HR said that employees were expected to propose annual objectives to their manager. In theory, the manager and employee would negotiate what the employee was to do for the year.
Of course, this required that management know what the employee would be doing for a year. Most of them couldn't tell you what project you'd be working next week, let alone for a year. So management always rejected the employee submission. They wrote the objectives for the employee, and told them to sign it. The employee's only participation in setting his objectives was signing what the manager said. Many employees recommended the company just cut them out of the process entirely, since they had no say in the matter.
Because HR demanded that objectives be measurable and accurate, management couldn't put any actual technical objectives in there. If they did, then when they changed the employee's tasks, which they did weekly, sometimes daily, they'd be responsible for updating the objectives with HR.
So, all of our objectives were administrative. We were to use the correct code review forms. We were to submit our timesheets no later than 4pm Friday. We were to submit a weekly status report every Thursday, etc. There were no technical objectives at all.
The problem for management was that employees were to self evaluate. If HR saw a massive disconnect between the employee and the management evaluations, they'd step in, which management did not want.
I made a point of exceeding expectations for every one of my goals that could be. I always submitted my timesheet and status report a week early. So when I self evaluated, I put 150%, because I exceeded the goal.
My manager was upset because based on my score, I warranted a bonus and a raise. "I'm not going to give you a raise just because you did your timesheets a day early", he said. Hey, you're the one who set my goals.
This led to the amusing situation where management couldn't disagree that I'd exceeded the goals they set, but that the goals were utterly meaningless. They then had to argue with HR that they had to set meaningless goals because they had no idea what they expected their people to do, other than react to the crisis of the day.
HR said that employees were expected to propose annual objectives to their manager. In theory, the manager and employee would negotiate what the employee was to do for the year.
Of course, this required that management know what the employee would be doing for a year. Most of them couldn't tell you what project you'd be working next week, let alone for a year. So management always rejected the employee submission. They wrote the objectives for the employee, and told them to sign it. The employee's only participation in setting his objectives was signing what the manager said. Many employees recommended the company just cut them out of the process entirely, since they had no say in the matter.
Because HR demanded that objectives be measurable and accurate, management couldn't put any actual technical objectives in there. If they did, then when they changed the employee's tasks, which they did weekly, sometimes daily, they'd be responsible for updating the objectives with HR.
So, all of our objectives were administrative. We were to use the correct code review forms. We were to submit our timesheets no later than 4pm Friday. We were to submit a weekly status report every Thursday, etc. There were no technical objectives at all.
The problem for management was that employees were to self evaluate. If HR saw a massive disconnect between the employee and the management evaluations, they'd step in, which management did not want.
I made a point of exceeding expectations for every one of my goals that could be. I always submitted my timesheet and status report a week early. So when I self evaluated, I put 150%, because I exceeded the goal.
My manager was upset because based on my score, I warranted a bonus and a raise. "I'm not going to give you a raise just because you did your timesheets a day early", he said. Hey, you're the one who set my goals.
This led to the amusing situation where management couldn't disagree that I'd exceeded the goals they set, but that the goals were utterly meaningless. They then had to argue with HR that they had to set meaningless goals because they had no idea what they expected their people to do, other than react to the crisis of the day.
Goodhart's Law: "When a measure becomes a target, it stops being a good measure."