Chapter 8: Performance Appraisal Reports

800. Performance Appraisal reports on staff must be submitted on a prescribed form on the first of January each year in respect of the calendar year immediately preceding, except that Performance Appraisal reports on Teachers should be submitted in respect of each school year instead of each calendar year.
801. Police Officers below the rank of Assistant Superintendent will be reported on every six months.
802. The reporting officer will be the most senior officer in contact with the officer concerned, during the period covered by The Report.
803. Supervisors will complete Part I - V of the report. Parts I, II, III, IV and V are appliciable to all employees. Parts III is applicable to Supervisors and Managers only.
804. Permanent Secretaries will report on Heads of Departments and will complete Parts I through V of the report.
805. The Secretary to the Cabinet will report on Permanent Secretaries.
806. Reports on temporary staff are not required.
807. The Public Service Commission may at any time require a Performance Appraisal Report on any officer.
808. Performance Appraisal Reports must be prepared in handwriting, in triplicate in collaboration with the officer. Once completed and signed by the Department Head and The Permanent Secretary, the mustard copy under confidential cover is sent to The Permanent Secretary of The Public Service for onward transmission to The Public Service Commission.
809. The blue copy is to be retained by the Ministry and the white copy fowarded to the Department. Copies of previous reports shall not be referred to when a current report is being written.
810. The substance of any adverse comment on an officer's work, or; conduct included in a report must be conveyed to him in writing by The Permanent Secretary or Head of Department in sympathetic terms and with the object of enabling and encouraging him to overcome his shortcomings. The fact that this action has been taken will be stated in the report itself, together with any written observations the officer has made.
811. It is essential in the general interest of The Service that Performance Appraisal Reports should be detailed and candid. Reporting officers must realize that their own incapability are discernible from the reports that they write on their subordinates. Reporting and countersigning officers must pay careful attention to the instructions on the report forms, particularly the statement that disagreement with the assessments by the reporting officer may be indicated by the counter signing officer.
813. Valedictory letters may be sent to Government servants who retire after long and valuable service. Such letters to Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Departments may be sent at The Governor General's discretion. They may be sent to other senior officers at the discretion of The Permanent Secretary of The Public Service, and in the case of all other officers, the decision in this matter will be taken by The Permanent Secretary or the Head of Department where there is no Permanent Secretary.
In making its decision on applications for special treatment made under General Order 903, The Government will be guided amongst other things by this except from paragraph 2 of Chapter 14 of the Recent Salaries Report.
Finally, since it is Government's Policy to keep open for the Bahamian Public all those opportunities of employment for which they are fitted, it is entirely inappropriate that public officers should compete with the general public for private employment.

(Extract 1969 Salaries Report)