While the intensive work on this problem has been carried on almost simultaneously at a number of places, scarcely more than a beginning has been made and experience shows that there is grave danger that the whole movement will be misunderstood because of the use made of the information for purposes other than standardization proper. It has been this alleged perversion of the information developed that has caused civil servants to feel that greater protection is afforded by the organizations through which existing inequities have been produced than by co-operation with those who are seeking to "standardize." This has arisen from a somewhat natural extension of the work of "standardization" to include certain tasks of "budget making" on the one hand and tasks of "administration" on the other. This subject will be discussed in a subsequent chapter. Summary Statement of Objects of Standardization The standardization movement has as its primary objects the following: 1. The establishment of a basis for fixing salary rates in relation to work values. 2. The establishment of standard factors of education or experience for each class and grade of employment prescribing conditions which must be met by persons preliminary to appointment. 3. The establishment of standard titles and work require- 4. The establishment of standards to govern promotions, Up to the present time, the salaries of government employes have, for the most part, been determined with little reference to the market value of the work performed. It is a matter of current knowledge that, in a large number of cases, salaries are fixed by accident, expediency or political preference. Increases in salary have been irregular, uncertain and too often without regard to the relative merits of the employes. The standardization of public employments is based on the principle that payment for personal service shall be regulated It according to the value of such service to the government. provides for a definite classification according to the kind and quality of work performed. This classification includes specifications which will accurately differentiate one grade of work from another and enable administrative officials to grade compensation according to the actual division of responsibility in the office affected. The standardization program includes also the establishment of standard titles, work requirements, qualifications, etc. as a basis for effective civil service control. In short, it is designed to vitalize civil service administration by formulating regulations to govern civil service entrance examinations, promotional examinations and other subjects of employment control which are essentially civil service problems. The standardization program provides a definite solution for these civil service problems by formulating: (a) A comprehensive classification of positions which will (b) A code of standard qualifications and regulations, with Civil service work up to the present time has assisted and benefited employes only through the adoption of protective and preventive measures. Little has been done of a positive nature to assure to each employe a career in public service proportionate to his ability. This development should be the result of salary standardization work. When standards are adopted and published, they furnish to present and prospective employes information as to the conditions of employment in the public service and give assurance that, if properly administered, unequal conditions of appointment and promotion will be abolished. Standards furnish a program to be followed in establishing and enforcing entrance and promotional regulations. They establish definite lines of promotion and provide proper regulations governing increases. They provide rewards for individual efficiency and seniority of service, at the same time affording adequate protection to the community. They make possible the opening up of promotional examinations to a larger number, by grouping those positions which are similar in work requirements. They encourage the establishment of service schools or such other provision as the government may make for the purpose of giving adequate training for public service. Standards make conditions of employments more certain and attractive, they make the employes contented and insure their co-operation and loyalty and attract to the public service a more highly trained and competent class of persons. CHAPTER V THE SCIENTIFIC SIDE OF STANDARDIZATION The first steps taken to classify public employments and the attempts made thereunder to bring about uniformity of practice were disconnected and fragmentary and touched upon but few phases of employment control. Little was accomplished in regard to the scientific classification of the civil service during the twenty or twenty-five years which preceded the organized efforts in several communities to work out a comprehensive and scientific scheme of standards. Establishment of Legal Classes The United States civil service act of 1883 and laws supplementary thereto, segregated the civil service into legal divisions known as the "Unclassified," the "Classified" and the "Labor" services. The unclassified division represented that group of employments which were subject, for the most part, to the concurrent appointive power of the President and the Senate and not subject to the principle of competitive examinations. The second, the classified service, represented that group of employments to which competitive examinations did apply, and was subject to certain exemptions known as exempt positions. The labor service represented that group of positions covering work of a manual and unskilled nature to which the unit principle applied, and was subject to registration rather than examination. By action of legislative bodies a similar legal classification has been provided in most of the states and cities where civil service control has been installed. For example, the broad division of classified and unclassified service exists in the State (and hence in the cities) of New York. The classified service is generally divided into four divisions as follows: A. Exempt class B. Competitive class C. Non-competitive class D. Labor class The two broad divisions, classified and unclassified, indicate the limits within which civil service control should operate, and the sub-divisions of the so called classified service indicate the lines along which the civil service commission may make further refinements for the purpose of prescribing and conducting examinations. While the establishment of these legal divisions imposed certain restrictions upon the employment of persons and thereby prevented certain abuses which had formerly obtained, the distinctive units of the several classes of employment were not recognized and no exact basis was furnished for the extension and multiplication of civil service practice in keeping with new ideas, and methods of administration. Subject to the arbitrary division superimposed, the civil service commission was empowered to establish titles descriptive of employment. The titles first adopted were for the most part descriptive of classes of employment. In the early civil service classifications of the United States government and of the State of New York appeared such titles as "Clerk," "Engineer," "Artisan" and "Laborer." These general titles all obtained, for the most part, with respect to positions for which examinations should be held and were intended to furnish or suggest work requirements and qualifications of the persons filling such positions. In other words, they were suggestive of the scope and content of civil service entrance examinations. For the positions, not statutory in character, for which examinations were not conducted, or in other words, for those positions in the competitive group which were exempted from examination, specialized titles were used to identify positions of a so-called confidential character. Employment control in its broader aspects was not included in the plans of the civil service reformers of the early days, but the usefulness of specialized titles, for the purpose of indicating concretely the requirements of the various offices and employments, became obvious and a multiplication of specialized titles followed. In later classifications, the broad divisions of employment such as clerical, engineer, artisan, etc., were broken up into groups representing what purported to be distinct lines1 of 1 Fourth Annual Report U. S. Civil Service Commission, 1887-1888, Appendix, Table No. 4-"Appointments, etc.," Pages 596 to 677 inclusive; see also other early U. S. and New York State Civil Service Commission Reports. |