Appraisal of Life Part 2

In my last entry, I talked about standard performance appraisal that most companies are practising in determining the performance of their employees. I went to an interesting sharing session the other day conducted by our Group HR. And I really learned a lot of things...

Some people really take this annual performance appraisal seriously. Some think that it is their God given right to receive at least 2 months bonus from the company they work for (although some of them have really doubtful performance). But what some of them fail to realise is that their performance is always subjected to comparison against their colleagues. If a group of people is doing the same set of work, it is only logical to compare their performances against each other. And if they have different appraisers, it is more important to have some kind of moderation or levelling to ensure this group of people is rated consistently. Would it be logical to you if all these people are rated equally? 

Not every thing in this world is created equal. Say you have 10 people to be rated in terms of their competencies and achievement of KPIs. Don't bull me and say that they all perform equally well. There will be one or two who stand out and can be rated as "exceed expectations / high performers", and likewise, there will be a few who can be rated as "do not meet expectations" or who we call "non-performers". The rest, can be rated as "meet expectations" or just the "average" guys. Of course, another handful will be "below average" guys. Easily said, if you have 10 people to be rated, who would you put as no. 1, 2, 3, 4,5... and 10?

After knowing the rating, it is now the appraiser's duty to communicate this to these 10 people. But this is where the problem always seems to be never-ending. No body wants to be the messenger of bad news... because in this case he/she will definitely be shot! The messenger will definitely not be popular. So, instead of telling what the "non-performers" need to know, the appraiser (not wanting to be the bad person, or disliked, or trying to be popular) usually tells these "non-performers" that the management (of course I don't know which management he/she is talking about) has pulled down the rating to ensure that the bell curve is achieved for the department and for the whole organisation.

So the appraiser has passed on the accountability to the management (again... I'm still not sure which management is he/she talking about). What is so funny here is that as the appraiser, he/she is actually the management! But of course the poor (this does not refer to the performance) non-performers will only have their anger for none other than the Human Resource department because the department is the owner of the whole appraisal's process for the company.


Even after being advised accordingly, staff usually repeat this cycle every year. They still hold the Human Resource Department by the throat saying that they deserve that 6 months bonus because of their disillusioned high performance.


I wonder if I will even get a bonus this year... If yes, that will be the first in... I can't remember how many years!


ieja

The Appraisal of Life

It's that time of the year where most people who are the employees of an organisation need to do this exercise at least once every year. I am no exception. Yes... it's December and most companies close their financial year by end of December. Hence, those who are in charged of the performance and rewards are now busy with staff appraisal to justify their work performance, which eventually will affect the staff's salary increment or bonus.

I am never a fan of this kind of system. However elaborated your justification is to show how you are indispensable or an asset to the company, it all boils down to certain figures or ratings that are used by the company to see if you really are eligible for that extra compensation.

I have always been in companies that did not have a standard practice of compensating the staff with annual bonus. So, this is something  new to me. What I notice is that those who are in the companies that practice this annual bonus as part of their competitive rewards scheme would not take it well if they feel that they are not being given as what they expect to get. In other words, they think it is given, or it's the company's obligation to give them all this annual salary increment or bonus. When they don't get those, this is when I see some of the hell doors break open.

What they don't realise is that it is at the company's discretion that they actually get those bonuses, where the fine print always says "subject to the company's financial performance, and individual employees' work performance". If they are labelled as 'below threshold', in which God's universe would the company is obligated to award them with the annual bonus.

The funny thing about all these people is that the talk about their "work performance" and the subject of "bonus" only comes out when it is time for them to be appraised. Whatever happens in January to November? Have you done your reality check with your bosses if you actually meet their expectations at all?

Oh well... I hope I'm not going to be affected by these people. I haven't been given bonuses for God knows how long. So this year, if I really do get that kind of rewards, that really is a "bonus" for me :)

ieja

My Journey Thus Far

I have been blessed with a lot of things. But one thing that I'm really really greatful for is my family. Abang Iqie is five, Abang Afeeq is three, and Rayna is one and a half years old. And I just celebrated my 6th wedding anniversary.

We're now paying close attention to Abang Iqie's reading and writing skills. He gets Maths and doesn't need much guidance. But he thinks reading and writing are a nuisance. Whenever the car stops, I would always ask him to spell whatever words we could see. Be it a billboard, names of shops or advertisments. Some letters still slipped his memory, and he has to recite his ABC to remember them. But on different occassions, that doesn't seem to be a problem. Is he practising selective memory like me? I sure hope not. But with a bit of encouragement (by that I mean a little bit of scolding and threatening and bribing), he seems to be on the right track. And I have to make sure that his memory lapses are not a permenant thing ;)

I also notice that Abang Iqie is a bit like 'by the book' type of kid. He listens to us when we reason with him. And we when set rules, he abides although he would try to get his way around them sometimes.

Abang Afeeq is still enjoying his play time a lot, especially now that Mummy and Daddy don't seem to pressure him to do any homework yet. Well... That time will come my darling. He's a bit cheeky, always trying to cook up something funny. But he can also be notorious especially if he is provoked, and if things don't exactly go his way. At the same time, he's a darling. Always says 'I love you' when you least expect it. He's a cheeky and tough Mummy's boy. And he reminds me a lot of myself :))

Although Rayna is only one and a half years old, she's more advanced than her two bros. She's very independent. She won't allow me putting on her shirt and pants after shower. She wants to do it herself, and blind me, she can! She can also eat on her own. She can understand us perfectly. Whenever she has poohed in her diaper, she would come to me and tell me that she had poohed. When I tell her to shower, automatically, she would take off her pants and shirt and head to the bathroom. She then would take the stool, place it right in front of the wash basin, demand for her toothbrush, and brush her own teeth. Of course I have to brush her teeth all over again. Once that is done, she would put back the stool where it belongs and enter the shower area. She would also shampoo herself, rub her tummy with the shower gel including her feet, and rinse herself.

Rayna has also started to utter words that we can understand. I can even have a decent conversation with her about simple things. Her obsession nowadays is cats. Whenever she sees one, she would follow and would want to kiss it. That doesn't happen to just live cats, but to pictures of cats too, on books or on the phones.

I guess these are the things that really make me feel blessed! Alhamdulillah.

Ieja