It is time
of the year, when companies ask their employees to sit for mandatory annual
appraisals! The final quarter of every financial year.. Jan, Feb., & March
brings jitters in the minds of employees!
Management
by Objectives (M.B.O), Key Result Areas (K.R.As,) Key Performance Indicators (K.P.Is)
what not! As someone had posted jokingly in a social website, during Appraisals
employees are shown as if they are far too insignificant and their contribution
to the organization is totally negligible.
The same
employee, after a few months when he puts in his papers and sits for an exit
interview the same boss praises him to the sky and tells him that he is the
future of the company. He is a core committee member, has a bright future and
what not!!
Well, I had
my own share of experience in both sides of the table, attending employee
appraisal as an employee. As well as arranging for a year appraisal with K.R.A
and K.P.I for my staff in a company.
It was 2014-2015, a year after a year of
getting used to the Himachal way of working in an organization in Himachal
Pradesh! The organization had an unique culture of employing mostly known
people referred to by one another. This was done to bring in a sense of
closeness and ease of working.
The same
thing started proving detrimental to the organization as the company started
growing and bringing in funds from VCs etc. Thus touch anyone that would set a
cascade of reaction across the organization.
Most of the
people were from UP in Supervisory and Assistant manager level, who because of
years of experience have moved to their glorious level of incompetence! Every
manager had his own team of cronies and would jeopardize working of the company
if it warranted to safeguard his own interests.
Everyone had
his own zones of Comfort and would never ever move from that. People would not
even move from one shift to another as they did not want to manage, monitor and
control different crews!
Now they
were surprised by terms like K.R.A, K.P.I etc. But as I had made them to sit for
appraisal every quarter and feedback mechanism was very active quarter after
quarter they had no way out from it.
Around
February one of the supervisors came to me and told me not to waste my time with
appraisals etc. as all things would not work in that factory. He also warned me
that like the previous year, the Plant Manager would instigate people to write
a petition and move the board to approve revision of annual increments!
I had a very
miserable feeling that I would be let down by the board. The previous year a
group of three old supervisors ganged up and did the same. There was a Chaste
Hindi application signed by one and all Supervisors. The same was taken to the
board in HO. Then we were constrained to revise the increments. This had
happened as the Q.A head done the same unilaterally to keep his departmental
morale high!
I spoke to
my VP and got his unwavering commitment that no such thing would happen this
year.
All Managers
were called for a one to one meeting. They were told to give the list of
Promotions well in time with justification. They were also told that the final appraisal
would be done by a team of three Senior Managers and approved by me based on
the ratings given.
A few
supervisors told that they would be quitting and therefore they were not going
to sit for the appraisals. In the end final list of appraisal and increment was
prepared omitting them .They were not given any increment.
to be continued.....
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