A Nourished Ditty

That’s an anagram for “Thursday Edition”.  It’s a sickness.  Sorry.

Anyways…

Get Rid of the Performance Review!

yes, the grabber from Monday’s WSJ.  I’m writing a formal response, but you know I hate being “real formal” in the way I say stuff. I still am finding things that make me laugh out loud when I read them.

“Another bogus element is the idea that pay is a function of performance and that the words being spoken in a performance review will affect pay.  But usually they don’t.  I believe pay is primarily determined by market forces, with most jobs placed in a  pay range prior to an employee’s hiring.”

Whoa Nellie.

It is fact.  Initial pay is primarily determined by market forces, with nearly all jobs placed in a pay range prior to an employee’s hiring.  But unless Dr. Culbert has worked in a company that conducts performance reviews with applicants, his argument is a non-sequitur (oh yea, Latin.  Six years, four in high school, two in college.  So there!).

Initial pay is determined by the market, subsequent pay should be based on the performance of the employee, their team or workgroup, and the company as a whole.  Pay is part of a company’s Reward & Recognition program, and a good program ensures that the best and brightest employees receive the greatest rewards.

As I mentioned yesterday, a central part of the performance review should be the setting (or re-setting) of expectations for the coming year, including additional training and developmental opportunities available for the employee depending on their past performance and future goals.  According to the 2008-09 Employee Hold’em National Workforce Engagement Assessment Benchmark, just four in ten employees (43 percent) believe their company is interested in helping them achieve their long term career objectives.  Worse yet, even less regularly attend training programs or courses related to their job.

Perhaps Doc Culbert was one of those employees in an earlier life.

A Carrot and a Stick

So, I decided to counter-offer my previously offered and accepted “pay-for-grades” performance enhancement program for my younger son Max, the junior in high school.  Math-boy.

I offered an addendum that would pay him a bonus for straight A’s, but would levy a fine for each “Non-A” he received.  He looked at me kinda funny, trying to figure out the hidden trap.  Math-boy.  Dammit.

He went up to his room, took out his slide-rule and abacus and decided that there was more penalty than reward.  He turned me down.

Math-boy.

A Nursing Nightmare

According to a new  survey among health care professionals, nurses are the least satisfied with their jobs, citing the actions of senior leadership as a major influence of loyalty and retention.

With one in five nurses that have a degree not using it, this does not bode well for our health-care system… or our health.