Employee Performance Review
Employee Performance Review
(OP)
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.
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.
RE: Employee Performance Review
This is not uncommon in companies of all kinds of sizes.
No matter how well you try and structure it, these kind of things end up being a popularity contest most of the time. If your manager likes you he'll give you better ratings and fight to keep those ratings. If his manager likes him & so on up the chain then he's more likely to be able to get to keep those good ratings. Add in that HR/senior management have read the latest salary surveys and think pay should conform to the standard distribution/not be above mean for any classification etc. and there you go.
My last boss and current boss have been fairly open about this with me. I know for a fact at least one of my reviews got knocked down to 'satisfactory' from 'exceeds requirements' or something like that because my boss's boss told him to do it because too many people had too high a rating or something.
I also know I've received low pay raises on at least one occasion not because I wasn't performing but because there was a mix up in the admin when someone else in the department converted from temp to perm and they got a lower rate of pay, so almost all the pay raise money for the department subsequent year went to him. This despite him having been a cantankerous pita all year because he was disgruntled while I'd been fricking awesome
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Employee Performance Review
I would look at the net income plus benefits you take home at the end of the year and total benefits, however they are accounted for. If you believe you deserve better, asking for raises at current job is the least effective, not withstanding exceptions. Finding another job with higher pay and benefit package is a much better option, not only for monetary reasons but also for expanding your network and experience diversity.
Rafiq Bulsara
http://www.srengineersct.com
RE: Employee Performance Review
Then they adjust the engineers' compensation to fit a normal distribution, as if the engineers were chosen at random from the general population.
... as apparently their managers and HR weasels are.
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
RE: Employee Performance Review
Then they also introduced a not so hush hush policy that no one was to be paid above the median rate for their job classification based on some industry survey.
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Employee Performance Review
It's not really that I am not looking to be rewarded for my performance. That's not my gripe. I always work hard regardless because respect from my peers is more important than recognition from some corporate suit.
What bothers me is that it appears that the hard workers are subsidizing the slackers. If my performance rating was chopped down, I could be getting the same rating as some guy who hides in his cubicle all year.
I feel like I am looking at this objectively. I would think that they would want to appear as though there are incentives for working hard, not just keeping a seat warm. If workers find out that everyone gets the same carrot, regardless of performance, then why chase the carrot?
RE: Employee Performance Review
Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com
RE: Employee Performance Review
One way or another, this happens to greater or lesser extent at most companies. Probably the only way to be sure you aren't subsidizing slackers is set up on your own.
While it's good to have an idea of the 'going rate', too closely comparing your self to your colleagues (assumed) pay etc. may just make you miserable.
Either you think you're making enough, or you think you aren't. In which case finding another position is typically your best bet.
They do want to appear like hard work is rewarded, just not enough to actually prioritize rewarding hard work over complying with 'industry norms', rewarding friends/buddies/brown nosers...
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Employee Performance Review
Kenat essentially said it. If you are happy with what you are getting, you should be happy and not worry about others.
What you are observing is common. However, since you are not paying your co-workers, you have no right to say what they are getting paid is appropriate or not. You can only negotiate your salary/rewards, not others'. So either get over it or find another job, although do not expect much different environment or start your own firm.
And yes, the name of the game always is to maximize your gain, while minimizing your efforts. Perhaps, your colleagues are better at negotiations. At the same token, there are employers, who try to pay as little as they can get away with. The world is not fair all the time. As Kenat says, hard work, productivity or tangible items are not the only factors that decide what one is getting paid.
And than there are people, as you said will take "respect" in lieu of money, so all should even out in the end.
Rafiq Bulsara
http://www.srengineersct.com
RE: Employee Performance Review
At the end of the day, we had ranked every employee as above average to great. This was not realistic. Obviuosly, we had empoyees that were deserving of the rank, but out of kindness or whatever did not want to say that somebody was performing poorly.
The HR department was actually using this as a tool to educate the managers and to have us start holding people to a higher standard. It was also used as tool to focus training etc to help improve performance.
Your situation sounds similiar. This may force your manager to work with you on areas were you could improve your performance.
RE: Employee Performance Review
RE: Employee Performance Review
Maybe now you start to empathize with why some crusty old engineers are the way they are.
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Employee Performance Review
It takes decades of conditioning.
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
RE: Employee Performance Review
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Employee Performance Review
"If workers find out that everyone gets the same carrot, regardless of performance, then why chase the carrot?"
Sounds like you have hit the realization of the true end game of socialism.
RE: Employee Performance Review
RE: Employee Performance Review
This is illogical, and a cause of great concern to economists, since any rational consumer would prefer the second option.
The lesson I draw from this is to think about what YOU get from your job, let everyone else worry about what they get.
Cheers
Greg Locock
New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?
RE: Employee Performance Review
RE: Employee Performance Review
RE: Employee Performance Review
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
RE: Employee Performance Review
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?
RE: Employee Performance Review
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.
RE: Employee Performance Review
Seems that if you ever exceeded expectations you'd never do it again as their expectations had been elevated.
gjc
RE: Employee Performance Review
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.
RE: Employee Performance Review
Rafiq Bulsara
http://www.srengineersct.com
RE: Employee Performance Review
Best and least expensive way to let them know that you are not happy is to leave them.
Rafiq Bulsara
http://www.srengineersct.com
RE: Employee Performance Review
Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com
RE: Employee Performance Review
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Employee Performance Review
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
www.kitsonengineering.com
RE: Employee Performance Review
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
RE: Employee Performance Review
RE: Employee Performance Review
RE: Employee Performance Review
RE: Employee Performance Review
Cheers
Greg Locock
New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?
RE: Employee Performance Review
RE: Employee Performance Review
RE: Employee Performance Review
RE: Employee Performance Review
Rafiq Bulsara
http://www.srengineersct.com