Il sistema di valutazione della performance nel lavoro pubblico: inquadramento normativo e problemi applicativo

This chapter examines the performance evaluation system in privatized public employment, highlighting its role as a central mechanism for regulating employment relationships and modernizing public administration. The authors retrace the legislative evolution from the privatization of public employment to the most recent reforms, with particular focus on Legislative Decree No. 150/2009 (the Brunetta Reform), the Madia Reform, and the 2025 Zangrillo Directive. Performance evaluation is interpreted not merely as a technical tool for measuring results, but as a mechanism directly affecting work organization, performance-related pay, career progression, and managerial accountability.

The chapter explores the distinction between organizational and individual performance, the issues related to goal-setting, the relationship between performance evaluation and remote working, as well as the role of training and skills development in ensuring the attainability of expected results for public employees. Particular attention is devoted to the structural limits of the evaluation system, the risks of excessive managerial discretion, and the need to balance the constitutional principle of good administration with the protection of workers’ rights. The authors conclude that performance evaluation has become a fundamental legal and organizational infrastructure for contemporary public administration, while remaining an area marked by persistent practical challenges and tensions between efficiency, merit, and labor guarantees.