ISLAMABAD: Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) board in its 53rd meeting held here Tuesday approved ‘Bell Curve Concept’ for the performance management of employees under Ehsaas policy.
The meeting was chaired by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection, Dr. Sania Nishtar. The board also approved the national scale-up of Ehsaas Nashonuma and a new organogram of BISP to improve the organization’s effectiveness. The existing Performance Management System (PMS) at BISP is similar to the methodology used by the Government of Pakistan (the ACR/PER system).
Performance rating patterns and forms are also similar to those of the Government of Pakistan.
Yesterday, I chaired the 53rd meeting of #BISP Board. In line with the '@Ehsaas_PK Building and Rebuilding Institutions Initiative' #EhsaasBRI, the board approved "Bell Curve Concept" for employee performance management which will be implemented by July next year. pic.twitter.com/GgpYfuO6Wu
— Sania Nishtar (@SaniaNishtar) October 12, 2021
“Since the current PMS is not compatible with the modern PMS being used by progressive organizations, the board has approved new PMS Principles based on ‘Bell Curve Concept’, essential to leverage optimum performance from employees. Changes in PMS considered by the board will be applicable to regular and contractual employees. The newly approved concept will be implemented by July 2022”, Dr. Sania said. Centered on the ‘Bell Curve Concept’, the new PMS will assess the relative performance of employees based on goal setting sheets and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) developed for benchmark positions.
A new rating grid will be adopted, providing flexibility to recognize the employees who perform and deliver results beyond expectations and identifying those not measuring up. It will link the employee performance to reward and compensation, training, career development, and succession planning, and alignment with key BISP goals and objectives. There are several issues in the current PMS system. The system lacks the ability to differentiate good performers from average or poor performers. The current system is not creating value for BISP as good performers have no incentives to work harder and poor performers have no reason to perform better.
To add greater value towards employee performance, goals and objectives setting is also needed.
In the current performance system, behavioral and technical evaluations are very subjective, raise questions and make it difficult for supervisors to allocate substantive ratings. Although, an annual performance appraisal/rating system exists it lacks measurable guidelines for allocating justifiable ratings.
On the other hand, the newly approved PMS is premised on the identification of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), setting goals, demonstrating desired behavioral competencies, and identification of training needs for performance improvement in a consultative environment. The system also entails mid-year performance evaluation concepts to bring clarity in performance by providing employees and supervisors with a chance to review and align their focus on the agreed goals and KPIs.
On top of it, this system will evaluate every job’s performance in the following three areas: organizational growth, beneficiaries management, and employee management. Employees will also be provided an appropriate level of training in order to develop a comprehensive understanding of PMS’s concepts to ensure smooth implementation of PMS.
The board approved a new organizational structure introducing the concept of opening BISP offices at the district level and dividing all provinces into three empowered zones with delegation of administrative and financial powers to ensure quick decision-making at an appropriate level. The board also approved institutionalizing BISP offices in all Tehsils of the country. The implementation of the new PMS would also result in a Pay for Performance/Reward System.
