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Illinois has paid more than $631,000 in bonuses over the past two years to dozens of Illinois Lottery employees for meeting sales targets and other goals.

Introducing programs like this, which reward workers financially based on certain measures of job performance, throughout state government has been a priority for Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration in stalled contract talks with a union representing 38,000 state workers. The administration wants to do away with guaranteed annual raises in favor what it calls “merit pay,” but the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 has opposed those proposals because, among other reasons, it sees opportunities for favoritism. […]

McDevitt said the program has proved effective at improving performance. For example, the percentage of retailers activating new games within two weeks was 79 percent in September 2012, but it’s now up to about 95 percent, he said. […]

While performance might be easily measurable for some workers, such as “an exceedingly small number of employees” at the Lottery, that’s not the case across the board, [AFSCME spokesman Anders Lindall] said.

“How would one fairly and accurately quantify the performance of a child protection investigator or a nurse assistant in a veterans home or a caregiver for someone with disabilities?” he said. “We’re skeptical that that can be done.”

Lindall is right that it’s fairly easy to quantify a lottery salesperson’s bonuses. That’s a no-brainer (and, frankly, I’m not even sure why the state is handling what should be given to an outside vendor).

And bonuses can be manipulated by the type of boss who wants to reward his or her friends and punish his or her enemies.

* But I could see situations where some of Anders’ own examples, including child protection investigators, could be subject to a bonus system. If, for instance, the state is too slow at initiating investigations, bonuses could be awarded to those who are prompt.

Then again, as we saw with the recent Wells Fargo scandal, if you reward employees based on a specific metric, they could very well do whatever they can to meet that particular goal, even if it doesn’t actually accomplish anything. You have to be careful when setting goals to avoid this sort of outcome.

It’s like teaching to the test. If you base teacher pay/ratings on how much their students’ test scores improve, they’re gonna teach that test as much as they possibly can. Does it really improve the overall education of those kids? Nope. But are other incentives wrong? Nope.

* Semi-related…

* Rauner eliminates IDOT job position tied to patronage hiring: Rauner’s office said early Monday that abolishing the staff assistant positions at the Illinois Department of Transportation was necessary for “regaining the trust of Illinois taxpayers.” On Sept. 1, Rauner issued layoff notices to the remaining 29 staff assistants. Investigations previously found they were hired based on clout instead of merit. Their last day was Thursday.

* Press release: In an announcement today at the 2016 National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) Conference in Orlando, Florida, the Center for Digital Government named Illinois as one of the most improved states in the country for technology and innovation. In just 18 months, Illinois has moved from the bottom quarter to the top third of all 50 states.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 10:29 am

Comments

The teachers I see who are currently evaluated (along with their schools) based on 30/180 school days of standardized testing actually like to feel that they are teaching kids, and so don’t “spend all their time teaching to the test.” The issue is that a) the tests are a boondoogle for big publishers and b) we know and have known for years that MC tests don’t actually measure learned content or learning habits. It’s so Illinois to just assume that everyone is out to pimp the system as much as they can. Does not at all represent what I see in my daughter’s schools.

Comment by Ron Mexico Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 10:36 am
There’s also a budget predictability issue. In the case of the Lottery sales bonuses are tied to generating revenue so that’s more manageable. But for an agency caseworker whose job does not generate revenue how do you set up a bonus structure that that budget makers can predict and account for and doesn’t wildly mismatch (either too high or too low) the proper agency spending authority in the budget?

Comment by The Captain Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 10:41 am
I honestly cannot see a way to fairly implement a merit bonus system for Human Services Caseworkers like me. Man is it complex and there are so many nuances. It is really hard to quantify or qualify. Honestly it would be a managers pet list of bonuses. Again it would lead to people leaving the state employ that could get out. We don’t need anything more like that.

Comment by Honeybear Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 10:42 am
I’ve got several friends who work at DHS in the disability adjudication office/section. They’ve told me about the backlogs and the frustration stemming from them - but they also admit that they must take their time and get things done right. Otherwise they wind up making extra work for coworkers in other divisions. Rushing through applications and greenlighting or denying claims so that you can set a new office standard or record is a good way for the SSA to put the thumb down on that office. Perhaps the best thing to do would be to issue bonuses that are comped well after the action or deadline. That would ensure things like disability claims or child protection investigations or Medicaid fraud detections are done in a timely-yet-correct manner.

Comment by Team Sleep Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 10:42 am
The administrations bargaining team still can’t tell us what metrics will be used for “merit” pay across titles. Their only response is that they thought the union would help them with it. It’s your proposal, you tell us how it works.

And their insistence that it not be added to the base is a non-starter. ALJ has ruled that making it non-pensionable would require a waiver which makes it a permissive subject of bargaining. And there for you cannot declare impasse off of it.

Oh and the administration can respond to those giant pile of information requests any day now.

Also come back to the table.

Comment by steward Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 10:48 am
Yeah “Most Improved” and without any of that turnover nonsense…all they did was rename the same techno reorg that the last 3 governors had been tryin’

Comment by Annonin' Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 10:49 am
So… in the name of open and transparent governin’, are the bonuses going to be listed as well on the Ledger site??? DoIT should be able to DoThat!

http://tinyurl.com/jn8kxfm

Comment by Anon221 Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 10:49 am
Too often merit pay means I am your boss and you do what I say, kiss my … and therefore you are a good employee. Nobody wants a competent employee who says ‘when the emporer has no clothes on’ no matter how much value they bring to the workplace.

A limited amount of ‘merit pay’ can be justified if awarded each year and not based upon the cumulative salary.

Yes, we all know what Rauner really wants out of this- a docile workforce beholden to him through his own political hacks as opposed to the political hacks on the other side of the political fence.

Comment by Federalist Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 10:53 am
Look. At Ethics Commission website. They just posted a report last week where Department of Human Rights implemented a bonus system (without authority of CMS) and employees manipulated it to get bonuses. Exhibit A on how difficult it will be to implement.

Comment by Thinking Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 10:53 am
Do these bonus agreements contain the clause “subject to appropriation” like the standard contract with vendors?

Comment by Henry Francis Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 10:55 am
‘bonus for prompt investigations for child protection’

seems more appropriate, for this example, to enforce strict performance requirements for prompt initiations - not provide reward for what they should be doing in the first place…

Comment by anon Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 10:56 am
All this reminds of is the dreary quarterly “all hands meetings” where you have the agency director talk about how great everybody is doing, the agency lawyer talk about another dumb set of rules, and then — at the end — the director handing out the “Employee of the Quarter” coffee cup.

This merit stuff is just a coffee cup that happens to be taxed. Everybody forgets about it, and the only thing that matters is that doesn’t leak. In the end, everybody’s an employee of the quarter at least once.

And then the cycle starts again. Like mowing the grass at an airport. Finish it, start again. Boom.

Comment by Bobby Catalpa Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 10:56 am
So what has happened to jet Illinois government so far up in the standings for technological innovation? There must be some impressive, newsworthy initiatives underway. What are they? I want to hear about them.

Comment by IllinoisBoi Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 11:01 am
—
So what has happened to jet Illinois government so far up in the standings for technological innovation?
—

DoIT.

https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/doit/Pages/default.aspx

Comment by Bobby Catalpa Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 11:12 am
Bonus Systems, Reward Systems…are always criticized as unfair by someone. AND rightfully so. What ends up happening is people start to game the system. The more rules there are around pay/rewards the more people will cheat. It’s why the military pays the best officers the same as the weakest officers and everyone gets a pay raise every 2 years. Don’t mess with Gov’t Pay Scales; it ain’t wise.

Comment by Union Man Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 11:25 am
** It’s why the military pays the best officers the same as the weakest officers and everyone gets a pay raise every 2 years **

All that does is encourage mediocrity. For people to excel at what they do, there has to be some reward.

Comment by DGD Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 11:33 am
29 Staff Assistants “laid off”…but originally there were 257…the rest got burrowed into ‘protected’ Teamster jobs, shouldn’t they be sent packing too?

Comment by Curious George Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 11:42 am
The military also has a fast track program for its best performers, a make this grade by this time or leave policy,and non-monetary awards for merit.

I do not think the military reward system is a good basis for a civilian work force.

Comment by Last Bull Moose Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 11:45 am
–All that does is encourage mediocrity. For people to excel at what they do, there has to be some reward.–

So the United States military is mediocre?… Wow obvious you are someone who has never served.

I would suggest you sit down and shut up…now.

Comment by Honeybear Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 11:47 am
I’ve been in governments for long enough time to have experienced political favoritism regarding pay raises. Anyone who thinks that merit pay could work is someone who is incredibly naive. I know it doesn’t.

There are many real reasons we have AFSCME and constitutional rights protecting citizens serving our governments. What Rauner proposes as “new” is as old as the 19th century spoils system. Rauner’s way leads to worst corruption than we see now. It leads to more waste and fraud. This governor doesn’t know how government works, worked or needs to work.

Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 11:51 am
I agree with those who think performance-based bonuses and raises have a huge potential to be misused. Still, I”m curious to see what they’d come up with. If it were a pool of money (”extra,” not impacting current wages, raises and benefits), I’d be inclined to give the benefit of the doubt and do it as a 3 year experiment which would solely be an enhancement for those who earned.

I’m a big fan of front-line staff, and am not sure you get more from them with bonuses. I tend to think bureaucracy/supervisors/directors are the places to target for improved performance. These are the things that either complement or impede their ability to be effective.

Comment by Earnest Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 12:02 pm
compliment. I can live with my typos, but not incorrect homonyms.

Comment by Earnest Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 12:07 pm
https://www.illinois.gov/eec/Documents/09.14.16%20Wanzo%20Released%20Report.pdf

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 12:12 pm
The bonuses were put in by Northstar. an investigative reporter might pull the bonus numbers and compare them to the numbers before northstar…. you may see many people getting a bonus just for doing what they were doing already.

one down side to a “bonus” system is it goes off of achievement beyound just soing tour job. i could not find a single large employer that gave no raises, just bonuses. Rauner wants no raises, AND Rauner proposed that bonus amounts are limited to a pool of only 50% or less of the employeess REGARDLESS of performance. who ever heard of a bonus system where you may not get anything or your amount goes down the more people who meet the goal!

Comment by Ghost Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 12:28 pm
Merit-based Bonuses cannot exist in a society that values “Participation Trophies”

Comment by Springfield Since '77 Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 12:44 pm
– compliment. I can live with my typos, but not incorrect homonyms. –
My dear Earnest, I agree with your (grammatical) stance but I believe you had it right the first time.

Comment by itsjustme Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 12:51 pm
===All that does is encourage mediocrity. For people to excel at what they do, there has to be some reward.===

Ever hear of intrinsic reward? Do you think everyone is motivated only by money?

Comment by Cubs in '16 Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 1:07 pm
Get off your high-horse HB, I was implying that giving raises without taking merit into account promotes mediocrity. Why work hard when you get the same raise as the next guy who does very little.

** Ever hear of intrinsic reward? Do you think everyone is motivated only by money? **

No, but most are, basic economic theory is based on what people will and will not do for money.

Comment by DGD Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 1:26 pm
–No, but most are, basic economic theory is based on what people will and will not do for money.–

Matthew 6:24

Comment by Honeybear Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 1:33 pm
>My dear Earnest, I agree with your (grammatical) stance but I believe you had it right the first time.

*sigh* Yep

Comment by Earnest Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 3:48 pm
Sorry for the error the word should be “were” not where…

Comment by Mama Retired Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 4:45 pm
I’ll believe the administration is serious about merit pay when it starts giving bonuses or raises to its merit comp employees. They finally adopted a regulation in July that allows agencies to adopt policies for bonuses to merit comp, and I haven’t heard of any agencies that have adopted these policies. If they can’t figure out how to mak eit work for merit comp (or they simply aren’t interested), why would the union buy into it?

Comment by Whatever Monday, Sep 19, 16 @ 4:59 pm