The first problem with Merck’s performance appraisal system was the prevalence of rating errors which resulted in issues such as central tendency. This meant that very few employees received ratings of 1,2 or 5, instead, a vast majority received ratings of 3 or 4. Some employees received a score of 3 or 4 because their supervisors were strict and refused to award a 5 even for excellent performance. On the other hand, many employees argue that some of their colleagues who were below average performers still received 3 and 4 because supervisors refused to give them scores of 1 or 2.
The second issue with Merck’s old appraisal system was the rating scale which used a scale of 1 to 5 (with + and -) with a 1 indicating unacceptable performance
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To address the first issue of rater errors which resulted in central tendency, I would recommend dealing with the root cause of the issue which is that many supervisors are afraid or feel guilty when giving their employees low scores. A possible solution could be holding more supervisors accountable for their reports. This could be accomplished by making accurate appraisals a criterion for determining the performance of managers. To further enforce accuracy, Merck could investigate or review supervisors who appear to have a consistent issue with leniency, strictness or central tendency.
A solution to address issues with the current rating scale would be to utilize Management by Objectives (MBO) and a ranking system like a forced distribution. By having set objectives that employees are compared to, it reduces the ambiguity of the pervious system. The ranking mechanism aids in identifying the best workers and makes it easier to compensate them properly as a result.
Finally, the timing of appraisals could be rectified by implementing quarterly performance appraisal instead of annual ones. Having managers meet with employees more frequently may enhance individual performance by giving employees the feedback they need to improve. Also, increased appraisal may result in more accurate evaluations because it is easier to recall specific performance indicators after 3 months versus after 12
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Changing the rating system to MBO can be implemented through a four stage process that includes 1. Job review and agreement, 2. Development of performance standards, 3. Setting objectives and 4. Continuing performance discussions. This will require training because managers will need to understand how to set valid objectives and how to accurately compare employees to theses standards and to each other. The side effects are that it is difficult to compare employees to each other especially when there are many workers. Also, this would be more time consuming and economically costly. It would also create a substantial amount of work for managers who have to create distinctive objectives for the subordinates in their
Med-Pharmex Incorporated is known nationally and abroad as a pharmaceutical manufacturer of animal-related products. Before gaining fame worldwide, the business began its journey to success as a small lab in 1983, which slowly grew over time. Since then, the company maintains its main goal, and that is to produce drugs that promote the health of companion animals, such as dogs, cats, and horses, as well as food-producing animals, such as pork and chickens. To ensure legal responsibility, the company’s manufacturing process is examined by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Med-Pharmex works closely with veterinary clinics who purchase their life-saving drugs and represent them in the market. Despite manufacturing drugs, the
The managers only give performance evaluations once a year. These evaluations are tedious and often given by a supervisor who may or may not work regularly with individuals. This is problematic because rewarding positive behavior should be a regular occurance.
The performance assessment and appraisal forms are crucial within the performance management system (Aguinis, 2014). However, the appraisal form within the case study provided is designed for the supervisor’s use thus missing one vital factor throughout the entire process, employee participation. Thus, questioning the validity and reliability of the process. This is especially concerning as the bottom 10 per cent of employees are being fired and the top 20 per cent are being rewarded with $5,000.00 based on what their supervisor records on the form without consultation with employees. Thus, supervisors may not provide accurate scores as they do not have to justify their responses (Aguinis,
Merck & Co. has to be aware of the economy as with any industry. Within the recession, more and more were looking towards generic substitutes. This can at times not be a problem with patents. However, once a patent is up, a competitor who develops generic versions of Merck’s products becomes a low-cost competitor. However, during the recession from 2008 – 2009, Merck didn’t see any drop in sales. Actually, they were able to keep a continual increase in sales and net income.
Pfizer Case Study Pfizer Inc. is a large pharmaceutical company that engages in the discovery of new technologies, the manufacture of prescription and "over the counter" (OTC) medicines, as well as the marketing of such products. It operates in three distinct segments that include Human Health, Consumer Healthcare, and Animal Health. For fiscal year 2004, the company generated approximately $53 billion in revenue that contributed to over $11 billion in net income. Pfizer, 2004. "The 'Pfizer'" The Cow and Calf division of the Animal Health segment markets its products direct to cattle ranchers.
Low and medium level performers improved and high performers reduced over time. It is due to supervisors who received evaluation were no more likely to improve performance than managers who did not receive feedback; people who gave themselves higher self-rating than the ratings their subordi...
For Management by Objectives (MBO) to be effective, individual managers must understand the specific objectives of their job and how those objectives fit in with the overall company objectives set by the board of directors. "A manager's job should be based on a task to be performed in order to attain the company's objectives... the manager should be directed and controlled by the objectives of performance rather than by his boss.
According to Chaneta (2014), job evaluation is the process of analyzing and assessing the relative worth of various jobs in an organization for the purpose of comparison and pay grading, and based on qualifications and skills required for a range of jobs. In other words, it forms the basis for pay and benefits negotiation. It helps to compensate employees accurately based on their job grades or values, and hence avoid issues of inequity and indifference at the workplace. To ensure effective job evaluation process, market-driven and job worth systems are largely used. While market-driven system is determined by the existing pay grade or structure in the opened market based on workforce demand and availability for particular positions, job-worth system depends on the value of the job or position to the organization. Both systems can be influenced by the external labor market and there become difficult for managers to apply as they would be torn between fulfilling internal and external demands. Another significant resemblance between market-driven and job worth systems is that they both require the same qualifications and other characteristics from the job performer as the basis for occupying a specific position. For instance, before HR practitioners decide on which system to use to determine Quality Specialist 's pay, they must make sure the potential worker has the job requirements and competencies to execute the job. One of the criteria for rewarding an employee is his or her ability to complete tasks in a proficient, productive, and effective way (Kaifi, Khanfar, Nafei, & Kaifi,
This rating system is constructed with specific criteria such as participation, teamwork, communication, professionalism, cultural sensitivity, and time management; however,
For the personnel administration, this will be meet because this system will allow management to make decisions about their employees based on an objective and subjective evaluation system thus giving the most information to management to back up their decision. The absolute approach provides a subjective perspective to evaluate based on management’s personal judgment of good or bad behavior. The results approach is the objective method to directly compare the original goals with employees’ behavior to decide if achieve or
Section 1: The focus of many managers is most often on the wrong things. They focus on appraisal rather than planning. Performance appraisal is not performance management. Managers often focus on a one-way flow of words (manager to employee) rather than dialogue. Performance management and the end of the year appraisal are often seen as a necessary evil. They don’t realize that if carried out properly, performance management has the potential to fix many of the problems they’re facing.
The curve can accommodate only a few people at the top. For this, during performance appraisal, relative appraisal mechanisms are employed, wherein an employees’ performance is benchmarked against that of a group of people. When performance appraisals for an employee are done with respect to a group’s performance, biases can be formed about the group’s dominant behavioral characteristic and the employee’s assessment could be calibrated with respect to that
The performance appraisal system, In order to maintain productivity at its peak, employee performance and productivity were the keys to the company 's goal. Middle management (supervisors) maintained a "record-keeping duties". The employee performance evaluation was performed twice a year which focused on the criteria of quality, "dependability ideas and cooperation" and "output". Workers commitment to perform efficiently is highly practiced. Education policy has been a key to improved employees performance, thus, a welding school has been
Although performance is a major objective at top organizations, successfully addressing poor performance is also a key focus. Although many employees feel or dread performance appraisals they are directed to enforce clarity with individual employees day-to-day work-load, performance appraisals develops responsibility while making employees accountable for performance expectations, reinforces future career planning, helps the organization with determining training needs, and provides a stem of documentation for legality purposes. Performance management in detail is much broader than many employers, and employees assume and necessitates so much more. Proficient appraisals should represent a summary of on-going dialogue. Focusing only on an annual performance evaluation leads to misrepresentation of the performance management process in its
Banner, D. K., Graber, J. M. (1985). Critical issues in performances appraisal. Journal of Management Development. Issue 4. Pp. 27-35.