Why should I use Peer Review Services?
If a Bank decision, action or inaction has been made that affects you, and you have not been able to satisfactorily resolve the situation by informal means, you may seek resolution through peer review. Peer review is a problem solving system designed to ensure that your concerns are given careful consideration and resolved quickly and fairly.

Am I eligible to use Peer Review Services?
You may use Peer Review Services if your employment falls into any of the following categories:

• Regular
• Open-Ended
• Fixed-Term
• Consultant (Short Term and Extended Term)
• Temporary
• Country Office Staff
• Probationary Staff
• Former Staff Members

more

I have filed my case with Peer Review Services.

1. Chair reviews request and confirms whether case is within authority.
2. Panel conducts hearing or refers, suspends or dismisses case.
3. Panel submits recommendations to line VP for decision with VPHR.

more

Current or former staff members of the World Bank Group can use the peer review process either directly or if they have been unsuccessful in resolving an employment concern through the informal channels of the Conflict Resolution System (CRS). If a staff member wishes to have a panel of their peers review a disputed employment matter, he/she must submit a Request for Review Form with the Peer Review Secretariat within 120 calendar days of receiving notice of the Bank’s decision, action, or inaction which the staff member may wish to challenge. If a staff member wishes to seek peer review for redundancy decisions, the Request for Review must be submitted no later than 120 calendar days after a staff member’s termination date from the Bank Group (as opposed to 120 calendar days from receipt of notice of the redundancy and termination).

The Peer Review Secretariat must receive the signed Request for Review Form on or before the applicable deadline for it to be considered timely. An original and five copies of the Request for Review Form can be submitted as follows:

To obtain a copy of a Request for Review Form, please contact the Peer Review Secretariat at peerreview@worldbank.org or (202) 473-5884.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Types of Employment Concerns Can a Staff Member Bring to Peer Review Services?
A staff member can request review of any Bank decision, action, or inaction that he/she believes is inconsistent with his/her terms of appointment and/or conditions of employment.

Peer Review Services cannot do any of the following:

• Set or change policy, benefits, Staff Rules, or procedures;
• Review decisions made by: the Outside Interests Committee; or the Benefits Administrator, the Finance Administrator, or the Pension Benefits Administration Committee of the World Bank Group Staff Retirement Plan;
• Review challenges to the enforceability of a settlement agreement or memorandum of understanding between the Bank and a staff member; or
• Review decisions involving claims for workers’ compensation benefits; misconduct investigations and the imposition of disciplinary measures; or any decisions for which specialized appeal procedures may be established or when it is specifically provided that peer review is not available.

Who Reviews a Case If a Staff Member Decides to Use Peer Review Services?
The Bank’s Peer Review Services are provided by Peer Review Members, who are volunteer staff members drawn from different parts of the World Bank Group. The Peer Review Secretariat designates three Peer Review Members to serve on a panel responsible for reviewing a staff member’s case.

Each panel includes Peer Review Members at both the managerial and non-managerial level. Where feasible, the Peer Review Secretariat will designate at least one Peer Review Member to serve on the panel who is either at the same employment grade level or shares similar work experience with the staff member who has filed the Request for Review.

How Are Decisions Made?
Peer Review Panels help to ensure that World Bank Group Staff Rules, policies, or practices were applied properly and consistently in a given case. If they find otherwise, they have the authority to recommend appropriate remedies or corrective relief consistent with World Bank Group practices and/or policies.

The Peer Review Panel will review the World Bank Group’s decisions or actions to determine if they were consistent with a staff member’s contract of employment and/or terms of appointment. Upon reviewing each case, the Peer Review Panel will prepare a Report summarizing its findings and the corrective measures and other relief, if any, it recommends.

What If Staff Members Are Not Satisfied With the Outcome?
If staff members are not satisfied with the outcome of the peer review process, they can appeal their case to the World Bank Administrative Tribunal. It is important to note that the time in which staff members have to file an Application with the World Bank Administrative Tribunal begins on the date they receive the decision from senior management regarding the Peer Review Panel’s recommendation.

Where Can a Staff Member Go For Help With the Peer Review Process?
The Peer Review Secretariat provides assistance to parties regarding the peer review process. In keeping with its neutral and impartial character, the Peer Review Secretariat cannot provide advice to parties concerning the substance or merits of a case.

Peer Review Counselors are available to staff. Peer Review Counselors are volunteer staff members who provide advice and assistance in relation to the peer review process. A roster of Peer Review Counselors is maintained by the World Bank Group.

Advisers are also available to help staff members. Advisers are current or former staff members who may accompany the parties to hearings. An adviser may not be a witness in the matter and may not be engaged in the practice of law. An adviser must also agree to be bound by the rules of confidentiality governing the proceedings. Advisers may play a speaking role at the hearing only with the consent of the panel.

How Can World Bank Group Staff Be Assured that Their Case Is Kept Confidential?
All information submitted to the Peer Review Secretariat is kept confidential. It is only shared with the parties who have a need to know, e.g. Peer Review Panels, both parties to the case, and relevant witnesses. The Peer Review Panels, staff, and Peer Review Counselors may only share information with those individuals whose involvement is needed to address a staff member’s concern.

Please contact Peer Review Services if you have any questions about our services.

Back to the top

A Requesting Staff Member may request review of a disputed employment matter by completing a Request for Review Form and submitting it, along with its attachments, to the Peer Review Secretariat within the deadlines set out in Staff Rule 9.03, section 7. The Request for Review form must be signed. Both the Request for Review Form and associated attachments must be received by the Peer Review Secretariat on or before the deadline to be considered timely. They may be submitted as follows:

• electronically at peerreview@worldbank.org;
• in person at Room G4-191;
• by mail to Room MSN-G4-400; or
• by fax at (202) 522-2709.