15
The Value of Examinations Under
Civil Service; Fairness Required
* As an important part of Oregon’s
Civil Service Act, written and oral
examinations are provided to test the’
applicant’s qualifications for a job and
to select the best qualified employees
for promotion. This is a function of
the Civil Service Commission under
the laws:
Created in 1945 and functioning
since 1946, the ¿iv il Service Commis^
sion has made much progress in get-
ting the system working, in spite of a
small appropriation, small staff and
considerable reluctance on the part of
many departments to cooperate with
them.
The preparing o f; examinations' and •
the grading -of them is' of paramount
importance to the'state’s welfare due
to their use in selecting the person I
kwho is^to provide service to the state.
Plf they are fair in their coverage, pert
inent to the position they are used for,
and are graded properlyPthey "serve
well and are worth their cost. They
must be respected fo r tjieir fairness to
the em ployee^ the employee and em
ployer alike will have no confidence
iri’their value. I
Examinations Are Important
It is"" ail important matter, person
ally, to every employee to feel that he
1 is being treated fairly. His career and
earnings are in large measure affected
I b y ; the promotions and job-selections
made on the basis of examinations. The
employer* '■likewise,* should b e in te r -
I ested in getting the right people4n the
right jobs.
We are informed that examinations
are now set up for less than half of
the state’s ¿hassified service employees.
Put boldly, that means about 5,000 em
ployees who have less protection under
C ivil. Service than their fellow em
ployees; also, that about 50 p e rc e n t
of state positions are not now filled
by people definitely found qualified by
open competitive examinations;
that many promotions I and dismissals
can be made at the ¿y/him of an ap
pointing authority! This state of af
fairs is a breeding bed for dissatisfac
tion and low morale amongst em
ployees. Perhaps some department
heads would assist the understaffed
Civil Service Department in getting
proper examinations under way, even
to the point of preparing good ones
for approval by the Civil Service Com
mission.
Exams by Outside Agencies
Perhaps due to the present under
staffed ^office force of the Civil Service
department, one state department has
seen fit to require many of its em
ployees: .to pass examinations given
by a professional board located in
Portland and to be registered by them
before/tbey will even be considered for
promotions to any position above an
intermediate level. Of course, it hap
pens that the Civil Service Commission
does hold examinations for these same
higher classifications as, well as most
others in this department but the agen
cy in question pleads .its position on
the grounds that “ the public reputa
tion of the Department in Oregon isI
in part determined by the'size of its
registered force.” Tt is unfortunate, but
true, that this required outside exam
ination ^considerably broader in its
subject matter than the knowledge re
q u ir e d to fill any of this department’s
specialized, positions at any level and
B - is highly questionable whether the
“public reputat'iori” ,sought is-more de
sirable than the true ability of the em
ployee who fills the job. This is the
only case known where the Civil Serv
ice Commission's in effect, by-passed
in its examining^jcapacity under the
■ law.
Many employees would be happy to
take a fair examination even outside
of Civil Service on the _ duties of a
position higher than their present one,
and even at the employee paid fee of