The government has not incurred any expenditure on financial performance incentives for civil servants under the Managing for Excellence (MaX) system, as the Performance-Based Variable Incentive (PBVI) has not been implemented due to resource constraints.
Commissioner of the Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC), Tshering Cigay Dorji, said this during the 32nd Meet-the-Press session, explaining that it could not be implemented although the implementation of PBVI was approved in principle in the Pay Revision Act 2023.
“However, performance under MaX is recognized through non-financial incentives,” the commissioner said.
High achievers are recognised with meritorious promotion, High Potential Grooming (HiPo) through talent management, and career development training such as Leadership Development Programs (LDP) and Leaders in Civil Service Programs (LCSP). Some also move on to Deep Area of Specialized Positions.
For employees rated Partially Meeting Expectations (PME), targeted support is provided to address their developmental needs arising from skill-set and mindset gaps.
“Agencies receive a budget for professional development to provide relevant developmental needs to the individual,” the commissioner said, explaining how agencies address skill-set gaps.
Similarly, according to the commission, for the mindset gaps, leaders are trained to coach and mentor underperformers and guide them in personal growth and the right behaviour expected in the workplace.
The RCSC has not allocated a dedicated budget specifically for civil servants rated PME. Instead, training and capacity development are funded through the regular professional development budgets provided to agencies.
“When a civil servant is rated PME, the gaps behind the rating are identified as a training need. That need is then addressed through the existing professional development budget, alongside other professional development needs,” the commissioner said.
Agencies address skill-set gaps within their budgets under delegated authority, while the RCSC provides targeted interventions for common competencies, including leadership training, where coaching is a critical component.
The commissioner said the training and capacity-development interventions for PME-rated civil servants are already in place and will continue.
“Agencies address skill-set gaps through their professional development budgets, and the RCSC provides core common competencies for all from time to time for personal development and supervisors continue to guide through performance coaching and mentoring.”
Under delegated authority, agencies follow different practices in identifying and supporting underperformers. Related expenditure is therefore incurred within individual agency budgets.
“Reward and recognition will continue under non-financial schemes,” the commissioner said.
On concerns about fairness, transparency and consistency in performance assessments, particularly the role of moderation committees and the application of the bell curve during final evaluations, the commissioner said the RCSC has a standard framework for performance assessment that all agencies must follow.
This ensures a uniform approach across the civil service. A civil servant who feels they have not been rated fairly or objectively also has the right to appeal.
At the agency level, moderation itself is a safeguard for consistency, as supervisors may differ in how they rate employees, with some being lenient and others stringent.
“The moderation committee, which includes Heads and Chiefs, reviews and calibrates ratings collectively. This ensures that performance is assessed against a common standard rather than individual judgment, which minimizes subjectivity, bias, and favoritism in the final ratings,” the commissioner said.
The commissioner said one critical function of leaders is to manage people and talent, adding that a disciplined performance culture is central to the identification and development of talent.
“This is expected from the leaders in Civil Service,” the commissioner said.
Sherab Dorji, Thimphu
