Good is slightly better than satisfactory, says Bill Hunt (Picture: SWNS)

Council bosses that banned the word ‘satisfactory’ from staff appraisals because it would make people feel inadequate are now suffering a bit of backlash.

The East Cambridgeshire District Council apparently made the decision after a report by the council’s HR department claimed the word ‘demotivated’ staff – suggesting the word ‘good’ as a replacement.

Colston Hall renamed Bristol Beacon to shake off association with slave trader

Nicole Pema, the report’s author, said that ‘satisfactory’ implied that someone is ‘good, but not good enough’.

The change from ‘satisfactory’ to ‘good’ is expected to become official at the Regulatory and Support Services Committee meeting on December 5.


However, some people on the council say reports should accurately reflect employees’ performance.

East Cambridgeshire District Council’s building in Ely (Picture: SWNS)

‘I think it’s just semantics,’ Tory councillor Bill Hunt, 71, said. ‘There is a difference between “good” and “satisfactory”. If I were to put “good” on a scale it would be a seven, and I’d put “satisfactory” at about five.



‘We need things that accurately describe performance, and there is a significant different between “good” and “satisfactory”.

Government fails to answer if casual sex is illegal under new coronavirus rules

‘If these people have problems or difficulties they should just say it.’

Hunt also stood in front of the council building in Ely holding a large sign that said: ‘Satisfactory is not enough.’

Cllr Anna Bailey, chair of the deciding committee, said: ‘Following a change of framework in 2015 which saw the Council scrapping automatic pay increases in favour of performance-related pay, we are reviewing the success of the scheme and are evaluating feedback from our senior officers and staff.’