PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL
Performance appraisal method for the workers and managers in each store.
Question description
Carter Cleaning Company the performance appraisal After spending several weeks on the job, Jennifer was surprised to discover that her father had not formally evaluated any employee’s performance for all the years that he had owned the business. Jack’s position was that he had “a hundred higher-priority things to attend to,” such as boosting sales and lowering costs, and, in any case, many employees didn’t stick around long enough to be appraisable anyway. Furthermore, contended Jack, manual workers such as those doing the pressing and the cleaning did periodically get positive feedback in terms of praise from Jack for a job well done, or criticism, also from Jack, if things did not look right during one of his swings through the stores. Similarly, Jack was never shy about telling his managers about store problems so that they, too, got some feedback on where they stood.
This informal feedback notwithstanding, Jennifer believes that a more formal appraisal approach is required. She believes that there are criteria such as quality, quantity, attendance, and punctuality that should be evaluated periodically even if a worker is paid on piece rate. Furthermore, she feels quite strongly that the managers need to have a list of quality standards for matters such as store cleanliness, efficiency, safety, and adherence to budget on which they know they are to be formally evaluated.
1. Questions
9-20. Is Jennifer right about the need to evaluate the workers formally? The managers? Why or why not?
9-21. Develop a performance appraisal method for the workers and managers in each store.
Carter Cleaning Company The Career Planning Program Career planning has always been a pretty low-priority item for Carter Cleaning, since “just getting workers to come to work and then keeping them honest is enough of a problem,” as Jack likes to say. Yet Jennifer thought it might not be a bad idea to give some thought to what a career planning program might involve for Carter. Many of their employees had been with them for years in dead-end jobs, and she frankly felt a little bad for them: “Perhaps we could help them gain a better perspective on what they want to do,” she thought. And she definitely believed that career support would have an effect on improving Carter’s employee retention.
2. Questions
10-19. What would be the advantages to Carter Cleaning of setting up a career planning program?
10-20. Who should participate in the program? All employees? Selected employees?
10-21. Outline and describe the career development program you would propose for the cleaners, pressers, counter people, and managers at the Carter Cleaning Centers.
Solution
Questions
- Is Jennifer right about the need to evaluate the workers formally? The managers? Why or why not?
- Absolutely! Everyone within an organization should have some type of structured feedback. In the subject of Jack’s “Higher Priorities” within the business, many profit and money saving concerns can be directly correlated with employee performance. And how can performance be measured and improved without some type of performance management system?
- With the Carters running into problems with procedures and other issues with employees, this could be part of the solution. If regular performance appraisals are conducted then issues can be assessed and corrected before they get too big.
- Develop a performance appraisal method for the workers and managers in each store
In the case of Carter Cleaning, we believe an effective approach would be the Paired Comparison Method. Jack each month (or his line managers) could compare each subordinate based on the suggestions from Jennifer on: store cleanliness, efficiency, safety, and adherence to budget. This method also provides an opportunity for each of Jack’s stores to have an “Employee of the Month ” to raise morale and create healthy competition thus boosting sales
2. Questions
10-19: What would be the advantages to Carter Cleaning of setting up a career planning program?
The advantages would be finding out what makes their employees tick in the career. The more personal questions Jennifer ask about each employee’s wants and needs in a career the more information she will have to be able to retain them. Once she asks those questions, she can set up a personalized plan to help each employee reach their goals and to make them feel like they matter and are part of a team. By making each employee feel like Carter’s cares about them and in return they will want to stay at Carter’s because it will feel like a career and not just a job.
10-20: Who should participate in the program? All employees? Selected employees?
Since managers are not leaving Carter’s I do not think they need to be part of the career planning program. In the yearly evaluation and raise meeting for each manager Jennifer could always make sure they are happy with the direction their career at Carter’s is going. Once you reach the position of manager not too many manager’s leave without warning and they would give Carter’s the chance to match any other competitive offer they receive. Now all other lower level positions should be included in the program because they are the positions that are facing the lower retention rates and it’s smart to reach out to them and make them feel like they have a career and not just a job.
10-21: Outline and describe the career development program you would propose for the cleaners, pressers, counter people, and managers at the Carter Cleaning Centers.
Employee:
Date:
Length of employment:
1). Where do you see your career in 3 years?
2). If you could change one thing about your job to make it more enjoyable what would it be?
3). What is one aspect of the job that you dislike?
4). What is your most favorable part about working at Carter’s?
5). What do you dislike the most about working at Carter’s?
6). What Policy would you like to see added at Carter’s?
7). What Policy would you like to see done away with at Carter’s
8). Do you see you position at Carter’s as a job or a career?
Please explain your answer.
This form could be used for all the lower level positions and it would give Jennifer an idea where the employees mindset is and give her the necessary tools to form a career goal plan for each individual employee
