Equal pay for equal performance-related pay

Abstract

Aim: In the absence of a common approach, in the recent years it has regularly happened that within a police headquarters, staff with the same rank, working in the same field and with the same qualifications have received different performance bonuses, to a greater or lesser extent. In some cases, this has increased the tensions that individual performance evaluations already create between professional staff, creating personal conflicts and a bad working atmosphere, undermining the performance and effectiveness of the professional communities.
Methodology: Presentation of the objective, uniform criteria for the distribution of performance bonuses in Békés County Police Headquarters.
Findings: In the light of discussions with colleagues who are committed to police work and who live their profession, as well as the opinions and suggestions they have expressed, it can be said that there is still work to be done on this topic in order to ensure that the system of performance evaluation and performance reward plays its role more emphatically in motivating the evaluated ones and raising the quality of professional work.
Value: Two of the most important features of the procedure I have presented are consistency and objectivity. This means that under the same conditions, for all professional staff - if they have performed their work in the same post and under the same conditions and, in addition, have received the same rating as a result of their individual performance appraisal, regardless of thetype of department in which they served during the period under review - the performance bonus for them is the same. And if there are any significant differences in the conditions of service which have an impact on day-to-day performance, or differences in ratings, these will be reflected objectively in the amount of the performance bonus, without bias and taking into account the predefined criteria and ratios.It is my hope that this will help to reduce the resentment towards individual performance evaluations and performance-related pay, and to prevent conflicts in the workplace.