Unequal Workloads and Appraisals: How Would You Handle Anand's Demotivation?

Hi all,

Anand and Binay join the organization Xuton Inc. on the same day in similar designations, under the same pay scale. Anand is allotted to one project and Binay to another. Anand has nothing much to do as far as the job is concerned. Anand does not receive any instructions on what to do or how to do it. However, whatever is assigned to Anand is done well.

Binay, on the other hand, is loaded with work from the manager. Binay works late and struggles to meet deadlines. However, Binay finally completes the work assigned.

During the appraisal, Anand is paid 1000 Rs more along with the current salary, and Binay is paid 4000 Rs more along with the current pay. Anand gets demotivated.

Do you find any reason for Anand to get demotivated? Did the management make the correct decision? If you were Anand, would you quit? As an HR person, how would you describe the situation?

Sree

Hi Sree,

I've written my own views....see the below answers.......

Q Do you find any reason for Anand to get de-motivated?

Ans. Of course, if we think from Anand's point of view, then he has the reason to get de-motivated on one hand. But, on the other hand, he himself is observing the situation that Binay is doing much more hard work and giving his most important thing to the company, which is sitting late and providing more output to the company. Confess this Sree, today all the companies are totally concerned with the output. In writing, they write so many things that we care so much about the employees, we look after them. But believe me, take any company and speak to any of their employees, and you'll find dissatisfaction only, purely because the organization wants more output. Thus, practically, Anand should think that he is not providing much output to the company? From an organization point of view, this is justice enough...

Q. Did the management take a correct decision?

Ans. No, management has not done well... On one hand, management knows Binay is, of course, giving much output to the company. But, on the other hand, management should think that Anand is giving his best as well and, above all, he completes all the work provided by the company and that too without anybody's instructions/help.

Q. As an HR person, how will you describe the situation?

Ans. See, there is a lack of proper performance standards laid down by the company. On what ground is the company giving 4,000 to an employee and giving 1,000 to the other? First of all, there is no transparency [which I see] as far as setting the target is concerned. When both are working on the same pay scale and both are given the same designations, then the management should lay down the rules as well there and there itself that in the given project if you meet this deadline you'll be rewarded by this much money, and for this deadline, you'll be rewarded by this much money. And thereafter, I do not see any other solution. See, of course, if we judge the situation from the respective people's view [Anand & mgmt], then both are right at their own part! But again, management should think that giving more to one and less to another can lead to a misunderstanding and can make a person totally de-motivated towards work. So, if the management gives the problem target, then I think there should be no problem...

Q. If you were Anand, will you quit?

Ans. Of course not... because without getting to know the reason, how can a person quit? Thus, first of all, he should determine what is the reason. Why 4,000 to him and why 1,000 to me??? Then, when he finds the reason, for the solution, he should speak to the management. If it is because some target is assigned, then of course, Anand should try his best and achieve it. And if it is because of some favoritism, then of course, he should bring the information to the Senior officer's notice.

And after getting to know the target setting, if he still leaves, then that's his wish. Nobody can stop him.

I look forward to receiving our expert's comment on the same. I am also quite interested to know what can be other alternatives??

Take care,

Rekha

Hi All,

Anand and Binay joined the organization Xuton Inc. on the same day in similar designations, under the same pay scale. Anand is assigned to one project, and Binay to another.

Anand has nothing much to do as far as the job is concerned. He does not receive any instructions on what to do or how to do it. However, whatever is assigned to Anand is done well.

On the other hand, Binay is loaded with work from the manager. Binay works late and struggles to meet deadlines. However, Binay finally completes the assigned work.

During the appraisal, Anand is paid 1000 Rs more along with the current salary, while Binay is paid 4000 Rs more along with the current pay.

Anand gets demotivated.

Do you find any reason for Anand to be demotivated?

From an HR point of view, I don't think Anand has reasons to be demotivated. He worked as much as required and did not show any initiative to take on more responsibilities.

But being Anand, I would crib and cry over this injustice...

Did the management make the correct decision?

No, the management did not make the right decision. Staying back late is not the criterion for performance evaluation. As Rekha has pointed out, performance needs to be evaluated on various parameters such as KRAs, milestones achieved within the deadlines, etc.

If you were Anand, would you quit?

No, I would not quit because it's an easy job for me, though I would not lose any opportunity to complain about the injustice done to me.

As an HR person, how would you describe the situation?

A lose-lose situation with employees like Anand continuing and Binay quitting due to the work pressure.

Constructive criticism is welcomed!

Anuradha Zingade

Hi Sree,

It's not a matter of quitting; here comes the importance of proper job description and job allocation. Unless you set targets and evaluate performance, we cannot reward the employees.

Goodbye,
Swathi

Hi Sree,

If we come to analyze this situation, each and every one of us will have our own varied explanations of what we think is right and ought to happen. However, when you look at the systems in today's corporate world, organizations are seeking individuals with the vigor to continuously update their knowledge and an inclination to be proactive in their area of work. Educational qualifications and experience may be the initial criteria for a person's induction into any firm, but thereafter, it is the way the employee works that will drive their growth within the company and in their career.

Therefore, in this case, we cannot blame the employer or the employee for their respective behaviors. The employee should work even harder and consider ways in which their resources can be utilized for the betterment of the company in the upcoming year, without becoming disheartened by their previous performance. Every failure needs to be seen as a stepping stone for success in the years to come.

The above are my personal views and may vary from person to person.

Thanks,

Vani

Hi,
Yes, Siddiquif has got a point. The article has relevance here. Tp just quote a small para from the article which goes like tis...
Quote:
In many settings, the researchers note, “irrelevant input measures, such as the amount of time an employee spends in the office, influence outcome assessments, such as performance reviews.”
Unquote::
How true it is in the current situation posed by Sree!
Rekha has done a superb job by dissecting the case bit by bit. Thanks a lot Rekha for that.
I would only add couple of points:
1. Anand has not shown initiative, he just waits for job to come his way. Once he gets it, he completes it professionally. But that i snot enough.
2. Organisation does not seem to have any performance measurement parameters.
3. I am not a professional HR man, but, I agree with Anuradha's views that it is a typical lose - lose situation.
Thanks
Bala

Hi,

These are classic real-life situations we see in organizations. In the case of Anand or Binay, both had performed well in line with the responsibilities or KRAs assigned to them. So, if appraised, both of them should have been given the same treatment or increment in this case. The question of Binay being loaded or Anand being comparatively less loaded does not arise here; as both of them have done justice to the work assigned to them.

On the other hand, if Binay had taken the extra load on account of his initiative apart from responsibilities assigned to him; then what has been done as stated in the case holds fair. Organizations of these kinds which fail to provide transparent or clear-cut performance indicators are bound to have problems in the long run.

Regards, Harsha