Question

CASE A: THE PLANTATION VACATION HOUSE: The New Performance Management System The Plantation Vacation House’s competitive strategy is “To use superior guest service to differentiate the PVH properties, and to thereby increase the length of stay and return rate of guests, and thus boost revenues and profitability.” HR manager Ali Hassan must now formulate functional policies and activities that support this competitive strategy, by eliciting the required employee behaviors and competencies. Ali knew that the PVH’s performance appraisal system was archaic. When the founders opened their first hotel, they went to an office-supply store, and purchased a pad of performance appraisal forms. The hotel chain uses these to this day. Each form is a two-sided page. Supervisors indicate whether the employee’s performance in terms of various standard traits including quantity of work, quality of work, and dependability was excellent, good, fair, or poor. Ali knew that, among other flaws, this appraisal tool did not force either the employee or the supervisor to focus the appraisal on the extent to which the employee was helping the PVH to achieve its strategic goals. He wanted a system that focused the employee’s attention on taking those actions that would contribute to helping the company achieve its goals, for instance, in terms of improved customer service. Ali and his team also wanted a performance management system that focused on both competencies and objectives. In designing the new system, their starting point was the job descriptions they had created for the hotel’s employees. These descriptions each included required competencies. Consequently, the front-desk clerk’s appraisals now focus on competencies such as “able to check a guest in or out in five minutes or less.” Most service employees’ appraisals include the competency, “able to exhibit patience and guest support of this even when busy with other activities.” There were other required competencies. For example, the PVH wanted all service employees to show initiative in helping guests, to be customer-oriented, and to be team-players (in terms of sharing information and best practices). Each of these competencies derives from the PVH’s aim of becoming more service-oriented.

Questions: 1. Is Ali right about the need to evaluate the workers formally? Why or why not?

2. Pick out one job, such as front-desk clerk. Based on any information you have for that chosen job (including job descriptions), write a list of the following: a) duties, b) competencies, and c) performance standards

3. Based on that, create a performance appraisal form for appraising that job.

Answer 1

ANS 1. YES ALI IS RIGHT TO EVALUATE THE WORKERS FORMALLY BECAUSE THE EARLIER EVALUATION WAS NOT CORRECT AND DIDNOT GENERATE ANY FRUITFUL RESULTS. IT DIDNOT ALIGNED WITH ACHIEVEING OBJECTIVES OF THE ORGANISATION. BOTH THE EMPLOYEES AS WELL AS SUPERVISORS WERE NOT ABLE TO FOCUS ON APPRAISAL.

ANS 2. JOB SELECTED: EXECUTIVE MANAGER

a) DUTIES:

• IMPLEMENTS THE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
• ESTABLISHES BUDGETS
• OVERSEE DECISIONS RELATED TO PERSONNEL LIKE RECRUITMENT, COMPENSATION ETC.
• DATA ANALYSIS
• NEGOTIATIONS AND MAKING CONTRACTS
• ALLOCATE RESOURCES TO DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS
• COORDINATE WITH DEPARTMENTS
• PROVIDE FEEDBACKS TO EMPLOYEES
• REPORT THE PROGRESS TO TOP MANAGEMENT

b) COMPETENCIES:

• ABLE TO LEAD THE PEOPLE
• ABLE TO LEAD PEOPLE
• ABLE TO COMMUNICATE PROPERLY
• ABLE TO BUILD COALITION
• RESULT-DRIVEN
• HAVE SENSE OF BUSINESS JUDGEMENTS
• ABLE TO COOPERATE

c) PERFORMANCE STANDARDS:

• OPEN RELATIONSHIP WITH TRUST SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED
• NEW EMPLOYEES SHOULD BE INFORMED ABOUT JOB PERFORMANCE
• TO INCREASE THE SATISFACTION ON JOB OF EMPLOYEES
• MAKE EMPLOYEES DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN GOOD AND NOT GOOD RESULTS.

ANS 3: PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL FORM :

PERFORMA OF PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

  NAME:_____________________ JOB ID:__________________

JOB TITLE:_________________ EVALUATION DATE:_______________

EVALUATION FACTORS	S	A	NI
REPORTS TO WORK ON TIME
MAINTAINS WORK PAPERS NEATLY
PERFORMANCE IN JOB ASSIGNMENTS
ACCEPTS ASSIGNMENTS WILLINGLY
LITTLE OR NO SUPERVISION REQUIRED WHILE WORKING
ABLE TO MEET DEADLINES
TACTFULLY HANDLES STRESSED SITUATIONS
WORKS WELL WITH COOPERATION
CLEAR AND INTELLIGENT COMMUNICATION SKILLS
APPROPRIATE DRESSES FOR WORK

LEGEND: S= SATISFACTORY A= ADEQUATE NI=NEEDS IMPROVEMENT

COMMENTS AND RECCOMENDATIONS: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

EMPLOYEE SIGNATURE:________________

EVALUATOR'S SIGNATURE:_____________________ DATE:______________