How do you give one of your employees a lower rating in situations where you full well know they deserve a better one? I know you were directed to do it, but I know I personally wouldn't be able to do something like that. How do you make it work? I'd really like to know if you struggle with that decision or if it comes easy because it's "just business."
19 replies (most recent on top)
Exxon was never ethical in our ranking sessions of employees after Lee Raymond became CEO. Ranking has been far worse since 2019 since we were required to reduce headcount from 75,000 to approximately 50,000 by the end of 2023.
I am stating the obvious, but we never had 33% of our employees performing at NSI/NI levels over a three-year period.
As management has said, "This is an indirect way to lay off people in high-cost countries and hire replacements in low-cost countries."
Of course supervisors don’t enjoy telling people they aren’t Outstanding but you are shooting the messenger. If you want a higher ranking you need to impress all the people in the assessment meeting. If you think your supervisor decides you don’t understand how the ranking meeting works. Find a supervisor who will tell you the truth and learn what happens. It isn’t hard to rank well if you understand the way the ranking meeting works.
It is a zero sum game. The distribution is forced. What is so hard to understand about it? Your question is childish.
As a supervisor I have had the ranking readjusted by those higher up after the ranking session. HiPos with sponsors always win even if your supervisor doesn’t agree.
I know a Supervisor that was told to put a certain young lady at top of ranking and he refused, put her in the order that he felt was correct. This reflected very poorly when he was ranked because the sponsor of the young lady took revenge on him for not placing her at the top.
@4hcs+1m7q7MoN They also shine at taking credit for their team and acting like they are responsible for whatever team success is recognized. This is why they micromanage. To find out big action items in order to take credit.
@4hno+1m7q7MoN The system does not work like that not sure if it ever did, but I am still employed but fell 1q to 5q in 1 ranking cycle. Never had any indication from my supervisor of the under performance. What could possibly be an explanation for this communication gap?
Most managers at XOM just played politics to get where they are. very little technical acknowledgements or achievements if you look into their past. So, yeah, it’s easy for them to assign absolute value on a whim…. They do a better job at that than staffing, task assignment, etc. etc. etc.
We have to rank people relative to their peers. SLS are broken of the absolute ranking mentality in training. We do know that most fat was trimmed 2+ years ago and now we are cutting too deep. If someone needs significant improvement relative to their peers, then they do. People should be self-aware to know that they might be calling behind relative to their peers. The SLS should also tell them once they start to sense a pattern.
Definitely soulless folks in management that are drunk on power and self serving
And the employee you've been ordered to lie to cries real tears in your office and thinks you're an a-hole for the rest of their days. As someone who has told the lie, your conscience eventually convicts you for doing something that's dishonest and corrupt and hurtful. That behavior, in the grand scheme of things, has always been wrong. I regret that I participated.
@1fuo+1m7q7MoN, good. Next will be you. ChatGPT will be replacing you.
I left the company because of this reason (among others). Being forced to rank someone as NI/NSI when you know they are doing a good job made me very uncomfortable. Worse still, the reality is once you’re at the bottom the system is designed such that supervisors are going to find it ‘easier’ to keep you there as the fall guy even when the improvement objectives are met.
@OP if your are being ranked low then all i can say is good luck. If you’re asking because of a potential supervisor position then you need to do some soul searching. Looking someone in the eye and giving them their ranking when you know it is unfair (but still owning the outcome) is not an enjoyable experience if you have a shred of morality about you.
Supervisor here.
This year this is what I dis: I used ChatGPT to summarize in a two minute long paragraph everything you wrote in the PDS. Then I read it verbatim during the ranking session. I then let other supervisors vote up or down and agreed to their objections blindly.
The ranking session is always dominated by a few sharks that influence the majority. There is no upside for me to go against them or the majority and I don't care enough about my team to embellish their PDS so I let ChatGPT do the job and I just agree with the majority.
A loveless childhood played a part, but i like money and power too.
even as a small potato.
Thanks for asking.
feels good to clear the air.
To the bi--h that PIPed me last year....your time is coming and one never forgets.
I am confident that management is not rigorously adhering to our public domain "Standards of Business Conduct" policies in today's rating and ranking sessions.
https://corporate.exxonmobil.com/-/media/global/files/who-we-are/standards-of-business-conduct_apr.pdf
The Board of Directors of the Corporation has adopted and oversees the administration of the Corporation’s Standards of Business Conduct. The policies in the Standards of Business Conduct are the foundation policies of the Corporation. Wholly owned and majority-owned subsidiaries of Exxon Mobil Corporation adopt policies similar to the Corporation’s foundation policies. Thus, the Corporation’s foundation policies collectively express the Corporation’s expectations and define the basis for the worldwide conduct of the businesses of the Corporation and its majority-owned subsidiaries.
Telling the truth is no longer considered "ethical" when you need to meet the 2023-2024 headcount targets.
Lying isnt "just business". At least it used to not be. But all Wood's cares about is BS'ing wall street and his board.
I miss the days of Lee Raymond.
It’s work bubba. That’s part of the job you are paid to do. Some people struggle more than others but in the end yes, “it’s business”.