discussion question 725

1) Review the LEARNING discussion “Conducting Effective Performance Evaluations” by Quinn, et al. (2015) on pages 59-63.

2) View the “Feelings” parody.

3) Post a 150+ word personal response to “Feelings.” Discuss your reaction to the video and how it compares to the comments of Quinn et al.

4) Post a 150+ to each students post (student #1 and #2) word reply to two (2) students who had replied to the video.

student #1

The Feelings Parody was quite humorous as I’m sure many individuals who are in HR must, at some point, ‘feel’ the same way. I have worked with several organizations that have very well established HR departments and also some that did not. Those that did not, it was very obvious that the unbiased viewpoint was missing and that some discussions were taken personally as though they were a direct attack on them. At one particular place, someone who was not in HR began to comment on the situation which really turned my view of the company in a negative way. In hindsight and after reviewing the text, I probably could have ensured that it was the appropriate time to discuss. I have never been a fan of conducting performance evaluations based on my aversion to situational conflict, but this particular text was quite helpful in establishing a better framework. To answer the questions at the end of the video, HR should consider your feelings and not so much care. I use the term consider because I feel it is important that they remain unbiased as much as possible and as the text states, “try to remain calm and emotionally neutral” (Quinn et al. 2014). Should an employee come to HR as being unhappy it should be the employee’s responsibility just as much as HR to have an open discussion as to why. One thing I have enacted here at TDLS is that if a staff member has an issue or is unhappy, that part of our discussion should include ideas and/or solutions that can be considered. The last bullet point in the Guidelines for Giving Feedback regarding developing a joint action plan is a great example of this (Quinn et al. 2014). In regards to the motivation of money, I have had an employee come to me with the statement, “if I don’t get a raise I will put in my notice.” My initial knee-jerk reaction would have been to point to the door, but that is not the point of improving me as a manager. Instead, I asked them to provide all of the reasons as to why they felt they warranted a raise. What contributions have they made to improve either themselves or our department? Does money motivate? Absolutely, but it should not be the only driving force in the performance of an individual. If it is, there are clearly underlying issues that should be identified and addressed and as managers it is our responsibility to coach and guide our staff.

student #2

The video “Feelings” was pretty comical, mostly because I feel it is all too true. I think many employees see HR as more of a complaint department than anything, and when they do not get that “you are right and they are wrong” answer their feelings can get hurt. What I took away from the video was that HR is always there to help an employee when they can, but sometimes that means hearing things you may not have wanted to hear. If you let your feelings get in the way, it can hinder how much HR can help you. One of the ways that HR can help an employee see where they stand and identify what they need to do to improve is through performance evaluations. However, the text explains that employees often get their feelings hurt when receiving even constructive criticism and most feel performance evaluations offer “little benefit to the organization, the manager, or the employee” (Quinn, 2014, p. 60). This is a prime example of what the video is stating. HR is only able to help employees if they are willing to set their feelings aside and take the guidance given to them!

((((To clarify: 3 posts are needed, one as a reply to the video, and a reply to two students, each 150+ words.)))