Question

Learning Outcome: please long answer and no hand writing

3. Describe the impact of diversity and the changing workforce on organizations and organizational performance.

4. Examine the role of HR as a strategic partner in an organization

Assignment Workload:

This assignment is an individual assignment.

The word count for this assignment must be between 800 to 1000 words

Case Study

B.R Investments is a reputed finance company having 15 branches in different part of the country. In the home office there are more than 200 employees. This company has a performance rating under which the employees are rated at six months intervals by a committee of two executives. Graphic scales have been used as means of appraisal. The qualities considered are responsibility, initiative, and interest in work, leadership potential, co-operative attitude and community activity. After the performance is evaluated, the ratings are discussed with the concerned employees by their immediate boss who counsels them. The ratings aroused to influence promotions and salary adjustments the employees and also as a criterion for assigning further rating for them.

Recently three employees of the company called on the company’s president to express their dissatisfaction with the ratings they had received. Their scores and composite ratings had been discussed with them. Because their ratings were comparatively low, they had been denied annual increments in salary. Approximately, two thirds of all the employees received such increments. The aggrieved employees argued that their ratings did not accurately represent their qualifications or performance. They insisted that “community activity” was not actually a part of their job and that what they do off the job is none of the company’s business. They expressed their opinion that employees should organize union and insist that salary increase be automatic.

The threat of a union caused concern to the officers of the company. This particular experience convinced the top officers that ratings may represent a serious hazard to satisfactory relationship with employees. Even the chief executive finds that performance appraisal is a dangerous source of friction and its hazards outweigh its values; so it should be discontinued altogether.

Questions:

1. How far do you agree with the management that performance appraisal should be discontinued?

2. If you were the HR manager, how would you tackle the situation?

3. What modifications would you suggest in the performance appraisal system of the company?

Answer 1

Answer:- According to the case:-

1. I do not agree with the management that performance appraisals should be discontinued. Even though it may cause friction with the workforce, the system is not ideal but as far as management goes, the system is an effective tool that the management requires in order to be able to allow their employees to be judged based on their position and not other standing in the business currently. It allows a management oversight over the entire process, essentially allowing them to be able to manage their criteria better with the use of performance appraisals as it will allow the workforce to be evaluated on a wider scale of opportunities.

2. If I was the HR, I would follow the complaints by the employees that are not in the favour of the system and allow for them to be able to understand the value that the system holds and why the criteria that is selected is so. This needs to be worked out properly to combat the threat of a union because even though every system has its flows, creating demands that are absolute in any case would be an unnecessary burden and would further strain the relationship of the company with their workforce. Moreover, this will allow the other employees too. Join their efforts in the view of gaining some sort of a monetary gain which would also impact the way the company works.

3. The appraisal system that is used for performance evaluations can contain other criteria that can be judged in place of the already present criteria and allow the workforce to be able to cooperate in the process, seeing that the criteria are not what they have a problem with. Secondly, a new system based on the positive aspect of the workforce management process can be implemented which will reduce the number of negative aspects and increase the positive factors proving a sense of reassuring factor to the workforce rather than demotivating it.