Federal law tells most U.S. government agencies how to judge their employees. Under 5 U.S.C. § 4302, each appraisal system must set “performance standards which will, to the maximum extent feasible, permit the accurate evaluation of job performance on the basis of objective criteria.” These criteria “may include the extent of courtesy demonstrated to the public.”
Each employee must be told the standards and “the critical elements of the employee’s position” at the beginning of each appraisal period. The Office of Personnel Management tells agencies to “establish clear, measurable expectations at the start of the performance cycle.” It also tells them to require sign-off on the performance plan “within the first 30-45 days of the cycle.” The law asks agencies to “encourage employee participation in establishing performance standards.”