Performance Appraisals

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In engineering terms resolving preformance from background noise is
the task
Noise includes spurious= internal politics, nasty collegues and inept
superiors.
To imporve signal to noise increase the averaging period but beware the
bathtub deterioration of performance both with age and boredome.
Engineers are much further foreward in evaluating reality than
accountants , general managers or HR where two faces make decisions
Picean

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

You know it is bad when this is the case and you ARE the boss.

That one wasn't self employed, and I quit no long after that. They
ended up spending over $100,000 to replace equipment I routinely
repaired, and no one else in the country wanted to touch.

I did put in a lot of long hours when starting a business. Sometimes
I worked for a couple days straight and did a job that was scheduled to
take weeks to complete, sleep a couple days and do the same thing on
another big job. That may be why my health is shot, and I'm 100%
disabled these days.

Later on when the business was running smooth, if I woke up during
the night I would go to the shop and work four or five hours with no one
around, and no phone calls to bug me.


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

 

[John Woodgate]

In message <[email protected]>,

deterioration of performance both with age and boredome

A boredome is indeed an elderly person, trichologically challenged, with
an agenda to share with anyone who can't escape.

 

[Vladimir Vassilevsky]

Michael A. Terrell wrote:

I worked seven months of 112 hours per week, and got paid for 148
hours (16 hours/day with time and a half for anything over 40 hours)
except for Christmas Day and New Years Day when I got paid an extra 16
hours per day. On top of that, my boss was bitching that I should be
willing to work even more hours.

The hours do not matter. All that matters is what did you actually
worked out for yourself. As far as the problem goes, if you can't work
it with your head, don't try to work it with your arse.

On top of that, my boss was bitching that I should be
willing to work even more hours.

Who should be happier, you or your boss?

Vladimir Vassilevsky

DSP and Mixed Signal Design Consultant

http://www.abvolt.com

 

[John Woodgate]

In message <[email protected]>, dated

Who should be happier, you or your boss?

Most of the time, you. At raise time, the boss. (;-)

Notice how well I can speak Merkan ('raise')!

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

The hours do not matter. All that matters is what did you actually
worked out for yourself. As far as the problem goes, if you can't work
it with your head, don't try to work it with your arse.

I got stuck working the overtime because the idiot ordered the wrong
piece of equipment for a CATV headend. he insisted that Jerrold,
(General Instruments) didn't know what they were talking about, and that
our 10,000 cable converters were already tuned to the channel he
ordered. They weren't, and the jackass refused to change the order, so
I had to modify 10,000 pieces of equipment instead.

Who should be happier, you or your boss?

Ernie wasn't very happy by the time it was over, then was forced to
quit or be fired a few months later at a time when my word could have
let him keep his job. On top of that, I got ten times what he did for
my Christmas bonus that year. I made almost twice what he got that
year, then he was looking for another job with the company telling his
prospective new employers that they couldn't comment till the lawsuit
was settled.

Vladimir Vassilevsky

DSP and Mixed Signal Design Consultant

http://www.abvolt.com

--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

In message <[email protected]>, dated


Most of the time, you. At raise time, the boss. (;-)

Notice how well I can speak Merkan ('raise')!

His last name was Bliss, and well, you know what they say! ;-)


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

 

[Genome]

Hello, I'm posting this question here because I want responses from
engineers, so please don't be offended. I want to know what your
thoughts are concerning Performance Appraisals at your company, are
they beneficial, how are they conducted, and what is the best way go
give performance appraisals?

Where I work, the manager brings you into their office, starts a series
of short questions concerning your family and other things not relating
to your job and then finally gives you a pat on the back and says, good
job. Not much is really discussed and therefore not really useful.

Your comments are welcomed.

thanks,
joe

If I was a manager type bloke (like I dress up as a girly in my spare time)
in charge of people (of various genders who can dress up how they like) I
don't think I'd be doing performance appraisals.....

Make of that what you will.

DNA

 

[Joerg]

Hello Frank,

Hahaha, that's a good one

Yes, the guys in our company thought so as well. However, when someone
couldn't help but chuckle he went ballistic and screamed into his face.
Basic training is often no fun.

The other things he told us probably dates back to the 18th century: "As
civilians you came, as men you will leave" and "Anything that doesn't
immediately lead to your death will make you tougher".

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

Hello Frank,


Yes, the guys in our company thought so as well. However, when someone
couldn't help but chuckle he went ballistic and screamed into his face.
Basic training is often no fun.

The other things he told us probably dates back to the 18th century: "As
civilians you came, as men you will leave" and "Anything that doesn't
immediately lead to your death will make you tougher".

And your DI wants you to believe that they know every trick in the
book. ;-)


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

 

[Ian]

That the police actually *did* something? Yes, that would be
unexpected.


Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany

_Nobody_ expects the Spanish Inquisition....

Regards
Ian

 

[Ian]

Not sensible. You can get T-shirts with Schroedinger's Equation on them.
They don't make you a physicist.

You explore the 'inappropriate behaviour' only after you find that the guy
knows what a Gilbert cell is and is used for. If s/he doesn't, you don't
need to explore it.

I recall one of our engineers turned up in a thick roll-neck jersey his wife
had knitted for him, with the Fourier transform equation knitted in.
That's commitment ;-)

Regards
Ian

 

[Ian]

For my present position, I of course interviewed in a coat and tie, even
though I knew the usual dress was casual. It is part of knowing what
impression you need to leave. When I came back the next day for some
follow up questions (mine, not theirs) I just wore a tie.

Then, for my first day, I came in full three piece suit, mostly as a joke.
I told my co-workers that I would dress a little more causually each day,
so that by Friday I would be in t-shirt and cutoffs...

Also on that first day was the companies annual meeting. Since I was new,
and didn't have any other duties, the boss took me along. As we walked
in, and sat down, several folks were wondering "Who's the new banker?"


Charlie

One of our guys turned up in a suit on the first day. Unfortunately,
on the first day you get your photo taken for your security card.

We did warn the latest guys to join us not to wear a suit....

Regards
Ian

 

[Peter K.]

I recall one of our engineers turned up in a thick roll-neck jersey his wife
had knitted for him, with the Fourier transform equation knitted in.
That's commitment ;-)

No, that's just involved.

In bacon and eggs, the chicken was involved but the pig was committed.

Ciao,

Peter K.

 

[Joerg]

Hello Michael,

And your DI wants you to believe that they know every trick in the
book. ;-)

But the older ones do know a lot of tricks that aren't in the book. Like
never to wear freshly washed socks when 15 miles of hiking in full gear
was required. Gets you blisters in no time. They told us to wear the
socks from yesterday plus some thinner ones over them. It worked. No
blisters anymore.

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

Hello Michael,


But the older ones do know a lot of tricks that aren't in the book. Like
never to wear freshly washed socks when 15 miles of hiking in full gear
was required. Gets you blisters in no time. They told us to wear the
socks from yesterday plus some thinner ones over them. It worked. No
blisters anymore.

We didn't do a lot of marching. They cut almost two full weeks out
of basic training, so we were transported in a tractor trailer across
the base rather than march so we didn't drop one class. They also
pulled a number of double PT sessions in the hot August & September sun
at Ft Knox.

I was thinking more along the lines of they thought that knew every
trick a GI would pull to get away with something. They never expected a
private to play mind games on them, and when they realized what I was
doing, it scared the hell out of them. ;-)


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

 

[Charlie Edmondson]

Ernie wasn't very happy by the time it was over, then was forced to
quit or be fired a few months later at a time when my word could have
let him keep his job. On top of that, I got ten times what he did for
my Christmas bonus that year. I made almost twice what he got that
year, then he was looking for another job with the company telling his
prospective new employers that they couldn't comment till the lawsuit
was settled.

Had a similiar situation when I worked on the 91 Express lanes toll
road. My boss was a real A-hole, who would do things like, pull out a
knife and shave his arms, commenting on how sharp it was, while asking
for the status of your assignments. The threat was very thinly veiled...

Then, about 9 months later, I was working for the other toll road
company and he came in for an interview. For some reason, he wasn't
hired...

Charlie

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

Had a similiar situation when I worked on the 91 Express lanes toll
road. My boss was a real A-hole, who would do things like, pull out a
knife and shave his arms, commenting on how sharp it was, while asking
for the status of your assignments. The threat was very thinly veiled...

Then, about 9 months later, I was working for the other toll road
company and he came in for an interview. For some reason, he wasn't
hired...

Charlie

Too bad he didn't get hit by a truck when he was leaving. ;-)


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

 

[Homer J Simpson]

Had a similiar situation when I worked on the 91 Express lanes toll road.
My boss was a real A-hole, who would do things like, pull out a knife and
shave his arms, commenting on how sharp it was, while asking for the
status of your assignments. The threat was very thinly veiled...

That's when you pull out a mini butane torch and comment on how hot it is.

 

[Homer J Simpson]

Too bad he didn't get hit by a truck when he was leaving. ;-)

One very mean trick is to praise the prick everywhere you go and wait for
him to make a jump after the head-hunters get to him. Then the new boss
finds out what a POS he is and fires him