Conference 7.286::digital

JP&R is a good thing...It is one thing, wich is regulary done here in
Switzerland...But my impression, is that managers do the JP's, because
they have to, and not because it isa useful...It even looks like some
of them are "bothered" to loose time with that and very often what is
written on the JP, is not put into practice...And do not forget about 
the problem, when you change manager...The new manager will make another
JP with you, and forget all about the first one.

Let's make an example: (I am not directly concerned..it is an example)

I have a manager, who knows BASIC very well, and who thinks, that this is
the best language available. So I have a JP with him, and we decide, that
I am going to follow an intensive BASIC training. Soon after that, this
manager leaves, and I get a new one, and I also have a JP with him...
Bad luck. He does not like BASIC at all. he is fanatic of PASCAL. So he
tells me, that I really do not need basic, that it is not useful for my job,
and that and that and that...I reply, that I like BASIC very much, and 
that I would like to follow up the training, wich was originally planned
on my JP. He says no. He says, that I can learn BASIC on the manuals,
and that I will have a PASCAL training. So he cancels my BASIC training,
and puts me in a PASCAL training for in two month...

Didier, what is going to happen , if this manager leaves before I get my
PASCAL training, and if the new manager I get, is fanatic of COBOL?

Norbert

Wrong again, Norbert! (nobody else than Norbert and Nirseen, here?)

It has been decided during your first JP&R that you should learn BASIC
NOT BECAUSE YOUR MANAGER LIKES BASIC but because the business needs it!

So I imagine with difficulties that the new manager changes the business
when he/she comes...

The example is not good.

However, it has been said already that the JP&R is a contract that you
sign with your manager. If a new manager doesn't want to go on with what
has been decided and the reasons are not good to you, use the Open Door
Policy. It is here for that.

Confusion from a poor, cocooned engineer:

Why should the language that your manager favors matter at all?  You should
be taking courses on the languages you need to get your work done.  Whether it
is BASIC, or Pascal or Bliss or (God help you :-) COBOL.                   

	- Barry

RE: .0

Didier, you mentioned that a performance review should be done in the first
3 months of work?  In my group in ZK, they are done in 6 month intervals,
more or less.  

One thing I have noticed is that my management takes the performance
reviews seriously, very seriously.  Both my manager and myself spend
alot of time evaluating my performace.  The result is something concete.
I know what I should be doing for the next 6 months; what things I did
in that past that were good and which were not so good.  It lets me
know the areas that I need to improve.

Guess I should thank God for good management?

	KC

After some investigation, it appears that the idea is the same but the way
to handle it is a bit adapted country-specifically. I don't mind, in fact,
how managers do JP&R. It's not my business. What I was interested in was
to gather other coutries feedback, to show someone that what I was telling
was *really* the way DEC is supposed to act about JP&R and Salary reviews
and Open Door Policy.

It is always difficult to explain to an european guy these things because
it is not at all in our way of working, and hence far away behind our
understanding. See the notes on the ODP here, to discover european reactions.

Didier

JP&R'S have become very important to the people that I work with.
They are the backbone that guides all the IC's through their next
six months.  However, they have taken on such significant importance
to the IC's that management meets with incredible resistance when
the business needs change (as they do often).  Management gives the
impression that JP&R'S are not as important as the IC's think and at
the same time uses them to measure IC's come salary review time.

Another mixed message (see me note re: customers) from management.
Personally, I can be flexible -- if a manager changes his mind for
PASCAL from BASIC, I'll go along with it.  I always request a business
need reason for the change, however.

One flaw I do see with JP&R's is that they are short-sighted.  They
don't always have long range goals in them.  Someone can be learning
skills to fulfill a certain business need only to find out when the
6 months are up, that the need has changed.  What do you do with those
skills that you acquired that are no longer useful?  I think this lack
of long range vision connected with the JP&R has contributed to certain
feelings for being a drone, of not being connected to business goals
(only to personal ones), of having to have a great deal of trust in
your manager.

JP&R's are ok.  I think, though, that they are not the end-all
solution for personnel planning.

DI

The Performance and Salary Reviews that I've received have always had a
section on them for job development and career goals.  The purpose of this
section is to allow me to let my boss know what my career plans are, and
for my boss and I together to plan a way for me to achieve those plans.
This section of the J&PR gives the employee a chance to communicate his/her
long-range goals to management, and gives management a chance to communicate
their long-range goals for the individual.

--PSW

    
    
      Re: .4
    
      Yes, you should give thanks. I'm close to the end of my first
    year here at DEC, and I don't have a job plan. No one I work with
    has a  job plan. We have been told that our supervisors have to
    have one first, and then they'll trickle down. My year is up on
    11/16, but I was also told that my review will be "pushed back"
    for around 3 months. 
    
                                                   That's life - 
    
                                                   Warren Young
    

    JP&R is a good thing.
    
    
    IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS WITH IT  
    TRY ANOTHER COMPANY !!

    I don't understand.  You're responding to a note from October of 88.

    .9 Also appears to be a reply from an anonymous noter.
    
    If you have somethuing to say, put your name to it. Ananoymous notes
    will be deleted.
    
    Andy
    
    CO-Moderator

    >>    .9 Also appears to be a reply from an anonymous noter.
    
    oh really ?
    
    elf tells me there is a person surnamed Screen @ ASO
    
    Scooter

    But the account used is a general-use field service account in Holland.

I see no rule in this conference that restricts entries to those with 
signature only.

Bob

    Unless there is VERY good reason for them,
    anonymous entries should be removed. 

    re. .15 
    
    If the content is there, is the name really important??

    If the person concerned cannot stand behind their words in
    public, why bother in the first place?
    
    <This, wothout Mod hat on>

    Andy, 
    
     I've never really been a writer in the notes. It just
    seemed to me that what is said can be more important than who is
    saying it and if someone, for the sake of maintaining peace in
    their work area or for some other reason wishes to remain anonymous
    then why not?? Should their voice be silenced because they don't
    wish their name to be known?

	  I can't think of a reason that anonymity would be required
	or beneficial when posting a note. Knowledge of the note's
	author can provide a perspective on the views expressed, and
	gives them a legitimacy - it shows that the author is
	willing to back up those views in some way, and that he or
	she stands by them.

	  Anonymity implies that the author has something to hide -
	either becuase his note is so inflammatory as to provoke
	excessive reactions from people that he is not willing to
	endure, or some similar reason.

	  Any reasonably expressed opinion that is withing the
	bounds of good taste should give no cause for the author to
	desire anonymity.

	Roy

    I'll agree with .19, insofar as one should not use anonymity to cloak
    inflammatory or unfounded comments.

    One the other hand... In most of my career at DEC I've been fortunate
    enough to work for managers with whom I could be open and honest, brutally
    so if necessary -- and such behavior was never held "against" me or anyone
    else. In a company as large as ours, though, some people are not as
    fortunate. As long as they express their opinion(s) responsibly, they
    should be given the option to do so anonymously.

    If as individuals we've never felt the need to be anonymous, it may be
    because we haven't been in a position where it was necessary.


    /Peters

    This digression has little to do with the topic, but this is NOTES,
    after all...

    Anonymous notes really come in three flavors:

    1. Notes of a very personal nature (say, in Valuing Differences style
       conferences)

    2. Notes of an inflammatory nature, where the author doesn't want to
       be traced

    3. Innocuous notes expressing an opinion, or story, or joke, or
       whatever

    I can't understand why any action would be required "against" any
    anonymous note except those in category 2 above. The vast majority of
    the notes I read are effectively anonymous, since I don't know the
    author. The only difference between these and truly anonymous notes is
    that I could contact the author of "signed" notes if I so desired. I
    very seldom consider doing this, other than for good business reasons
    (work-related), so as not to bog down people's time and network
    bandwidth.

    To question the validity of a note because you can't contact its author
    is just silly. If its content is troublesome, deal with that. If its
    content is *not* troublesome, don't *invent* trouble based on the
    identity of the author. There's enough trouble around without creating
    it unnecessarily.

    To the veteran noter, notoriety might be viewed as a benefit of the
    medium. To others, it's an intimidation. Why require everybody to play
    by your rules without an otherwise compelling reason?

    If there is good reason for an anonymous note, then send the note to a
    moderator and ask the moderator to post it anonymously. That has been
    done many times in various conferences, and I think it is acceptable.
    It avoids people posting notes for which they are unwilling to take
    responsibility.

    Would you send it to the moderator anonymously? If not, then is it
    really anonymous?

    Re .19:
    
    >   Anonymity implies that the author has something to hide -
    >	either becuase his note is so inflammatory as to provoke
    >	excessive reactions from people that he is not willing to
    >	endure, or some similar reason.
    
    There is no such implication.
    
    Our society does not always value or reward honesty or truth.  People
    have often found it necessary to hide from wrongful actions.  An
    anonymous noter might thus have nothing to hide themselves but might
    need to protect themselves from undue reactions. 
    
    
    				-- edp

    
    Because an individual does not wish to invite an attack against their
    person, this does not invalidate what the individual has to say.
    Eric is correct.  

    I'd second .22 to let the moderator (remember, she/he bears
    responsibility of the content) decide to enter/not enter an
    anynmous note.
    There might be a few cases where an anonymous note has some
    potential value (other than to the author), however the
    potential danger outweighs by far the benefits.
    
    On the other end, employees with no personal account DO EXIST,
    and they should be able to contribute by writing from 
    an "anoymous" account but still signing their writing.
    
    Maybe all that fuzz we are making is of no substance as the
    author of the "offending" reply just forgot to sign and won't
    be back to this file until he/she gets hold of an account again.
    
    C'est la vie...
    Fred 
    

    
    Would someone care to retitle this note "The Official RATHOLE Topic."
    ?
    
    /prc

    Let me try to clarify things a bit, maybe adding to the rathole.
    NOTE: I am not the person who wrote .9.
    
    This account (HOO78C::SCREEN) is set up for use by all Field-service
    engineers performing call-screening in Utrecht (UTO) to perform
    simple VMS 'tasks' like viewing kitlists etc. In general, we do not 
    have personal accounts where we can access Vax-notes. Our only other
    possibility is to use the branch accounts, or that of a friendly
    person who has an account.
    I agree that the person who wrote .9 should have added his name,
    as this account is used by over 100 engineers over time. (BTW, even
    in personal accounts, I think it's good usage to sign your name
    under an article, to show it's yours and you're behind it. Personal
    opinion expressed here)
    
                                           Rik Steenwinkel
                                           #201.462

Corporate Information Security Policy (The Electronic Account Protection
Policy or some similar policy) requires that employees have their own
accounts and does not permit group accounts except in very rare cases
where business needs require it.  Group accounts should be captive and
not able to access VAX Notes.

John:

  Do you actually believe this policy is enforced?  ...Sensible?

  I get a lot of mail from ANYNOD::SYSTEM, don't you?

                                   Atlant

I believe that the policy is not enforced; however, I've suggested to the
information security folks that they should try to get Netherlands F.S. to
issue individual accounts, for proper accountibility.

*::SYSTEM is sort of a different thing.  I don't get very much mail from SYSTEM
accounts, fortunately.  In good system management groups, the people use their
own accounts, and the SYSTEM account is usually only used for rather serious
work.  But in any case, it doesn't represent a group account that some people
have to use all the time instead of having private accounts.

/john

I initially entered this in the ASKENET conf and found out that it should
    probably be in here.
    
    So once again-
    
                    <<< MEIS::PUB$:[NOTES$LIBRARY]ASKENET.NOTE;3 >>>
                            -< Ask The Easynet V4 >-
================================================================================
Note 1831.0        Job Plans and Performance Appraisals Input         No replies
CSCOA5::ARNETT_HUTTO "Shoeal the Paranoid"           16 lines  11-AUG-1989 09:50
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Hello folks.
    
    	I hope this is the right forum for this question.
    	If I commit any terrible blunders, please put it down to 
    inexperience with NOTES>
    
        We are trying to update our "Performance Appraisal" process
    and Job Plans.  WE are looking for some new ideas, criteria, format,
    or feedback on PAs and Job Plans.  Any information at all would
    be greatly appreciated.  If you wish, you can mail it to me at
    	
    CSCOA3, CSCOA5::ARNETT_HUTTO
    
    Many thanks-
    
    George

        re "WE are looking for some new ideas..." - who is "we",
        Corporate Personnel, a group-specific Personnel group,
        or someone else?

[headers removed to protect the guilty]

  Yes - it's time for the First Annual Digital Employees Company Savvy
  Quiz.  This will be a multiple choice quiz to test your knowledge of
  Digital's current Personnel Policies, Salary Plan, Career
  Opportunities and Re-Organization in Progress (RIP).  Scoring and
  what your score indicates about your level of company savvy will be
  located at the botton of the Quiz.  Good Luck.

  1.    You have just received notice that your Manager is leaving for
        "Special Projects".  You have been told that the "viability of
        hiring a replacement manager is being negotiated".  You
        should:

        A.  Apply for the job.

        B.  Discuss the situation with your second-line Manager.

        C.  Take the buyout.

  2.    You have just had a one on one with your manager.  He/She
        indicates that your next salary action will be "Within the new
        corporate policy guidelines".  You should:

        A.  Plan on buying that great new car.

        B.  Wait and see what happens.

        C.  Take the Buyout

  3.    Your Manager has been in meetings all week with his/her
        managers and second line managers.  People have been running
        from the room screaming and crying - and several have
        attempted suicide.  You should:

        A.  Hand out the "Employee Assistance Program" brochures.

        B.  Consider entering the Management Development Program.

        C.  Take the Buyout.

  4.    You have just heard a rumor that your Department is about to
        be "Redeployed".  You should:

        A.  Enthusiastically read up on Digital's Redeployment
        policies, looking forward to your new job as a toilet brush.

        B.  Think about taking some college courses in Programming.

        C.  Take the Buyout.

  5.    Several of the projects you have been working on have suddenly
        been eliminated as redundant or unecessary.  You have not been
        given new projects to replace these.  You should:

        A.  Assume that a great new project is about to be coming your
        way.

        B.  Consider taking some courses in Statistical Typing.

        C.  Take the Buyout.

  6.    Your Manager has suddenly asked you for a complete accounting
        of your time for the past 18 months, including how much time
        you have spent in the Ladies/Men's room.  You should:

        A.  Assume that you will be receiving some type of efficiency
        award.

        B.  Try to get the information together - and attempt to cover
        up those two hour Mall lunches.

        C.  Take the Buyout.

  7.    You have noticed that the number of people in your group has
        dwindled from 15 to 3.  You are now carrying the workload of 5
        people, and have been putting in a 90 hour work week
        routinely.  You should:

        A.  Be certain that you will be getting both salary and
        personal recognition for all your extra efforts.

        B.  Nervously consider the possiblity that you may drop dead
        of a heart attack if you keep this up.

        C.  Take the Buyout.

  8.    In a few short weeks - all of your management team has
        disappeared.  No parties, no bon voyage - just gone.  You have
        been told that your new Manager is "Knud Wecntikiekuoop" from
        the Reykjavik, Iceland office, which is now apparently your
        new Regional Headquarters.  You should:

        A.  Take lessons in Icelandic and try to pronounce your new
        Boss's name.

        B.  Consider applying for that job in Ed Services, even though
        it's a lateral move.

        C.  Take the Buyout.


  Scoring:

  For every "A" answer, give your self no points.
  For every "B" answer, give yourself one point.
  For every "C" answer, give yourself five points.

  Now - here is what your score indicates about your Company Savvy and
  awareness of the current situation.

  0 - 10 Points:

  TOTAL OSTRICH

  What a Rube.  You probably still believe in Santa Claus and the
  Tooth Fairy, don't you?  Wake up and read the paper, Pollyanna - and
  take that class in statistical typing.  You'll need it.

  11 - 29 Points:

  STILL PRETTY DENSE

  Pretty stupid - but not totally.  It's starting to dawn on you that
  perhaps things are changing around you - and that maybe you just
  might want to prepare yourself for possible bad news.

  30 - 40 Points:

  UPDATING RESUME

  You've got the Big Picture.  When and if the unthinkable happens -
  you will be ready to begin your second career as a Home Shopping
  Network Co-Host and/or medical experiment Volunteer.