27
A State Wide Merit System of Civil Service
for Employees of the State of Oregon
By I. A . D e F rance
(A n Affirm ative Brief Prepared and
presented in Behalf of the Oregon State
Employees Association, at a Public
Hearing Held by the Civil Service
Interim Committee of the Oregon State
Legislature at the Multnomah County
Court House in Portland, November
8, 1943.)
It is the conviction of many of the
state employees that a state wide civil
service system operated on the basis of
merit would achieve great benefit to
the State as an employer, to the State
as a taxpayer, and to the State em
ployees themselves.
This conclusion is based on certain
fundamental principals that apply to
civil service in any state.
first. Civil Service will secure for the
State greater efficiency in its service
by attracting a more competent staff
of employees. Private industry now at
tracts the abler men by offering higher
pay, more rapid advancement, and
greater opportunity for success. Many
college graduates see little opportunity
for a career in state service without a
merit system and turn to private or
federal employment, where they know
honest ability and effort will receive
recognition with little danger of inter
ference from political influence. The
afc CDreaonSi^tatesman
State as an employer will benefit from
a good merit system of civil service by
securing a more efficient, competent,
courteous, and loyal personnel.
Second. Civil Service will actually
save money, for a smaller number of
more efficient employees accomplish
more work at less cost. (A ) Under
civil service, there is less turnover of
personnel. Each employee is an invest
ment in training so that each lost em
ployee means an investment lost. Im
proved recruitment methods help to
reduce turnover by preventing the em
ployment of the incompetent and the
misfits. (B) Under civil service, sys
tematic classification of positions with
corresponding examinations assures that
equal work will receive equal pay.
Nothing can justify employees in one
department receiving more pay or
privilege than employees doing the
same work in other departments, yet
such is often found to be the case un
less there is a. central coordinating per
sonnel agency. This condition does
much to destroy the morale of the em
ployees, reduce their incentive and de
stroy their confidence. The decreased
morale reduces the efficiency of the
state service as a whole, as a conse
quence a greater number of employees
are required with a corresponding great
er cost of operation. (C ) With civil
service, the prospect of promotion spurs
the employee to self improvement and
greater effort. Regular performance re
ports and merit ratings prepared by an
immediate superior permits the person
nel director to properly evaluate the
ability of the employee so that one with
merit rises to the top of the promotion