CFR > Title 5 - Administrative Personnel > CHAPTER I—OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT > SUBCHAPTER B—CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS (parts 110 to 990) > PART 900—INTERGOVERNMENTAL PERSONNEL ACT PROGRAMS > SUBPART F—Standards for a Merit System of Personnel Administration (§900.601 to §900.605) > 900.603—Standards for a merit system of personnel administration.

900.603—Standards for a merit system of personnel administration.

The quality of public service can be improved by the development of systems of personnel administration consistent with such merit principles as—
(a) Recruiting, selecting, and advancing employees on the basis of their relative ability, knowledge, and skills, including open consideration of qualified applicants for initial appointment.
(b) Providing equitable and adequate compensation.
(c) Training employees, as needed, to assure high quality performance.
(d) Retaining employees on the basis of the adequacy of their performance, correcting inadequate performance, and separating employees whose inadequate performance cannot be corrected.
(e) Assuring fair treatment of applicants and employees in all aspects of personnel administration without regard to political affiliation, race, color, national origin, sex, religious creed, age or handicap and with proper regard for their privacy and constitutional rights as citizens. This “fair treatment” principle includes compliance with the Federal equal employment opportunity and nondiscrimination laws.
(f) Assuring that employees are protected against coercion for partisan political purposes and are prohibited from using their official authority for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the result of an election or a nomination for office.