Gossiping and its impact on Performance Management System
Introduction
In every organization, there are two type of people- those who work and those who do not. Those who work can further be classified into three categories – High Performers, Average Performers, and Low Performers. We have many training tools and methods to improve the performance of our people and move them from the category of “average performers” to “high performers”. Those who do not work, there is no sub-division for them and they are just known as “Gossip Mongers” (The Chamcha’s). The career growth-rate of these Chamcha’s is at par (if not higher than) with High-Performers. Why? Is this, we call as “Performance Management”? Where are HR-Leaders and HR-Statesmen? In this write-up, I have tried to answer these and some other related issues.
Who are these “Gossip Mongers”? How to identify them? Are you, one of them?
The following are the visits of “The Chamcha’s”:
1) Usually, you see these people in the cabins of your bosses.
2) If they are not in office or town … you can find them busy … on a call with bosses.
3) During the weekend, you can also see these people in the houses of their bosses.
4) They are the one who knows all small-small things about their bosses … such as, what they like to eat? Their favorite dresses … colors … hobbies … etc etc.
5) On Monday morning the first thing they do is … to share with their bosses what they did on the weekend? If they went for picnic … then with whom … and where; if they went for a movie … which movie … which theater … etc etc.
6) They are not team players. They do only those assignments … those things, which are directly assigned by their bosses.
7) If at all, they decide to work … they make lots of noise about it.
(Can you recollect any other quality?)
Why and how they are harmful?
Some of you might suggest that these people are not harmful and we should not bother about them. But that is not how human-behavior or human psychology works. If someone starts telling your boss … quite often and quite frequent … that you are like this or that … first, your boss might ignore … but slowly he will start believing. It is the same way in which advertisements works … “keep on bombarding … someday, they will buy”. This tactic will be more harmful if XYZ is not based on the same concessions as boss and his Chamcha.
If you have seen Bollywood Movie … “Omkara” … this is what happens to Omi (Ajay Devgan) … when Langda Tyagi (Saif Ali Khan) was playing his tricks.
Whom to Blame?
Of Course, the bosses are culprits here; instead of stopping … they encourage such things in the office. They are so happy with their status of “Being Bosses” that they do not want to look beyond that. For them roles … like leadership, being a coach or a mentor is just “Theory”. The problem is acuter with “New” or “First-Time Bosses”. They are so insecure … at the top that they like to know things like, “Who is talking what, when they are not around?” What do those subordinates talk and think about them? Such … habits then become “Office-Politics”.
If next time … your boss calls you to his or her cabin and says “I have heard this or that about you” … you should know, from where it has come. I remember one such incident, there was some salary issue with one of our employee and I was very tense … I shared this with one and only one of my college and the next day … my boss was giving me a lecture on the same issue. It hardly took me anytime … to know the person behind.
On the day of Appraisal
1. The Chamcha’s will get all that they want.
2. The high-performers … demand what they want.
3. The average performer gets something … some reward and some warning.
4. The below-average performer gets nothing … just a few threats and few tears.
Solution
To counter such culture and practices in the corporate world, intelligent people and thinkers … proposed things like … 360-degrees … 270-degrees appraisal systems. Such people … also proposed for proper and regular “Performance Management Systems” … “HR-Metrics” … but such things were not appreciated by these types of bosses and chacha’s and failed dramatically and drastically in this part of the world. We are so used to “Such culture of gossiping and buttering” that we do not want to come out of it.
The onus is on bosses … what they want to believe. This is where they need to show their “Statesmanship” and “Leadership Qualities”. They should be sure … what they are doing and believing. They should also question themselves if this person (The Chamcha) is trying to use their power … their position to harm those and eliminate those with which these people are not comfortable.
It is for these bosses to decide … whether they like to remain as the boss or like to grow as “Corporate Leaders” … “Coaches” and “Mentors”. No doubt … we have so many bosses … but countable “Corporate Leaders” … “Management Gurus” … and “Mentors”
Conclusion
If not all the time but most of the time … HR Department is involved in such gossips. They are actually the center for Office-Politics. If the people at a lower level … ground level … with lower-grades … do not want to share anything with anyone from HR-Department … then this is the reason. We are talking about a decline in “Employee Loyalty” and “Employee Trust” … if this will be the “Corporate Culture” … and if this is how you will evaluate your employees … if these will be the parameters for their “Performance Management” … such phrases (Employee Loyalty) … will remain a distinct dream. Performance of an employee cannot be managed by sitting in air-conditioned rooms. There are N numbers of factors, which need to be taken into account … to manage the performance of your employees.
Give a thought to it and share your comments, views, and feedback.
Take very good care of yourself.
Have a great day and enjoy.
Regards
Sanjeev Himachali
(Mobile: + 91-9876328841)
(E-mail: ss_himachali@yahoo.com ; sanjeev.himachali@gmail.com)
Featured image: WikiHow