Job Evaluations of Managers Offer Varied Perspectives

Q: Some companies, such as Federal Express, use an evaluation process that allows the lower levels of staff to evaluate their managers’ performance, giving them a rating of how effective they are as managers.

Is this type of reciprocal evaluation, which is forwarded to the higher mangers, more effective than having the evaluations done by their supervisors?

What are the reasons that some companies use this method, and how successful is it?

--S.K., Fullerton

A: More and more companies are using “non-traditional” performance evaluations to complement the more traditional “top-down” supervisor evaluations of subordinates’ performance.

These include subordinates’ evaluations of supervisors’ performance, evaluations conducted by peers, self-evaluations and evaluations made by customers.

Some companies are using a combination of all of these types of performance evaluations--termed 360-degree appraisals. As you might imagine, a major concern with 360-degree performance appraisals is that they can be extremely time-consuming and costly.

Each of these different types or levels of performance evaluation can offer a little different perspective on a given employee’s performance. This can be extremely valuable.

For example, subordinate evaluations of a manager’s performance can be particularly informative, especially since the supervisor can have such a profound effect on the performance of the work group and its members. Subordinates may see aspects of a manager’s performance that the manager’s supervisor may never see.

However, just like any performance evaluation, there is the potential for bias and politics to enter into the picture. Therefore, it is important to compare and contrast performance evaluations originating from the different sources, keeping in mind that they represent different perspectives on a given employee’s performance.

--Ron Riggio, Professor of psychology, Cal State Fullerton

Insubordination Is Usually a Basis for Firing

Q: Immediately after a disagreement over whether I should go on a field call at 4 p.m. or 4:30 p.m., my manager said to me, “I want you to clean your desk and leave my office right now!” I went to my doctor and called in sick the following morning. One of my colleagues advised me that the manager had told them that I had been terminated.

I have no knowledge of this, nor any reason why I would be fired. And I certainly have not signed anything in writing to say that my performance has been unsatisfactory in any way. Our company has guidelines for dismissal and unsatisfactory performance that it seems to have been completely ignored. I have not been advised either verbally or in writing that I have indeed been terminated. Can you assist me in any way?

--J.G., Long Beach

A: The answer depends upon the nature or the “disagreement” that you and your supervisor had over the field call. If the disagreement was heated on both sides or if you refused to comply with your manager’s directive, the manager may have regarded you as insubordinate and may have terminated you for insubordination. Indeed, from your description of the incident, including the fact that your manager told you to clean out your desk, it sounds as though that is exactly what happened.

Most employers, even those who have systems or progressive discipline for performance problems, will terminate employees immediately for insubordination. Therefore, if you were in fact insubordinate, you would probably have no claim based on your manager’s failure to follow the policy.

However, if you were terminated, it was your employer’s obligation to provide you with your final paycheck immediately. If that was not done, you should contact the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement for relief, because you may be entitled to as much as 30 days’ wages for a failure to provide you with your final paycheck in a timely fashion.

I would recommend that you contact your employer directly to determine your status. You also should demand written specification of the reasons for your termination and a statement on when the decision was made. If, after receiving that information or a refusal to provide it, you believe that you have rights that have been violated, you should seek legal counsel.

--Michael A. Hood, Employment law attorney, Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker

Misstating Education a Terrible Career Move

Q: I was hired by a major corporation and today was my first day at work. They did a lot of background checks previously, but today when we were going through the paperwork, the human resources person wanted to verify my college education. Unfortunately, I lied. I went to a technical school, not the four-year university I listed on my resume. I made a mistake. What is the amount of time universities and colleges keep that information?

--G.P., Tustin

A: Universities and colleges generally keep educational records indefinitely. You may verify this information by calling the “office of records” at the university you listed on your application. If your employer can show proof of falsification based on factual evidence, courts have usually upheld dismissals as “good cause” for termination.

Falsification of information is considered a serious company violation. Many employer application forms and/or company policies include language indicating that falsification or omission of material information may result in a denial of an offer or, if the applicant is hired, immediate termination.

--Elizabeth Winfree-Lydon, Senior staff consultant, The Employers Group