Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan stated that public perception and civil service morale will be considered in the upcoming salary adjustment for the civil servants, following concerns over alleged civil service negligence raised during the Wang Fuk Court fire inquiry.
Speaking on a TV program on Sunday, Yeung acknowledged the criticisms of performance exposed during the fire probe hearings, and noted that the civil service is a large workforce that receives praise in many areas while facing criticism in others. She stressed that the government will take a holistic view of the six established assessment factors under the existing pay adjustment mechanism.
Yeung added that authorities will review the performance of serving civil servants and assess whether morale needs to be bolstered amid the controversy, while urging staff to reflect on their own performance.
Addressing public criticism that civil servants are rarely denied annual pay increments, Yeung pointed out that increments are only granted for satisfactory performance, though she admitted that current performance appraisals often fail to reflect reality.
She said that a more stringent performance appraisal mechanism will be introduced mid-year. The government may also consider “grading on a curve” to better compare performance among peers.
Under this system, lower-performing staff would be denied their annual salary increments, a move she believes will more accurately reflect the reality of workplace competence.
Regarding further linking pay to performance, Yeung noted that while the private sector relies on bonuses, the civil service already utilizes annual increments and promotion prospects as its primary incentives. She emphasized that these two mechanisms are designed to drive and reward staff excellence within the existing public service framework.
As for introducing the Heads of Department Accountability System and releasing related investigation reports, Yeung reiterated that the government has always upheld transparency in its operations.
𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓
