Employee Performance Review 8

[bones206]

I work for a large engineering company and we recently had our annual performance review. I overheard two of the lead engineers talking about a "bell curve" imposed by corporate. Apparently corporate adjusted the performance ratings that the leads engineers gave to their subordinates, to fit some sort of company-wide curve. I don't have all the facts but I do know that our raises are somehow correlated with our performance ratings. I confronted my lead about this and he admitted that my final performance raiting was lower than what he had initially given me. He had to go back and change some of the scores to make my overall rating come out to the corporate-imposed rating.

Should I be upset? Is this normal practice for large companies? I've talked about it with other guys here and they don't seem to be upset.

 

[bones206]

I found out today that the rating formula was manipulated to give lower scores.

You are rated in various categories on a scale of 0 to 5, 5 being the strongest performance. I found out today that the way they forced the managers to lower our overall scores was to give us scores on a scale of 0 to 4 in some categories. However, it was still treated as if it was out of 5.

For example, 3 out of 5 is called "satisfactory performance". On the questions that were 0 to 4, a score of 2 was considered "satisfactory performance". But when they compute the total average rating, each category was treated as if it was out of 5 points.

My coworker was rated as "satisfactory" in each of his categories and his total rating averaged out to a "below average performance" rating. He is not a happy camper.

If this is a way to justify low or no raises, why not just slide the threshold for raises instead of making everyone look like their performance dipped this year?

 

[MiketheEngineer]

I have been working for almost 40 years - yes I am an old fart... and have been through dozens of these things - on both sides and and sometimes at the same time. I rated my guys/gals and then my boss rated me.

I HAVE NEVER FOUND ANY ONE METHOD TO BE SATISFACTORY. Someone is always slighted or feel inferior OR gets a big head out of it. AND IT TAKES TOO MUCH DAMN TIME.

Best bet - do your best and the pendulem will swing again.

 

[mtu1972]

Most of us have been there at one time or another. Had Management By Objectives at one place. Each year you reviewed last years objectives and then were given next years. You were graded 0 to 5 on how well you handled last years objectives. I think 3 was "Meets Expectations". After a couple of years we found that we were all consistantly 3 or lower.

Seems that if you ever exceeded expectations you'd never do it again as their expectations had been elevated.

gjc

 

[bones206]

Mathematically, I "exceeded expectations" in all categories but my overall rating was equivalent to "satisfactory". So even if I scored 5 out of 5 and 4 out of 4 on everything, it's impossible to get a overall score of 5 out of 5. That's just plain cheating no matter which way you look at it.

I hear what everybody's saying about just do your best and ignore the rest, but my company is in the nuclear industry and in my opinion should not be cavalier about disgruntling its employees.

 

[rbulsara]

You pick your battles.

Rafiq Bulsara

http://www.srengineersct.com

 

[rbulsara]

Also there will be a time that with right experience you will be able to choose as to who you work for and for how much. Just work on enhancing your experience and marketability. There is no point fighting your employers, but you can if you choose to.

Best and least expensive way to let them know that you are not happy is to leave them.

Rafiq Bulsara

http://www.srengineersct.com

 

[MacGyverS2000]

An interesting study is that if you offer someone $100 on the condition that someone else gets $100, or you offer them $200 and the other person gets $500, most people prefer the first option.

If it was only a single person that was getting the $500, that would be fine. However, if a number of people were getting that $500 compared to my $200, my purchasing power is decreased... in essence, it would be the same as if you had left everyone else alone and taken a few hundred out of my pocket.

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[KENAT]

I believe there is a parable on a similar topic, if you're so inclined.

Posting guidelines faq731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

(probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​

 

[RDK]

The Canadian military did something like this some years ago.

They did a review on the ratings and found that seldom was a score lower than a 7 out of 10 ever given (above average was the lowest rating routinely given out)

They statistically distributed the number of 10’s 9’s etc. that were allowed as well as the number of 1’s and 2’s that were forced to be given out.

Works to level the playing field where there are large numbers of people at the same organizational level and under the same manager but was difficult to implement with the trades and at bases where there were only few people in any occupational category.

They however did not use the person’s numerical rating as the only input into the promotional process. The narratives were also examined as was the potential for more senior positions.

However at the end of the day it was still an attempt to make precise and impersonal the imprecise and highly personal process of rating and evaluating people.


Rick Kitson MBA P.Eng

Construction Project Management
From conception to completion

http://www.kitsonengineering.com

 

[looslib]

A young teenage girl was about to finish her first year of college. She considered herself to be a very liberal Democrat but her father was a rather staunch Republican.

One day she was challenging her father on his beliefs and his opposition to taxes and welfare programs. He stopped her and asked her how she was doing in school.

She answered that she had a 4.0 GPA but it was really tough. She had to study all the time, never had time to go out and party. She didn't have time for a boyfriend and didn't really have many college friends because of spending all her time studying.

He asked, "How is your friend Mary." She replied that Mary was barely getting by. She had a 2.0 GPA, never studied, but was very popular on campus, went to all the parties all the time. Why she often didn't show up for classes because she was hung over.

Dad then asked his daughter why she didn't go to the Dean's office and ask why she couldn't take 1.0 off her 4.0 and give it to her friend who only had a 2.0. That way they would both have a 3.0 GPA.

The daughter angrily fired back, "That wouldn't be fair, I worked really hard for mine and Mary has done nothing".

The father slowly smiled and said, "Welcome to the Republican Party".



"Wildfires are dangerous, hard to control, and economically catastrophic."

Ben Loosli

 

[IceNine]

What if you're not lucky enough to be born into a family that can afford to send you to college?

 

[bones206]

Welcome to the Democratic party

 

[mauricestoker]

I'm still in shock finding out that "bonus" is not two words.

 

[GregLocock]

IceNine. You put yourself through uni. I found a way to do it, why can't your hypothetical example?



Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

 

[Ron]

Welcome to the multiple personalities of a corporate structure!

 

[SylvestreW]

Here's the sad part - now that you've experienced this, you're upset. In a few years when you are now a manager and have "converted", you'll likely do the same thing and not think twice.

 

[EQguys]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc

 

[rbulsara]

Good link, EQguys.

Rafiq Bulsara

http://www.srengineersct.com