In the eyes of many people, performance appraisal is a powerful tool to improve efficiency, but in some state-owned enterprises, this system has changed. Some voices pointed out that performance appraisal has become a "big stick" in the hands of some people, used to suppress, rectify, and even exclude those employees who do not fit their eyes.
Mr. Zhang has been working in a state-owned enterprise for more than 20 years. He has witnessed countless organizational reforms and changes in the management system, but what makes him feel most helpless is the increasingly stringent performance appraisal system in recent years. What started out as a tool to improve productivity and reward hard-working employees has evolved into a repressive tool in the hands of some managers.
Mr. Zhang recalled that when he first joined the company, he hoped to contribute to the company through his own efforts. He gradually realized that no matter how hard he worked, the key to promotion was often whether he could be favored by the superiors, and even gifts became a shortcut to promotion for some people.
In recent years, the company has begun to implement a new performance appraisal system. This is to evaluate the performance of employees more scientifically, but in fact it gives management more discretion. Mr. Zhang noticed that the appraisal results were often less related to the actual work performance of the employees and more reflected how they relate to the management.
A colleague who had a conflict with his department head was not always evaluated at the end of the year, even though his work performance had been excellent. On the other hand, those colleagues who can speak well and are good at settling with their superiors have mediocre work performance, but their assessment results are always among the best.
Performance appraisals often become a tool for management to rectify dissent. Once you express a different opinion from management, you are likely to be the target of a low rating in the next appraisal. This has become an open secret within the company, and many employees choose to remain silent or leave in desperation to avoid becoming targets.
This appraisal system gradually distorts the motivation of employees. What was supposed to be about improving efficiency and quality has now become a game about how to deal with management. Many employees start to spend a lot of time building relationships rather than focusing on improving their abilities.
A few years ago, the company introduced a new performance appraisal system, which theoretically allows for a more fair evaluation of each employee's performance. In reality, the system is given too much subjective judgment. The head of the department can decide the score of each subordinate according to his own preferences and selfish interests.
A direct consequence of this operation is that the results of performance appraisals often become a key indicator of whether employees can get bonuses and promotion opportunities. Once classified as a low-performing employee, not only is the bonus hopeless, but the career development will also be seriously affected.
The original positive, mutually helpful working atmosphere has slowly disappeared, replaced by intrigue and caution. Mr. Zhang lamented that he saw more and more old colleagues choosing to retire or change jobs, and that new young people were quickly learning how to survive in this system.
The turning point came at a departmental meeting last year. A young employee in the department who usually works very hard but is not good at expressing himself unexpectedly received a very low score in the year-end evaluation. Unable to accept this obviously unfair evaluation, the employee chose to report the situation to the top.
This matter caught the attention of the higher-ups, who began to investigate the implementation of performance reviews. The results of the survey showed that there was indeed an abuse of appraisal power by management, and that some employees were treated unfairly in their evaluations. Subsequently, the company decided to carry out a series of reforms to the performance appraisal system in an attempt to restore employee confidence.
Companies have put stricter rules in place to reduce subjective intervention by management, but it will take time and more effort to truly change this ingrained culture. Mr. Zhang said that he has a glimmer of hope for the future, but also knows that real change requires everyone's participation and efforts.
Many employees remain skeptical of the system, fearing that management may find new ways to continue using it for their own benefit. This mistrust adds tension to the relationship between employees and management.
In the face of various challenges and difficulties, Mr. Zhang and his colleagues still stick to their posts, hoping to contribute to the development of the company through their own efforts. They are also waiting to see the performance appraisal system truly become a fair and transparent evaluation tool, rather than being used by a few people to suppress, rectify and eliminate dissent.
Although this expectation is challenging, it is also the common voice of countless ordinary employees like Mr. Zhang. They aspire to use their strength and hard work to earn the respect and rewards they deserve in a more fair and just working environment.