Even though the new Job Value System is being used since 2006, Eric Carroll of USDA Graduate School, Pacific Island Training Initiative who conducted the training, said it was the first time they did the training in a formal, official setting.
“There was training for a few people before, but this was the first formal training in the new system,” said Carroll. “Not many people understood the structure behind the pay scale, how it links to overall job evaluation. Now we have the entire Public Service Bureau trained on how the new system is to be managed. And then we’re training everybody again on supervisory value.”
At the same time, Carroll said, they evaluate how the government implements the system since 2006.
Unlike the old, standard grading system, the new Job Value system uses the Four Factor System. Government employee’s salary and grade are based on education, on-the-job learning experience, the complexity of the job, and how much supervision is required.
“These are four areas that you look at when you write a job description,” said Carroll. “The old system didn’t have a format. They just write up a job description. In the process the new approach breaks it down into four parts.”
Part one of the training was focused on the job of the Public Service staff. This second part was focused on the job designs of supervisors. “It’s not the supervisors per se, but how much supervision a supervisor exercises, what are the characteristics of that supervisor,” said Carroll.
“We invited different staff from different ministries to learn the basics of the new job value system,” said Goretti Masayos, Director Bureau of Public Service.
After this training, Masayos said they will continue to train themselves with the new system. “Hopefully by end of summer we will have created a work plan for the whole Public Service,” she said.
Carroll said they are also looking at getting a focus group, a small group of Human Resource specialists for each ministry to work closely with the Bureau of Public Service so they have a shared responsibility over the system.
“The old system was a command and control system where only a couple of persons in the Public Service know how the system works. Now the whole ministry understands how t o grade a job, so you’re looking at a complete partnership between the two.”
So far, Palau’s implementation of the new job value system has been very impressive, according to Carroll. “Palau government has gotten all the majority of the jobs in the new system; and most have been evaluated according to the four factors.”
Carroll added that what’s good with the new system is that it was developed by Palauans for Palauans, and unique to Palauans. “It’s a system that Palauans can sustain among themselves. They don’t need a management consultant for that.”
In fact, Carroll added, Palau can actually market the system to other island nations. “If the system works well in this environment, they could also use it in Yap,” he said.
//
