CUC looks at employee performance evaluation

The Commonwealth Utilities Corp. is currently developing a set of criteria that would guide its personnel performance evaluation. At the same time, it aims to finalize its policy regarding the schooling of its employees.

“There’s no adopted policy yet on these areas. The committee is working with the management in tackling this,” said CUC board personnel committee chair Velma Ann Palacios.

The initial plan was to give CUC personnel up to two years to complete the education required for their positions.

This came about after findings showed that 25 percent of CUC’s workforce or 87 personnel, including those in the management level, do not meet their positions’ educational requirement.

Of the 87, 81 have met the required experience, while six do not meet the required experience.

Palacios said it is important that the CUC come up with the performance assessment to ensure that those who deserve promotion are able to move up, while those needing further training get due attention.

Meantime, CUC data said that, of the 350 filled FTEs, 123 employees are below their position’s salary range.

Under CUC’s new compensation and reclassification policy, these employees received a salary increase effective April 4.

CUC said that 90 employees are within their position’s salary range so their salaries remain the same.

CUC’s 137 employees are frozen because they are either compensated above their range or they do not meet the educational requirement for their positions.

CUC said that of 137, 42 have met the requirements of the positions but they are overpaid; eight employees have met the educational requirements but do not meet the positions’ required experience; 87 do not meet the position’s education requirement.

Of the 87 personnel, 27 require a bachelors’ degree; 30 require an associate degree; and 30 require a high school diploma.

CUC said 24 employees who do not meet the education requirement are at the management level; 26 are at the professional level (assistant managers, section supervisors, accountants, lab specialists); and 41 employees are at the support staff level.

The CUC gathered these findings from the survey conducted for the agency by U.S.-based private consultant, Fox Lawson.

The consulting firm had surveyed utility agencies in the region and in the U.S. as part of its project with the CUC.

Previous findings by the Office of the Public Auditor showed that CUC lacks a much needed personnel manual. Also, OPA found CUC’s compensation and reclassification practices to be “unfair and unjust.”

Palacios said CUC’s recently adopted personnel policy now aims to ensure a fair and just compensation and reclassification process. Among others, the policy provides a salary range for all positions at CUC.

“Previously a person was hired and the compensation did not match the person’s qualifications. We all know that there’s a disparity between the salary ranges… This

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aims to provide fairness and consistency in the hiring practices of CUC,” Palacios said.

To put it simply, she said that CUC’s compensation now “is not based on who you know but whether or not you meet the qualifications that the position requires.”