The Good Governance Committee of the National Assembly has recommended abolishing the “Partially Meets Expectation” (PME) category under the “Managing for Excellence” (MaX) system in civil service.
The Chairman of the Good Governance Committee (GGC), Lhakpa Tshering Tamang, moved the motion to review the MaX system in the House yesterday.
The Committee attributed PME as the main source of demotivation and resignation among civil servants. The morale and motivation among civil servants in Bhutan are at an all-time low, leading to an unprecedented level of resignations, according to the Committee.
In 2022, around 2,646 civil servants resigned. In 2023, 4,797 resigned, and from January to April this year, 704 civil servants resigned. In two and a half years, 8,146 civil servants have resigned.
Similarly, from 2021 until now, 10,134 teachers have resigned, accounting for 35.49 percent of the total civil servants. This means that every day five teachers resigned, and every month 157 teachers resigned.
The Chairman of the Committee said that the reasons for this exodus include a lack of career mobility, inadequate compensation, poor working conditions, and burdensome workloads.
A survey by the GGC highlighted the detrimental impact of the current MaX system, particularly the forced ranking category of PME.
He said that this system has eroded trust and morale, fostering disharmony and a negative work culture among employees.
He also said that civil servants are experiencing high levels of insecurity, mental stress, and tension. This negatively affects institutional health and Gross National Happiness.
He mentioned that limited manpower is overburdened and required to multitask, adhering to the principle of doing more with less. This unsustainable workload leads to burnout and further attrition.
The Chairman also said that the majority of those classified under “Meeting Expectation” and “Good” categories (80 percent and 70 percent, respectively) refuse to partake in extra initiatives, believing that those in “Exceeding Expectation” and “Very Good” categories will do it. “Such a negative attitude being developed by the majority of employees in an organization is unhealthy for the system,” he said.
The deputy chairperson of the Committee from Khamdang Ramjar constituency, Namgay Dorji, said that annually around 862 civil servants are rated in the PME category, which has demotivated them. “If the RCSC could focus on their development, rather than demoralising them, the attrition rate will decrease.”
The Deputy Speaker of NA, Sangay Khandu, said that MaX moderation is not followed even in developed countries, and Bhutan should also do away with it.
He also said that it is unnecessary to maintain a percentage to be rated in each catagory. The head of the department will know very well who is performing well and who is not, and the supervisor will rate accordingly.
The Minister for Education and Skills Development (MoESD), Yeezang De Thapa, said that the Bell-Curve model of PMS has become outdated and that the PME forced ranking system has generated disputes and unhealthy competition among civil servants.
The Opposition Leader, Pema Chewang, said that MaX is mandated to incentivize performers and provide training for those who are not performing. However, he noted that so far, those who were rated outstanding have not received incentives and promotions, and those who are rated PME have not received training for their development and improvement.
The House endorsed the Committee’s recommendations.
The House directed the Committee to reformulate the three recommendations into one broad recommendation. The motion adopted by the House will be transmitted to the Prime Minister’s Office for implementation.
The motion recommendation was reformulated as the Prime Minister, in consultation with the RCSC, should review the MaX system of the Civil Service and do away with the Bell-Curve methodology for evaluating performance ratings of civil servants.
