Streamlining the Civil Service System

Civil service reform eliminates overly complex personnel rules that limit job mobility, career advancement and the state’s ability to meet changing civil service workforce needs. What this means is that managers will have more flexibility to match people to jobs, and employees will have more opportunities to advance in their careers and have performance properly recognized.

• Employees who demonstrate a commitment to public service and excel in their jobs can more easily be recruited, promoted and rewarded based on documented performance.
• In the world of civil service reform, however, managers will have more options for addressing personnel needs, but that means managers will have to live up to higher standards of accountability.
• New civil service rules apply to all employees, although collective bargaining agreements can supercede new civil service rules in the case of employees represented by unions. But the goals of civil service reform—a more adaptable and efficient workforce—are the same as collective bargaining and contracting out.
• The job classification system will be streamlined. The 2,400 classes that now exist will be reduced substantially—to about 1,000 classes. Current job classes will be consolidated into broad occupational categories. Salary ranges will be consolidated into fewer, wider bands.

Supporting these changes, and necessary to carry them out, is replacement of the current payroll system. A new human resources management system (HRMS)—the computer hardware and software needed to administer the new personnel system—is being developed.