US Department of Defense – “Good Stability but Frustrated with New Pay Systems”

Pros

If you're looking for job security and the ability to move around in an organization, you can't beat the Department of Defense.

Cons

The new DoD pay for performance initiatives have demoralized many, including myself. The very term "pay for performance" is a misnomer in many people's books. To me it seems like the whole system was concocted by over-zealous, misguided HR halfwits to justify their existence. They tell us we'll probably make more under the new system but the lack of specifics has been extremely frustrating. Many believe that DoD has rushed headlong into these new systems without fully thinking about their consequences. Usually, when asked about specifics of the new programs, the standard reply is "that will be determined at a future date."

Advice to Senior Management

Ditch the pay for performance systems. They're killing morale. In addition, they're making it difficult for civilian-military integration as there are no clear rank equivalents (e.g., a GS15 is equivalent to a Colonel under the old system) under pay banding.