Performance Appraisals - Yeah or Nay?

From Holly Jones at the Legal Review: Skepticism about appraisals is not unusual. A Google search on performance appraisals will return numerous articles calling for the death of the performance review, a defunct management ritual that is merely a sign of stale leadership and a lack of innovation in HR practices. Various surveys report that 98 percent of employees dread them, 14 percent of employers don’t even have them (and even among those employers that do, 12 percent of employees still don’t receive feedback), and more than half of employees who do receive evaluations believe that the results are not fair or accurate. Yahoo's use of ranking, the so-called "Rank and Yank" is an even less accurate performance system for most companies. Especially in Silicon Valley, the manager has the answer at the start - somebody has to be on the bottom, and each manager is using (for the most part) his/her individual standards for performance. My take is that most organizations do a miserable job of performance appraisals. They often miss the key component of success : The CONVERSATION between employee and manager! That's what the system hinges on - the accuracy and openness of the conversation. That's my 2 cents. Send me a comment if you like.

Fire over the phone?

In one sense, firing someone over the phone is a great way to set up a lawsuit . https://www.openforum.com/articles/firing-an-employee-over-the-phone/?extlink=of-syndication-sb-p But in other ways, if done privately and professionally, it can work. And it can be more personal than doing it on email. Terminations are never easy, but if you need help with them, email me at info@broadbandhr.com for a professional point of view on rightful terminations.

Hired a Psychopath lately?

It's very difficult in the HR world today to walk the fine line between employment discrimination of a candidate truly protected by a psychiatric disability, and making a healthy selection decision for your organization. Tip o' the hat to Kazim Ladimeji for this data-filled article: http://www.recruiter.com/i/how-to-avoid-hiring-a-psychopath/ If you suspect you may be close to hiring a psychopath, consider: How closely does his/her background actually match the requirements? Does the role require managing others? Does the role require some behavior that could be considered outside of the norm? Does your organization have the resources to manage this individual? I am sure that there are many other factors to consider in your circumstances, but do give thought to some of the basics. If I can help you with particulars pre- or post-employment, send me an email at info@broadbandhr.com

In or Out part 3

Good article from Ed Frauenheim on the Yahoo telecommuting policy change http://www.workforce.com/article/20130426/BLOGS05/130429987/marissa-mayers-missed-managerial-opportunity The larger issue with Yahoo rather than collaboration versus innovation, to me, has been the lack of good job and role definition and an accountability system to : measure performance and results in a meaningful way reward performance in meaningful ways acknowledge top performers in a systematic way develop employees in a systematic way These are my 2 cents as an outside HR professional and observer of the company over time. If I can help your organization with these issues (and retention of top talent - another ongoing Yahoo issue), drop me an email at deb@broadbandhr.com