Friday, April 24, 2015

PRIVATE SECTOR CONTEMPLATES ABANDONING GRADING EMPLOYEES

The Wall Street Journal reported the other day on how companies in the ever noble private sector are having second thoughts about giving competitive ratings for employees. Some are even moving away from the policy.

This section will make more than a few teachers nod their heads:

Plenty of managers like ratings for the same reason employees loathe them--the grades are informed less by data than by the boss's judgment.  The irony is that ratings remain subjective as companies have more ways than ever before to track staff performance.  At Deloitte LLP, the company recently overhauled its performance-management system after realizing that ratings revealed more about the manager assigning the ratings than the employees themselves.

Is anyone now saying Duh? This conclusion seems kind of obvious.

The article carries on with this little gem:

Some executives worry that figuring performance measures such as time it takes for restaurant workers to take an order into reviews might lack context. I have a real love-hate relationship with data," said Kevin Reddy, the CEO of fast-casual restaurant chain Noodles & Co. "You can get a false sense of security if you zero in too closely on a rating system."

So there is actually some sanity in the world?  Observations of teachers and student test results need to be put in context too.

It is time to use some of the information gathered from the private sector as part of our fight against the new evaluation system that even Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch wants to postpone until September 2016.




3 comments:

Harmiclir said...

At the risk of a pessimism that gets a bit too close to nihilism, I doubt that the reformistas give a God-damn about data, from CC-aligned tests to outside evaluations or from private sector personnel evaluation systems. They've never before indicated any scrupulosity in the face of data that contradicts their agenda, philosophy or preferred outcome--neither Cuomo, nor Tisch, nor charter school management companies nor politicians.

So long as the system is legislatively-mandated the year that Tisch may get will only ensure a more comprehensive system, with penalties attached.

Rational arguments won't work. Only pure political power--manifested by mind-boggling levels of opting out and a few unelected state legislators--will stop the rigged process in its tracks.

Anonymous said...

Amen, Harmiclir!

Anonymous said...

How ate you going to dethrone these people who have enough money to survive election challenges?