the on-thejob 

application of what I learned 

in the training course. 

6. I am confident my manager will 

support the on-the-job application 

of what I learned in the training 

course. 

Strongly 

Agree 

Agree Disagree Strongly 

Disagree 



Table B: Employee Expectations 

State clearly what the specific training objectives were and whether your expectations 

were met during the training. 

Specific Training 

Objectives: 

Table C: General Comments 

Expected Outcome 

of Training 

1. What were the chief benefits of this training course? 

2. What areas need improvement in this course? 

Met/Not Met Comments 

(especially if “not 

met”) 

3. If I were asked to prove how this training would improve my job performance in 

measurable ways, I would suggest: 

_______________________ ________________ 

Signature of Employee Date 


APPENDIX O 

APPEAL RELATING TO THE POSITION CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM 

Sl. 

No 

State Subject of Appeal Justification 

Date: ______________ 

Name of Agency: ______________________ 

Department: ______________ 

Name of the Petitioner (please print): _______________________ 

Employee ID (if relevant): ____________ 

Signature of the Petitioner: _______________________ 

Endorsed by the Head of Agency 

(if different from Petitioner):_______________________ 

Page 122 of 122

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