The annual assessment of employees of local self-government bodies aims to identify their strengths, suitability for the position and capacity. Its findings are taken into account during certification, promotion, awarding bonuses, assignment of the next rank, creation of the pool of candidates for certain positions, etc.
“Under martial law, local self-government bodies have many questions regarding the organisation and feasibility of conducting an annual assessment. That is why U-LEAD experts have prepared an informational event on this topic,” said Oleh Yaremenko, Head of the Regional Office of U-LEAD with Europe in the Kirovohrad region.
The info session clarified the legal framework of the assessment. The participants also received practical recommendations regarding its organisation and further handling of the findings.
“It is essential to approach the assessment and certification as a personnel management tool rather than a punitive measure. They should be conducted objectively and in a high-trust environment, on the basis of legality and impartiality, without a conflict of interests between the participants in the process,” said Victoria Cheban, Advisor on Decentralisation and Local Self-Government of U-LEAD in the Chernivtsi region.
According to her, the annual assessment is traditionally conducted in January-February, but it is not mandatory.
Furthermore, as the expert emphasised, there is a certain category of local self-government officials exempt from the certification. These are the heads of local councils and their deputies, secretaries of councils and employees of the patronage service, starostas, i.e. officials with elected or fixed-term positions. The residents of the municipality give their assessment to the activities of these persons during the regular elections.
Local self-government officials should undergo certification once every four years. Liudmila Chabak, Adviser on Decentralisation and Local Self-Government of U-LEAD in the Chernihiv region, explained the effects of martial law on this procedure:
“So far, there are no clarifications given regarding the possibility of postponing the certification due to martial law. Therefore, if a local council continues its operation, the certification should be held within the time limits set by the law.”
Its date is set by the head of the local council. The council should also have provisions on its procedure: who and how many people are on the commission, the term and schedule of the certification, which should be approved by the order of the chairperson and brought to the attention of the persons to be certified.
More than 100 municipal officials from the Kirovohrad, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Dnipro and Odesa regions took part in the info session. The event was organised by the Regional Office of U-LEAD with Europe in the Kirovohrad region.